Statement Regarding Action on American Rescue Plan Funds

The following is a statement from the Senate President and House Speaker Ron Mariano regarding action on American Rescue Plan funds.

“The Legislature will be rejecting the governor’s amendment to immediately spend $2.815 billion in available American Rescue Plan funds. Our actions this week will preserve the funds while allowing all parties to participate in the discussion and help make decisions about how to allocate these resources. 

The Legislature stands firm in its commitment to employing an open, transparent and thorough public process to best understand how we as a state can make smart investments with these one-time federal dollars to address pressing and long-term needs while promoting a just recovery for all areas of the state. Therefore, the Legislature will be holding a series of public hearings throughout the summer, spearheaded by the Joint Committee on Ways and Means and in close consultation with the House Committee on Federal Stimulus, relevant Committees and Committee Chairs, with the goal of crafting spending plans directly informed by feedback from constituents and stakeholders, including those representing the areas identified by the Governor in his proposal. 

We will continue to seek input from the Governor and expect that he will file additional legislation so that his priorities can be part of that process. We invite the Baker Administration to testify in these hearings. Meanwhile, to be ready to respond to emerging and urgent public health needs that may require an immediate use of funds, $200 million will remain available to be deployed by the Baker Administration. 

Massachusetts has an existing legislative process that includes the public, both legislative branches, and the executive branch, which has effectively allowed us to pass nation-leading bills regarding climate change, reproductive justice, and police reform. We look forward to embarking on a similar process as we appropriate American Rescue Plan funds.”