Healey's budget proposal expected to boost funds for programs benefiting families, climate initiatives

Gov. Maura Healey is required to release her first state budget recommendation by March 1.

Expected to be in excess of $50 billion, Healey's budget is the opening move in the give and take exchanges between the executive and legislative branches each tasked with proposing a state spending plan for the next fiscal year that begins on July 1.

Administration officials say that among the governor’s top priorities will be the funding of agencies or programs designed to help the state reduce greenhouse gases by 85% within the next two years.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is one quasi-state agency expected to see unprecedented state investments, according to Healey’s chief budget writer, Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz.

The center recently put $270,000 toward building what’s called a 72-unit “passive house” for seniors in Holbrook. Now under construction, the agency hopes the three-story pilot project can demonstrate how feasible it is to create more energy-efficient buildings.

"What pilot projects do is they really help the private sector experiment and innovate and try new approaches," said Galen Nelson, the chief program officer at the Clean Energy Center.

The agency was singled out by Healey in her inaugural address earlier this year as the type of innovative program deserving of greater state investment. The shout-out thrilled Nelson and his colleagues.

"I think that Governor Healey understands that we need to make investments now to figure out how to decarbonize the wide variety of buildings that we have across this commonwealth and to experiment so that we can reduce the cost of that transition," said Nelson.

Gorzkowicz said the governor sees the center as a “key player” in various other climate-related industries, including offshore wind. He added Healey’s budget would also reflect investments in the potential of that industry in particular.

Beyond the state’s climate goals, Gorzkowicz said the governor’s budget will also reflect her hopes to launch and fund Mass Reconnect, a program to provide free community college to people older than 25 without college degrees.

Nate Mackinnon, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges, said similar programs in Michigan and Tennessee have been successful.

"I think that if we find a way to recognize the value of — not necessarily everyone having a four-year bachelor's degree in a state like Massachusetts — but everyone having some form of post-secondary education and training that allows them to have a job in the workforce where they can write their own ticket," said Mackinnon.

Gorzkowicz said the program could also help Massachusetts employers looking to fill jobs. It would provide opportunity for mid-career professionals, he said, “who realize that an associate's degree is something that would help them either advance in their current job or to redirect them to other jobs and other opportunities where employers certainly have a need, but the skill sets aren't aligned.”

He added that affordability will be a major theme of Healey’s budget. Families in Massachusetts are struggling with respect to housing, childcare, and the high cost of living, Gorzkowicz said, noting there will be many items in the governor's budget proposal to address those concerns.

Some budget watchers expressed hopes the governor's proposal will go a long way toward meeting the needs of cash-strapped families.

"The state budget is one of the most powerful tools that we have at our disposal," said Marie-Frances Rivera, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. "It's $50 billion about each year and budgets are moral documents, and that's a big chunk of change, right, to set your priorities moving into this post-pandemic world that we're in.”

She also said she’s eager to see the details of Healey's tax reform package, which were released Monday morning.

"It seems that there's interest in moving forward tax credits that are really going to benefit families, are going to benefit young people,” Rivera said. “We're excited to see that.”

On Thursday, the Healey administration also released figures that show local aid totals she recommends for cities and towns. For municipalities' education spending, she will propose an increase of $601 million (9.5%) over the current fiscal year. She also will recommend a $34 million (2.4%) increase for local general government expenses, including a $3 million boost for local and regional libraries.

Healey's budget and tax reform proposals mark the first step in the annual dance between the governor and the Legislature over the state's finances.

Over the next few months, the Massachusetts House and Senate will put forth their own proposals in support of their priorities. Priorities which may, or may not align with those of the governor.