After delay, Ch. 90 bill signed

After a three-month delay, a $200 million Chapter 90 bill was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick on June 29.

Funding for the local road and bridge repair program had been caught in a stalemate between the House and Senate until a House-Senate conference committee finally agreed to separate the Chapter 90 funding from a broader $1.5 billion transportation bond bill, something the House had done back in March.

After signing the bill, the administration filed a “terms bill” (H. 4235) so that the state can issue the bonds to raise the Chapter 90 funds.

The terms bill was quickly endorsed by the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. Once the terms bill becomes law, Chapter 90 funds can finally be released to reimburse cities and towns for local road and bridge projects.

There has been agreement among state and legislative leaders on the funding level for Chapter 90 since the governor announced at the MMA Annual Meeting in January that he would support $200 million for fiscal 2013. A bill wasn’t filed until March, however, and the House decided to peel off the Chapter 90 component of a larger transportation bond bill in order to expedite the local funding. The Senate did not go along with the move.

Citing the actual level of local need, the MMA has been a consistent advocate for a multi-year Chapter 90 funding mechanism at a level of at least $300 million per year.

In response to a question at a meeting of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association this spring, the governor said he would consider a three-year, $1 billion Chapter 90 bill.