Massachusetts lawmakers fail to approve spending bill to help emergency shelter crisis
By Michael P. Norton, Chris Lisinski, Sam Doran, State House News Service
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, NOVEMBER 16, 2023 (State House News Service) - The Massachusetts Legislature ended formal sessions for the year early Thursday morning with no agreement on a spending bill to steer money toward the emergency shelter crisis, a negotiating collapse that douses the state's response to that situation in uncertainty.
After keeping sessions open for roughly 13 hours over the course of the day while top Democrat deputies traded proposals via email and text, the House and Senate abruptly pivoted to naming a conference committee to embark on more formal negotiations.
Ways and Means Committee Chairs Aaron Michlewitz and Michael Rodrigues told reporters -- in separate press huddles -- they were unable to find agreement to resolve differences in the House and Senate versions of a $2.8 billion spending bill.
While Democrats got tripped up on their differences, both the House and Senate bills would steer $250 million toward the shelter system while also scheduling the state primary on Sept. 3, 2024, funding collectively bargained raises for state employees, and clearing the way for contract renegotiations on a hydropower transmission project that is key to Massachusetts' clean energy goals.