Mass. House Passes $400M Spending Bill After Delays

State Rep. and Republican candidate for state Treasurer Karyn Polito has been thwarted in her attempt to block a $400 million supplemental spending bill after she was late in arriving to the House chamber.

At precisely 10 a.m. on Monday, House leaders gaveled through hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending, bolstered by federal stimulus dollars, for the current fiscal year.

Polito arrived moments later and marched away after learning she was too late for the informal session.

The Shrewsbury Republican had blocked the bill for five days last week.

She and her GOP colleagues wanted more information about spending on the Department of Correction. They also wanted the bill approved in a full, formal session.

The measure now goes to the Senate.