HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5195        FILED ON: 7/21/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4869

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

July 21, 2020

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

I am filing for your prompt consideration a bill entitled “An Act Making Certain Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 Before Final Action on the General Appropriation Bill.”

This bill provides the spending authorization to maintain necessary services through August

31, 2020, pending the passage of the General Appropriation Act.  This authorization is in addition to that contained in Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2020, the Fiscal Year 2021 interim budget, which was signed into law on June 26.  All actions taken under this bill will apply to the General Appropriation Act.

In order to ensure that the Commonwealth will be able to meet its payment obligations without delays, I ask you to enact this legislation promptly.

We also look forward to continuing the important work already underway with you on an a full-year local aid and chapter 70 announcement that will be guided by additional information expected from the federal government in the coming weeks. An agreement between both branches and the Administration on a baseline full-year projection will provide important clarity to local officials budgeting for Fiscal Year 2021.

Respectfully submitted,             Charles D. Baker         Governor

Charles D. Baker,

Governor

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4869

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

An Act making certain appropriations for fiscal year 2021 before final action on the General Appropriation Bill.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the amount of $5,510,000,000 is hereby appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, to meet necessary obligations before the enactment of the general appropriation act for that fiscal year, for the maintenance and operations of the various departments, boards, commissions and institutions, including federal grant and Intragovernmental Service Fund expenditures, for other necessary services and for meeting certain requirements of law. This appropriation shall cease to be operative on the effective date of the general appropriation act and all actions taken under this section shall apply against that general appropriation act. All expenditures made under this section shall be consistent with appropriations made in the general appropriation act.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect on July 31, 2020.