State Budget- First Step – the Governor’s Budget (Part One)
MALC is actively following the Commonwealth’s FY18 budget process. We watch for several “line items” in the budget- the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), funding to our libraries, the tourism funding formula, and the film tax credit program. We also monitor what is filed in the “outside” section(s) of the budget.
The first step in our state budget process is the release of the governor’s budget. By law, the governor must release their budget the fourth Wednesday in January (unless it is the beginning of a new term, then it is the fifth Wednesday the governor file’s their budget).
To learn about the state budget process see this link: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/GovernorsBudget
Yesterday, on January 25th, Governor Baker released his FY18 Budget and to see his full budget see this link: http://www.mass.gov/bb/h1/fy18h1/
We are happy to report that Governor Baker recommended a slight increase of 2.5 percent in the MCC budget.
From the MCC-
(January 25th, 2017 Boston, MA) – Governor Charlie Baker today released a state budget proposal that would invest $14.3 million in the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) in the coming fiscal year. The Governor’s budget plan for Fiscal Year 2018 would represent a 2.5 percent increase above this year’s state appropriation for MCC.
The MCC seeks a $16 million state appropriation, a $2 million increase, for FY18. MCC Executive Director Anita Walker said the agency will continue to make the case for that increase in concert with MASSCreative, Mass Humanities, and its network of advocates across the state. As part of that effort, MCC has released new data on the benefits of arts and cultural funding to the state’s economy, communities, and the education of our young people – and what long-term reinvestment in its work can accomplish.
“We thank Governor Baker for his support for the arts, humanities, and sciences,” said Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director. “The Governor’s budget proposal recognizes the creative sector as a vital force for economic prosperity and community vitality across Massachusetts. It represents a solid start to the budget process.”
The release of the Governor’s budget proposal is the first step in the development of the budget for FY18, which begins July 1. The House and Senate will release their own budget recommendations in April and May, respectively. The two chambers must then agree on a final tax and spending plan, and then send it back to the Governor for final approval.
See MCC’s Advocacy Action Center for updates on the budget process and for the latest data on the nonprofit cultural sector’s contributions to the Massachusetts economy and quality of life.
For State Budget- First Step – the Governor’s Budget (Part Two)– MALC will report on some of the other line items we are tracking and how they fared in the Governor Baker’s budget.