Baker signs $53B budget making record investments into Massachusetts future

BOSTON (WLNE) — Gov. Charlie Baker signed Massachusetts’ $53 billion state budget on Thursday.

The budget for the 2023 fiscal year highlights healthcare, education, workforce development, and transit.

“With the Commonwealth in a historically strong fiscal position, the FY23 budget supports tax relief for hundreds of thousands of taxpayers, while making record investments in education and local aid,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I am pleased to sign another budget that maintains this commitment while making investments help Massachusetts’ families and communities grow and thrive.”

The budget made record investments into the states education system. The governor signed $6 billion into public education, including $250 million for grants to help stabilize early education and childcare providers through the pandemic recovery period.

The budget included $32.2 million for small businesses, $17.2 million for local economic development projects, and $10.7 million to support the state’s tourism and hospitality.

The budget also included a historic investment in creating long-lasting improvements in housing stability — $150 million in Residential Assistance for Families in Transition and $110 million for homeless individual shelters.

Highlighted in the budget was also $20 billion in funding for MassHealth, and $266 million to fix critical MBTA safety hazards ordered by the federal government.