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The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has estimated that the low-income and English language learner recommendations would cost another $500 million to $700 million. But Doug Howgate, director of policy and research for the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, acknowledged that those are "back of the envelope" calculations. The exact cost depends on the details of how the payments are calculated, which the Foundation Budget Review Commission largely left up to the Legislature.

“It sounds like there are a lot of resources that could be reallocated and we need to have that conversation,” said Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, budget negotiators face 185 non-spending Senate initiatives and 109 from the House. And while total spending in the two roughly $41.5 billion budgets differs by only $22 million, the budgets feature $304 million in unique House spending and $282 million in unique Senate spending, for a total of $586 million.

According to the business-backed watchdog Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the House-passed budget has 109 non-spending sections, while the Senate has 185. “As has been the case in recent years, the Senate budget includes significantly more policy provisions that the House,” the foundation said in a recent report. “This mismatch in the number of sections can make it difficult to resolve policy differences in a way that is satisfactory for both branches.”

Both are heavily larded with non-spending "policy" riders, to the tune of 109 in the House version and 185 in the Senate's, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, says industry assessments are not an ideal way of funding government services because the approach reduces spending accountability and hides the true cost of government. Doug Howgate, director of policy and research at the foundation, says user fees make sense but only if there is a direct link between the entity providing the funds and what is being funded. “To me there’s no connection between rental car contracts and police training,” he says.

According to a summary by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the Senate version of the state budget has 185 outside sections; the House has 109.

Using a higher estimate might enable Democrats in the House and Senate to resolve differences over spending proposals. The business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has also suggested an adjustment to the estimate might be warranted.

"Having revenues continue to exceed projections is welcome news,” said Eileen McAnneny, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “Because a large portion of this revenue is attributable to federal tax law changes, and may not be recurring, budget makers should still proceed with caution.”

AS A PLAINTIFF in the lawsuit Anderson v. Attorney General, I applaud the court’s decision, although I don’t consider myself or the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the organization that I represent, the winner. The real winner is our democracy.