Bill > H1

This bill appropriates funds for fiscal year 2016, detailing the distribution of the State Lottery and Gaming Fund, additional General Fund, and Gaming Local Aid Fund, totaling $979,797,001, to be apportioned among cities and towns. It also outlines the calculation of foundation budgets and local contributions for school districts, with specific provisions for districts using the USDA's community eligibility provision and adjustments to preliminary local contributions based on revenue growth factors and target local shares. The bill further modifies various state government operations, including establishing performance management responsibilities for the Governor's office, re-establishing the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, authorizing MassDOT to sell advertising, and restructuring the Office of Commonwealth Performance, Accountability and Transparency (CPAT) while retaining certain accountability functions within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (ANF). Additionally, it adjusts oversight of the Board of Registration in Medicine, converts tourism funding into a competitive grant program, allows the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to spend in anticipation of revenues, authorizes the Medical Assistance Trust Fund to make incentive payments, streamlines civil service classification appeals, modifies pension transfer amounts, equalizes state employee health insurance contributions, establishes a Secure Vital Registry Trust Fund, extends the duration of certain Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) permits, allows the Department of Public Health (DPH) to spend in anticipation of revenues for vaccine purchases, places the Board of Registration in Medicine under DPH supervision, waives license fees for veterans, expands MassHealth's contracting authority for medical equipment and supplies, allows electronic notice for building code amendments, establishes a Weather Resiliency Fund for the MBTA, delays a tax deduction for certain companies, outlines the funding of state pension obligations including a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, recognizes savings from an early retirement incentive program, suspends the tourism funding formula, directs capital gains tax collections to the General Fund, allows FEMA reimbursements for winter storm costs to be used for snow and ice removal, freezes special education program prices, transfers funds from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the General Fund, allows MassDOT to transfer funds among its appropriations, requires new Memoranda of Understanding for regional transit authorities receiving additional funding, requires the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency to transfer funds to the General Fund, authorizes the Inspector General to conduct audits of the Health Safety Net and Medicaid program, allows MassHealth to determine the extent of adult dental and chiropractic services coverage, establishes a base year for nursing home rates, sets the nursing home user fee target, requires initial gross payments to qualifying acute care hospitals from the General Fund to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, allows MassHealth to transfer surplus funds among its line items, permits a waiver for the skilled nursing facility user fee, and specifies the effective date of July 1, 2015, unless otherwise noted.