Advocacy Needed to Override Governor’s Budget Vetoes to the MCC & Libraries

Yesterday afternoon (July 26th), Governor Charlie Baker vetoed $320 million in spending for the state’s FY19 Budget Proposal. The legislature has until July 31 to override all or some of his vetoes and/or his line item funding reductions. As of now the House will be in session on Saturday 1 to 5pm to vote on these overrides in formal session.

By law when the legislature is in formal session the State House must be open to the public. This means advocates and concerned citizens can be up the State House lobbying for their line items override veto requests in person. It also means that state house staffers (not the senate staffers, only the representatives’ staffers) are in their offices and you can call and/or email over the weekend with your concerns.

MALC urges all artists and arts/creative economy supporters to contact the offices of both their state representative and their state senator. Please ask them to override/restore funding to the budget line items that impact our sector (listed at the end of this blog post).

Step 1: Determine who your state rep. and state senator are

Go to http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx, type in your address, and find out who represents you within the state legislature.

Step 2: Contact your legislators’ offices and thank them for their service

The budget process is a complex and difficult endeavor. Our representatives and senators have been working hard to address the needs/concerns of their constituents and all residents of the Commonwealth. Their staffers have been working hard as well. Please thank them for their dedication to our state and all the support they have given our sector.

Step 3: Respectfully request overrides

Don’t make demands. Just politely and respectfully request that your legislators override the following two budget line items listed at the end of this blog post. (Make sure you share the line item number (when denoted) when asking for your State Representative and Senator to override the Governor’s vetoes/spending cuts.)

To view the Governor’s vetoes/reductions in spending: https://www.mass.gov/lists/fiscal-year-2019-vetoes

And this link is also helpful to see his vetoes:  http://budget.digital.mass.gov/bb/gaa/fy2019/app_19/hvetosummary.htm

The State’s website has online tools to help you dig deeper into the budget process: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/Process

Stay tuned for updates on the budget process as the House and Senate meet this weekend and into next week!

TWO Overrides to Ask For:

1. Massachusetts Cultural Council  Line Item # 0640-0300  Ask your State Representative & Senator to restore full funding to this line item by overriding the Governor’s veto/reduction!!!  The amount we want it restored to $16,154,982

What the Governor vetoed/reduced in funding:

Reduce/Strike Wording  (reduce MCC funding by) -2,084,283 to 14,070,699
“I am striking language which earmarks funding for programs not recommended, and I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary.”

2. Municipal Libraries Local Aid   Line Item # 7000-9501  Ask your State Representative & Senator to restore full funding to this line item by overriding the Governor’s veto/reduction in funding. The amount we want it restored to  $9,612,700

What the Governor vetoed/reduced in funding:

Reduce by -250,000 to 9,362,700
“I am striking language which earmarks funding for programs not recommended. The reduction in the item incorporates the amount of the stricken earmarked funds.”