Bill > H4227

This bill appropriates funds for fiscal year 2025 to supplement existing appropriations and support various activities and projects, primarily in education and transportation. * **Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)**: * MBTA Physical Infrastructure: $40,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * MBTA Low-Income Fare Relief: $20,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * MBTA Workforce/Safety Reserve: $175,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $300,000,000 for an operating transfer to replenish the MBTA deficiency fund. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $16,455,500 for culvert and small bridge modernization, reconstruction, and repair. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $25,000,000 for grants for workforce and training initiatives at regional transit authorities and transit improvements. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $7,000,000 for a pilot program to provide grants to municipalities for repair, maintenance, and improvements to unpaved roads. * Local one-time transportation projects: $42,367,000 for various local transportation improvements across the commonwealth. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $25,000,000 for grants for capital infrastructure improvements and equipment at regional transit authorities. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $13,000,000 for improvements to water transportation infrastructure, including ferry services and port infrastructure. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $80,000,000 for the construction and reconstruction of municipal ways. * Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund: $10,000,000 for grants for capital microtransit initiatives and last mile transportation solutions. * Reserve for World Cup transportation costs: $5,000,000 for publicly incurred transportation costs associated with the 2026 World Cup matches. * **Executive Office of Education**: * Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: * Green Schoolworks: $10,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * Special Education Circuit Breaker: $58,000,000 from the Student Opportunity Act Investment Fund. * Career Technical Education School Opportunities: $100,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund or the Transitional Escrow Fund, available through fiscal year 2028, for capital improvements and initiatives to expand career technical education. * Local one-time education projects: $34,484,000 for various local educational projects and initiatives across the commonwealth. * Reserve for regional school transportation costs: $8,132,500. * English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Services: $10,000,000 from the Transitional Escrow Fund for grants to reduce waitlists for ESOL services. * Early Literacy High Dosage Tutoring Initiative: $25,561,000 for a program to address pandemic-related learning loss and improve literacy for students in kindergarten through grade 3. * Special Education Instructional and Transportation Costs: $190,250,000 for reimbursements to school districts and direct payments for special education costs. * Programs to encourage graduates to work as public school educators: $2,475,000 for scholarships and student loan repayment assistance. * Department of Higher Education: * DHE Endowment Match: $10,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * UMass Endowment Match: $10,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund. * Capital Program at Public Institutions of Higher Education: $115,000,000 for projects to reduce deferred maintenance backlogs at public higher education institutions. * Department of Early Education and Care: * Workforce, Affordability, and Quality Improvements: $45,500,000 for initiatives in the early education and care sector, including reimbursement rate increases and an educator loan forgiveness program. * Holocaust Legacy Foundation, Inc.: $10,000,000 from the Transitional Escrow Fund for the establishment of the Boston Holocaust Museum. * **Imagination Library of Massachusetts Program**: Sections 3 and 4 establish and fund the Imagination Library of Massachusetts program, which aims to promote early childhood literacy by providing age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5. A dedicated fund, the Imagination Library of Massachusetts Fund, is established for this purpose. * **Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)**: Section 5 amends a previous appropriation, increasing the MBTA Workforce and Safety Reserve to $36,000,000 from the Education and Transportation Fund to address ongoing safety concerns.

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4227