SECTION 1.  Chapter 131 of the acts of 2020 is hereby amended by inserting after section 1 the following 2 sections:-

Section 2.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, items funded through this act shall be funded in a manner assuming not less than the lower of the general appropriations act for fiscal year 2020 or the operating budget submitted by the governor for fiscal year 2021 pursuant to section 7H of chapter 29 of the General Laws.

If cost savings occur in a given item that would result in an appropriation less than the lower of the general appropriations act for fiscal year 2020 or the operating budget submitted by the governor for fiscal year 2021 pursuant to said section 7H of said chapter 29, the secretary of administration and finance shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on the savings achieved not less than 15 days before said savings are reflected in the allotment schedule adopted by the executive office for administration and finance; provided, however, that no said savings shall be achieved through reductions in eligibility standards or benefit levels as compared with items funded in the general appropriations act for fiscal year 2020. If federal programs, or other alternative funding sources, are available to supplant state funding for the same purposes, the secretary may reduce the state’s portion of said funding in a manner commensurate with the additional federal revenue received for said purpose.

Section 3.  The secretary for administration and finance shall provide monthly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means, including, but not limited to the: (i) allotments provided for each item funded through this act; (ii) assumed full-year appropriation for each item funded through this act based on the year-to-date allotments; (iii) if applicable, an explanation for any changes in the assumed full-year appropriation from the previous monthly report.

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