Huge Show of Support for CPA in Senate
May 19, 2014: Although the House budget included a transfer of $25 million from the FY14 budget surplus to the CPA Trust Fund, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means did not include the CPA funding in their budget proposal, released this week. Senator Cynthia Stone Creem has submitted an amendment to include the $25 million in the final Senate budget proposal, and the amendment was co-sponsored by 26 state senators! That's a very large number of co-sponsors for a budget amendment, and we thank our CPA advocates across the state for contacting their senator.
The full text of Senator Creem's amendment (Amendment number OTH 4), as well as the list of 23 of the 26 co-sponsors, is shown below. The additional three senators not listed below signed after the amendment text was finalized. They include Senators Brian Joyce, Benjamin Downing and Bruce E. Tarr.
OTH 4 - Community Preservation Trust Fund
Ms. Creem, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Candaras, Messrs. DiDomenico, Donnelly, Eldridge and Finegold, Ms. Forry, Messrs. Hedlund and Humason, Ms. Jehlen, Messrs. Keenan and Lewis, Ms. Lovely, Mr. Michael O. Moore, Ms. O'Connor Ives, Messrs. Rodrigues, Ross and Rush, Ms. Spilka, Messrs. Welch, Wolf and Brownsberger, Ms. Donoghue moved that the bill be amended by striking out section 115 and inserting in place thereof the following section:
“SECTION 115. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, prior to transferring the consolidated net surplus in the budgetary funds to the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund under section 5C of chapter 29 of the General Laws, the comptroller shall dispose of the consolidated net surplus in the budgetary funds for fiscal year 2014 in the following order to the extent that funds are available: (i) transfer $25,000,000 to the Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust Fund established in section 9 of chapter 44B of the General Laws; and (ii) transfer $25,000,000 to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Investment Fund established in section 6 of chapter 23I of the General Laws; and (iii) transfer $7,000,000 to the Social Innovation Financing Trust Fund established in section 35VV of chapter 10 of the General Laws.
(b) All transfers pursuant to this section shall be made from the undesignated fund balances in the budgetary funds proportionally from the undesignated fund balances; provided, however, that no such transfers shall cause a deficit in any of the funds.”
What's the next step?
The Senate will vote on Senator Creem's amendment as part of their budget debate beginning May 21st. In June, the action will move to the Conference Committee comprised of three appointed members each from the House and Senate to reconcile differences between the two budget proposals.
The Coalition will continue to advocate for the amendment and track the remainder of the state budget process, including the final Senate budget, in coming weeks.