Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The MMA’s Legislative team hosted a briefing webinar for local officials on March 27. Pictured are (top l-r) MMA Legislative Director Dave Koffman, Legislative Analyst Ali DiMatteo; (middle l-r) Legislative Analyst Josie Ahlberg and Senior Legislative Analyst Jackie Lavender Bird; and (bottom l-r) Research and Project Assistant Daniel Yi and Legislative Analyst Adrienne Núñez.
Amid a busy start for the 2023-24 legislative session and the new Healey-Driscoll administration, the MMA’s Legislative team hosted a briefing webinar for local officials today to provide updates on key legislative matters and highlight MMA priorities for the next several months.
The briefing covered the state budget for fiscal 2024 — particularly local accounts — as well as two supplemental spending bills, the extension of pandemic-era provisions related to remote and hybrid public meetings and outdoor dining, the Chapter 90 local roads program, PFAS, recycling and solid waste issues, and much more.
Over the course of the state budget process, the MMA will be pressing lawmakers for increases in Unrestricted General Government Aid, Chapter 70 education aid (particularly minimum additional aid per student), the special education circuit breaker, charter school reimbursements, school transportation accounts, rural school aid, and the payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program.
The MMA is strongly advocating for a 6.13% increase for UGGA, tied to a proposed rolling three-year average of state revenue growth, which has been exceeding expectations in recent years while local revenues are constrained by Proposition 2½.
The Legislative team also highlighted the MMA’s 24-bill legislative package for the two-year session that began in January, and urged local leaders to contact their legislators and “provide critical local perspective” in support of budget increases and legislation that will benefit cities and towns.
In addition to the state budget, which is expected to be wrapped up around July 1, legislative issues on the horizon include tax reform, housing, PFAS, and extended producer responsibility for certain solid waste items.
• View the MMA slide presentation (3.5M PDF)
• View the MMA’s legislative package summary (130K PDF)