The Legislature took final votes Friday on a $4 billion American Rescue Plan Act spending package (H 4629) that grew beyond the governor's original $2.8 billion proposal he filed in June. Baker had originally separated federal relief funding and...

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the most notable difference between the House and Senate versions of the ARPA spending proposal was the proposed timeline and process for providing premium pay to essential workers. “Like the Senate version...

According to a Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation analysis that highlights some of the bill's pressure points, the biggest buckets of money in the bill are for health care ($964 million), housing ($624 million), and $500 million allotments for both...

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the ARPA bill contains 843 earmarks for local projects and organizations, totaling $304.4 million, or 7.6 percent of the bill’s total spending. By contrast, earmarks account for 60 percent of arts funding...

Now, with a bill delegating how to spend nearly $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state surplus funding sitting on his desk, Baker must put his signature on it quickly. He received the legislation Dec. 3 after it languished for months amid...

Today, the House and Senate passed a $4 billion spending bill which uses the remaining fiscal year 2021 surplus and up to $2.55 billion in Fiscal Recovery Funds provided through the American Rescue Plan.  The compromise legislation increases...

“You can be for more transportation revenue, which we are, and not support this tax increase,” said Eileen McAnneny, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which in September warned the MBTA is staring down “fiscal...

According to an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the House bill contains 411 such earmarks, totaling $154.4 million; the Senate version has 415 earmarks, totaling $122.9 million. They include such items as $5 million for the...

While the bodies agreed on some of the biggest provisions – spending $500 million on premium pay for essential workers and $500 million to reimburse the unemployment insurance trust fund – there were significant differences. According to the...

A report released in September by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation concluded the MBTA faces a growing future budget shortfall, due to the sluggish recovery in ridership and resulting lost fare revenue. It found the MBTA might face a budget...