MA Lawmakers Pass 2022 Budget With Funding For Brookline Programs

Brookline MA

12 July, 2021

2:28 PM

Description

BROOKLINE, MA — The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate has passed a final FY 2022 budget that includes funding for several Brookline programs that support education, mental health, and local arts and culture. If approved, the budget would help fund Steps to Success, Brookline Senior Center, Brookline Community Mental Health Center, and Coolidge Corner Theatre. It would also support education, the environment, and housing on a statewide level. "I am excited to see a final budget that includes funding for crucial programs that support the most vulnerable in Brookline and across the Commonwealth," said Rep. Tommy Vitolo in a statement. "I am grateful to my colleagues in the House and Senate who worked hard to fund progressive policies and programs that will continue to support our communities as we recover from COVID-19." The budget would provide $25,000 to Steps of Success, which works to promote equity for over 300 students from low-income families, $250,000 for the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health to expand the Healthy Lives program, $25,000 for the Brookline Community Foundation Community Grants program, and $60,000 for a grant program for independent restaurants to supply meals to those in need. Also included in the legislation is $100,000 for the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, $20,000 for the Alzheimer's Caregivers Respite program at the Brookline Senior Center, and $125,000 for the redesign of the intersection of VFW parkway and South Street. "I drive through the intersection at VFW and South Street regularly and witness firsthand the dangerousness it presents to pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and even nearby neighbors," said Rep. Ed Coppinger in a statement. "I am thankful to my constituents who worked with both myself and DCR on this issue and am looking forward to seeing the redesign of this dangerous intersection come to fruition." On a statewide level, the budget would support education by increasing Chapter 70 funding by $219.6 million to $5.5 billion and depositing $350 million in the Student Opportunity Act Investment Fund. In addition, the voluntary desegregation program METCO, in which Brookline participates, would receive $27.9 million. To support climate change initiatives, $2.2 million is slated for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and $13 million for incentivizing training for jobs in the offshore wind industry. Continued support for housing and food security is included in the budget, with $22 million for the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program, $85 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, $30 million for emergency food assistance, and $13 million for the Healthy Incentives program. The budget now heads to the governor's desk for approval.