December 21, 2021
On December 13, Governor Baker signed a COVID-relief spending plan into law, allocating $2.55 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and $1.45 billion in state surplus funds across a variety of needs.
The purpose of this spending plan is to quickly distribute aid as the state recovers and rebuilds after the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The magnitude of the spending package is notable as it carves out funding for local and regional public health offices, housing development, behavioral health support, health and human service workforce development, food security, and many other needs. The governor vetoed some sections related to what he described as administrative "red tape" and "unduly burdensome reports."
The Foundation has compiled a summary of spending that is relevant to our service area and funding priorities, which can be found here.
An analysis of the entire package prepared by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation can be found here.