Senate Passes CPA Amendment for FY2017 Budget Including $10 Million for Trust Fund

May 26, 2016: We're pleased to report that our efforts to obtain state budget surplus funds in the Senate budget were successful. Earlier in the FY17 state budget process, we secured a similar funding commitment for CPA in both the House and Governor's versions of the budget. Should the state end the fiscal year with a surplus, $10 million would then be transferred to the CPA Trust Fund in time for the November 2016 distribution.

Over the course of the Senate budget debate this week, four different amendments were filed that included state budget surplus funds for CPA. Senators Cynthia Stone Creem, Eileen Donoghue, Patrick O'Connor, and Bruce Tarr each filed amendments that included CPA funding, and an additional 24 senators co-sponsored those amendments. On Wednesday afternoon, amendment ECO 730 was adopted, allocating up to $10 million of the FY16 state budget surplus, if available, to the Community Preservation Trust Fund. The Senate then voted to approve the full budget late on Thursday evening.

We are extremely grateful for the support of all the members of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, led by Chairwoman Karen Spilka, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, long-time CPA sponsor Senator Cynthia Stone Creem as well as Minority Leader Bruce Tarr.

What's the next step?

As reported last month, the House of Representatives budget also included $10 million from the state budget surplus for the CPA Trust Fund. In June, a budget conference committee will reconcile differences between the House and Senate budget proposals, and the final budget will be presented to Governor Baker in late June or early July. 

It's important to note that the state must end the fiscal year with a budget surplus for the CPA Trust Fund to receive the $10 million. We won't know the final outcome until sometime in October.

What was included in the Senate budget for CPA?

Shown below is the full text of amendment ECO 730:

"SECTION 77A. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, prior to transferring the consolidated net surplus in the budgetary funds to the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund pursuant to section 5C of chapter 29 of the General Laws, the comptroller shall dispose of the consolidated net surplus in the budgetary funds for fiscal year 2016 as follows: (i) transfer ½ of the surplus, not to exceed $10,000,000, to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Investment Fund established in section 6 of chapter 23I of the General Laws; and (ii)transfer ½ of the surplus, not to exceed $10,000,000, to the Massachusetts Community Preservation Trust Fund established in section 9 of chapter 44B of the General Laws."