On April 11, the House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013). To address the state’s $1.3 billion budget gap, the proposal calls for approximately $685 million in temporary revenue along with cuts and savings of nearly $600 million.

On January 25, the Governor filed his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013. Our Budget Monitor tracks the impact of those proposals on each major area of state government, from heath care and education to public safety and the environment–including information on tax revenues.

The money that the state provides to cities and towns for core local services is called General Local Aid. Our new factsheet describes the history of general local aid, the dramatic cuts of the last four years (amounting to roughly 1/3 of all funds), and various options for reform.

Looking ahead to the fiscal challenges the Commonwealth faces in FY 2013, our Budget Preview shows that the budget deficit will be well over $1 billion.

This updated report examines state budget cuts since the onset of the current economic downturn. It builds on our prior edition published in April (which included cuts up through the Governor’s FY 2012 budget proposal) and compares changes in major categories of state spending between FY 2009 and FY 2012. It documents deep cuts in early education, public health, and other programs that directly affect the lives of children and adults across the commonwealth.

This Budget Brief describing the Fiscal Year 2012 (FY 2012) budget for MassHealth (Medicaid) and other related health care programs is the last in a series of fact sheets published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute(MMPI) and produced by MassBudget in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. These fact sheets have been published at each stage in the FY 2012 budget process; this fact sheet summarizes the enacted budget for FY 2012.

The FY 2012 budget includes deep cuts in a number of areas including $24 million from the Judiciary (including probation) and over $60 million in public higher education. The final version of the budget also includes $460 million less in local aid in FY 2012 than in the original FY 2009 budget, after accounting for inflation.

This Budget Brief on the House and Senate proposals for MassHealth and related health care programs is the fifth in a new series published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute and produced by MassBudget in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. These fact sheets will be published at each stage of the budget process, examining and explaining the proposals put forth by the Governor, the House, and the Senate.