Representative Don Humason



For Immediate Release: June 30, 2006 Rep. Don Humason, Jr., 568-1366 HUMASON ANNOUNCES BUDGET PASSAGE; HAILS LARGE INCREASE IN STATE AID FOR WESTFIELD Westfield will receive a sizeable increase in overall state aid in the coming fiscal year beginning July 1, according to budget figures announced by Don Humason, Jr., Westfield’s State Representative, from his State House office today. The House and Senate met in a rare Friday session to take up the report of the 6-member Conference Committee that has been negotiating a compromise between the different versions of the budget. According to Humason, Westfield will receive $31,901,309 in “Chapter 70” education funding in Fiscal Year 2007, a 7.6%, $2,256,673 increase over Fiscal Year 2006. Westfield’s share of unrestricted local aid from proceeds of the state Lottery will increase 26% by $1,595,792 to a new total of $7,682,345. State payment in lieu of taxes or “PILOT” money has yet to be calculated by the Department of Revenue; however, it is expected that these numbers will be increased over the previous local aid amounts. The overall PILOT account was funded at the $25.3 million level. “On one hand I am delighted that the Legislative leadership heard our plea to help cities and towns like Westfield with increased local aid,” Humason said. “Thanks to a measure proposed by Republican legislators and the Romney-Healey Administration, state Lottery revenues have been uncapped and the diversion of that Lottery money into the General Fund and away from municipalities has been stopped.” News of the local aid figures came today as House and Senate lawmakers voted to pass their final version of the $25.7 billion Fiscal Year 2007 budget. June 30 is the last day of Fiscal Year 2006. Legislators approved more than $3.5 billion in local education funding as part of the spending plan, adding more than $216 million to those accounts over Fiscal Year 2006 levels. Resolutions and amendments filed by Humason and other members of the House Republican caucus during budget deliberations helped to generate the increased local aid amounts. “We stuck together and kept the pressure up during the whole budget debate,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R – North Reading) of efforts to increase aid. “Originally, it looked like the House would not approve a large increase in Chapter 70 funding this year. However, we argued that there is no better priority than to spend money on our local schools, and those arguments ultimately prevailed.” “I applaud Representative Humason for fighting hard for education and for his district,” Jones added. “While I am pleased that we were successful at increasing local aid to our communities, I am concerned that the overall budget of $25.7 billion uses $550 million in stabilization funds from the “Rainy Day Fund,” Humason said. “That’s like hitting your piggy bank to pay for groceries. It’s fiscally imprudent, dangerous, and unsustainable.” “We in state government have to learn to live within our budget and not spend more than we have, not dip into our savings to feed our frenzy. It is my hope that Governor Romney will use his Constitutional authority to trim down some of the excesses in this Conference Committee report,” concluded Representative Humason. * * * Their Boston address is State House Room 443, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2460. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us * * * Please feel free to forward this column to your family, friends, and associates. If you do not wish to receive an email copy of my Saturday Westfield Evening News column, please reply and let me know. I will then take you off the list. Sorry for any inconvenience.
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For Immediate Release: June 30, 2006

Rep. Don Humason, Jr., 568-1366

HUMASON ANNOUNCES BUDGET PASSAGE;

HAILS LARGE INCREASE IN STATE AID FOR WESTFIELD

Westfield will receive a sizeable increase in overall state aid in the coming fiscal year beginning July 1, according to budget figures announced by Don Humason, Jr., Westfield’s State Representative, from his State House office today.

The House and Senate met in a rare Friday session to take up the report of the 6-member Conference Committee that has been negotiating a compromise between the different versions of the budget.

According to Humason, Westfield will receive $31,901,309 in “Chapter 70” education funding in Fiscal Year 2007, a 7.6%, $2,256,673 increase over Fiscal Year 2006.

Westfield’s share of unrestricted local aid from proceeds of the state Lottery will increase 26% by $1,595,792 to a new total of $7,682,345.

State payment in lieu of taxes or “PILOT” money has yet to be calculated by the Department of Revenue; however, it is expected that these numbers will be increased over the previous local aid amounts. The overall PILOT account was funded at the $25.3 million level.

“On one hand I am delighted that the Legislative leadership heard our plea to help cities and towns like Westfield with increased local aid,” Humason said. “Thanks to a measure proposed by Republican legislators and the Romney-Healey Administration, state Lottery revenues have been uncapped and the diversion of that Lottery money into the General Fund and away from municipalities has been stopped.”

News of the local aid figures came today as House and Senate lawmakers voted to pass their final version of the $25.7 billion Fiscal Year 2007 budget. June 30 is the last day of Fiscal Year 2006.

Legislators approved more than $3.5 billion in local education funding as part of the spending plan, adding more than $216 million to those accounts over Fiscal Year 2006 levels.

Resolutions and amendments filed by Humason and other members of the House Republican caucus during budget deliberations helped to generate the increased local aid amounts.

“We stuck together and kept the pressure up during the whole budget debate,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. (R – North Reading) of efforts to increase aid. “Originally, it looked like the House would not approve a large increase in Chapter 70 funding this year. However, we argued that there is no better priority than to spend money on our local schools, and those arguments ultimately prevailed.”

“I applaud Representative Humason for fighting hard for education and for his district,” Jones added.

“While I am pleased that we were successful at increasing local aid to our communities, I am concerned that the overall budget of $25.7 billion uses $550 million in stabilization funds from the “Rainy Day Fund,” Humason said. “That’s like hitting your piggy bank to pay for groceries. It’s fiscally imprudent, dangerous, and unsustainable.”

“We in state government have to learn to live within our budget and not spend more than we have, not dip into our savings to feed our frenzy. It is my hope that Governor Romney will use his Constitutional authority to trim down some of the excesses in this Conference Committee report,” concluded Representative Humason.

* * *

Their Boston address is State House Room 443, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2460. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us

* * * Please feel free to forward this column to your family, friends, and associates. If you do not wish to receive an email copy of my Saturday Westfield Evening News column, please reply and let me know. I will then take you off the list. Sorry for any inconvenience.