Dear Hecate
Why are budget earmarks a dirty word? Our little program is targeted to a very specific population in our community, and our not-so-very-powerful Rep has been able to protect us every year in the budget by "earmarking" some funds for us in the line item that funds programs like ours. In fact the line item is full of earmarks for other programs like ours from all over the state. We all still go through the RFP process, fill out all the forms and fill out all the reports justifying every single penny. We're all subject to audits, we all must make sure our programs meet state standards and follow regulations. We just don't have to compete with each other. I don't get it.
Good guy provider
Dear Good Guy,
Do not spend another second worrying about what anybody else thinks about earmarks. Get to work with your not so powerful Rep and make sure he gets your earmark in his list of priorites to Chairman DeLeo. As you may already know, the Chairman has sent out a letter to all Reps asking them for a letter listing their individual priorities by Feb 11. The letter also asks each Rep to schedule a meeting with the Chairman to justify the list. Now, stop reading this and star putting together the briefing material for your Rep.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
What we want our government to do and how we pay for it.
Dear Hecate
Please explain the recent announcements from the Governor's office about their upcoming budget to be released on the 23rd. The initiatives seem pretty well thought out and reasonable to me (especially the one investing in our state parks), but in the light of a well know $ 1 billion structural imbalance, why doesn't he explain how these new initiatives are going to be paid for? It seems to me that the essential task for concerned citizens is to participate in the debate about what we want our state government to do (like advocating for cleaning up the parks) but also be able to participate in the debate about how we're going to pay for it.
Just Asking
Dear Just Asking
I'm sure you've noticed that every press story about every initiative announcement includes a quote or three from a legislative leader or a "state house observer" asking the same question. And the answer will come to everyone on the 23rd or sooner. Will these new initiatives be funded by going into the state's 2.3 billion dollar rainy day fund, or by cutting other programs somewhere else, or from his revenue proposals (gambling and corporate loophole proposals) even if they haven't passed the legislature yet? You’ll find out soon enough. Let me repeat by the way, it’s perfectly legal and appropriate for the Administration to submit an annual budget estimating income from various sources even if they haven’t passed the legislature yet. Of course such a move might really irritate everyone opposed to those revenue sources, but all they have to do is continue their fight in the legislature.
BTW your description of the essential task for concerned citizens is right, excuse me, perfect.
Please explain the recent announcements from the Governor's office about their upcoming budget to be released on the 23rd. The initiatives seem pretty well thought out and reasonable to me (especially the one investing in our state parks), but in the light of a well know $ 1 billion structural imbalance, why doesn't he explain how these new initiatives are going to be paid for? It seems to me that the essential task for concerned citizens is to participate in the debate about what we want our state government to do (like advocating for cleaning up the parks) but also be able to participate in the debate about how we're going to pay for it.
Just Asking
Dear Just Asking
I'm sure you've noticed that every press story about every initiative announcement includes a quote or three from a legislative leader or a "state house observer" asking the same question. And the answer will come to everyone on the 23rd or sooner. Will these new initiatives be funded by going into the state's 2.3 billion dollar rainy day fund, or by cutting other programs somewhere else, or from his revenue proposals (gambling and corporate loophole proposals) even if they haven't passed the legislature yet? You’ll find out soon enough. Let me repeat by the way, it’s perfectly legal and appropriate for the Administration to submit an annual budget estimating income from various sources even if they haven’t passed the legislature yet. Of course such a move might really irritate everyone opposed to those revenue sources, but all they have to do is continue their fight in the legislature.
BTW your description of the essential task for concerned citizens is right, excuse me, perfect.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Massachusetts Budget Process.....What's happening?
Dear Hecate
Our group got the list of budget analysts in the Secretary of Administration and Finance who are developing the Administration's FY 09 Budget from the Public Policy Institute's September Insider Budget Briefing. We've met with a really nice brainiac budget analyst who handles the account that funds our program in November and she told us that we were a priority for the Governor, but warned us that there was a structural budget deficit and it was unlikely we would get what we were asking for. Now we read in the paper every day that the structural deficit is at least 1 billion dollars (on a 30 billion dollar budget) and the Governor may include some revenue options (gaming and closing corporate loopholes) that haven't passed the legislature yet. I thought our state, unlike the federal government had to have a balanced budget?
Baffled in Bridgewater
Dear Baffled,
It really is pretty simple. All of those young brainiacs in the Fiscal affairs Division of the Administration and Finance (who appear younger every year to Hecate) have been burning the midnight oil for weeks doing a fact based analysis of each program and developing a so-called "maintenance" budget for every single state agency.
The Secretary of Administration and Finance adds up all the maintenance budgets and compares that sum to another list of estimated revenues from various taxes and fees submitted by another set of brainiacs and if the total of the maintenance budgets is bigger than the estimated revenues it's called a structural deficit. Now there are a couple of straight forward ways to address a structural deficit that are similar to what every family does, .......cut expenses (maybe not your program, but somebody elses), draw down various "rainey day funds" (your kids college or your retirement savings accounts), or simply plan on some additional revenue streams (a 2nd or 3rd job).
The Governor will be submitting a budget on January 23 that is based on estimated expenses and revenues. First the House and then the Senate will debate the Governor's proposals and come up with their own proposals to solve the structural deficit by either by cutting programs, going into savings or passing the Governor's suggestions for revenue generating measures like gambling, closing corporate loopholes. And yes of course they could come up with their own revenue generating measures. At any rate in the end the Governor has a constitutional obligation to sign a balanced budget.
All of this back and forth can appear to get complex and complicated with at least a dozen ways to explain the same accounting method. You might find it helpful to check out the Mass Budget and Policy Center’s Budget Monitors for straightforward – just - the - facts analysis of the Budget process.
Our group got the list of budget analysts in the Secretary of Administration and Finance who are developing the Administration's FY 09 Budget from the Public Policy Institute's September Insider Budget Briefing. We've met with a really nice brainiac budget analyst who handles the account that funds our program in November and she told us that we were a priority for the Governor, but warned us that there was a structural budget deficit and it was unlikely we would get what we were asking for. Now we read in the paper every day that the structural deficit is at least 1 billion dollars (on a 30 billion dollar budget) and the Governor may include some revenue options (gaming and closing corporate loopholes) that haven't passed the legislature yet. I thought our state, unlike the federal government had to have a balanced budget?
Baffled in Bridgewater
Dear Baffled,
It really is pretty simple. All of those young brainiacs in the Fiscal affairs Division of the Administration and Finance (who appear younger every year to Hecate) have been burning the midnight oil for weeks doing a fact based analysis of each program and developing a so-called "maintenance" budget for every single state agency.
The Secretary of Administration and Finance adds up all the maintenance budgets and compares that sum to another list of estimated revenues from various taxes and fees submitted by another set of brainiacs and if the total of the maintenance budgets is bigger than the estimated revenues it's called a structural deficit. Now there are a couple of straight forward ways to address a structural deficit that are similar to what every family does, .......cut expenses (maybe not your program, but somebody elses), draw down various "rainey day funds" (your kids college or your retirement savings accounts), or simply plan on some additional revenue streams (a 2nd or 3rd job).
The Governor will be submitting a budget on January 23 that is based on estimated expenses and revenues. First the House and then the Senate will debate the Governor's proposals and come up with their own proposals to solve the structural deficit by either by cutting programs, going into savings or passing the Governor's suggestions for revenue generating measures like gambling, closing corporate loopholes. And yes of course they could come up with their own revenue generating measures. At any rate in the end the Governor has a constitutional obligation to sign a balanced budget.
All of this back and forth can appear to get complex and complicated with at least a dozen ways to explain the same accounting method. You might find it helpful to check out the Mass Budget and Policy Center’s Budget Monitors for straightforward – just - the - facts analysis of the Budget process.
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