By Matt Murphy, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
BOSTON — Attorney General Martha is throwing her support behind a handful of proposed amendments to the House budget that would boost funding in areas such as behavioral health, early childhood education and extended school-day learning time that have become hallmark issues of her campaign for governor.
The House is preparing to open debate Monday on a $36.2 billion budget for the new fiscal year that begins on July 1, and members have filed 1,175 amendments to the spending plan. The budget released by House leadership earlier this month established the baseline for many programs, but the annual budget process routinely leads to millions more dollars of state funding being added throughout the course of debate.
Coakley wrote a letter to House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey on Thursday saying that in order to capitalize on the opportunity to “build a stronger Commonwealth” the state must invest “with an eye towards the future.”
“Expanding our economy, transforming public education and improving access to health care are critical steps to putting Massachusetts on the path to long-term health and prosperity, and our budget should reflect these priorities,” Coakley wrote, before getting into specific proposals she supports.
With Gov. Deval Patrick preparing to exit office and Coakely looking to succeed him, many of the recommendations made by Coakley were to restore funding levels to those first proposed by Patrick back in January exposing little, if any, daylight between the two Democrats on spending priorities.
The story of her brother’s suicide has been one told by Coakley several times since she hit the campaign trail as she has made an emotional appeal for better access to behavioral health services. While Coakley applauded the Ways and Means Committee’s recommended funding for behavioral health, she said in the future leaders should consider increasing reimbursements for inpatient and outpatient services.
Coakley said she backed an amendment (699) filed by Rep. Michael Finn that would increase reimbursement rates for hospitals with more than 63 percent of patient revenue from public payers, including a 10 percent increase for inpatient Medicaid services, 5 percent for outpatients and $12.3 million for behavioral and mental health services. The measure has at least 42 co-cosponsors ahead of the debate next week.
Another amendment (900) with wide appeal in the House so far is a proposal filed by Rep. Jay Livingston to add $7.5 million to the early education budget to further reduce the number of children on waiting lists for pre-school. With 41 co-sponsors, the Livingston amendment that Coakley supports would double the funding recommended by House leaders and match the level proposed by Gov. Patrick.
“High quality early education lays the foundation for learning later on, but we still have thousands of low-income children stuck on waitlists, unable to access early education,” Coakley wrote. With over 25,000 infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers under 5 awaiting placement in an early education or child care program, even the increased funding would only make a small dent of fewer than 2,000 students.
Coakley also urged House leaders to accept a Rep. Stephen DiNatale amendment (541) to appropriate an additional $3 million for extending learning time grants for public schools, a Rep. Antonio Cabral amendment (894) to provide an additional $4 million for training and employment services for people receiving transitional assistance, and a Rep. Thomas Conroy amendment (1144) to increase by $4 million to $12 million funding for the state’s YouthWorks program that provides employment opportunities for low-income teenagers and young adults.
“Health care, education and economic development are the cornerstones of Massachusetts’ commitment to its citizens, and I urge you to make the investments that reflect that importance,” Coakley wrote.