Budget and Grants

Fiscal Year 2023 Budget - Conference Committee Report (BOSTON) - Last week, the Massachusetts Legislature unanimously passed a $52.7 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). This budget upholds fiscal responsibility and makes targeted investments to strengthen the state’s economic foundation, protect the most vulnerable residents and support the everyday needs of communities and families in the Commonwealth. “The budget for the upcoming fiscal year reflects the legislature’s commitment to investments that support and uplift the Commonwealth’s residents,” said Representative Meschino. “I am encouraged to see that my advocacy for statewide and local line items that matter most has resulted in meaningful investments that will benefit our communities here on the South Shore.” Representative Meschino was able to secure funding for several key priorities for the 3rd Plymouth District, including full funding for library technology and automated resource sharing at nearly $4.75 million and increased funding for the Division . . . Read More

BOSTON – April 29, 2022 – Late Wednesday evening, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass the state budget for Fiscal Year 2023. Funded at $49.73 billion, the budget responsibly addresses the needs of residents and makes targeted investments to support families in the Commonwealth. This budget continues its strong commitment to cities and towns, and includes significant investments in health care, education, housing, and workforce development, among other priorities.  “This budget reflects yet another year of meaningful investments to support residents of the Commonwealth,” said Representative Meschino (D-Hull). “I am dedicated to advocating for the line items that matter most to our communities and the people who live here on the South Shore.” Representative Meschino was able to secure funding for several key priorities for the 3rd Plymouth District, including full funding for state aid for public libraries and increased . . . Read More

(BOSTON) - This week, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that Hingham Public Schools was one of 22 districts that will receive an FY22 Proficiency-based Outcomes in Languages Other than English Grant. This competitive grant program is a way that DESE supports World Language (WL), Heritage Language (HL), Dual Language (DL) and English Language Learner (ELL) programs and districts in their efforts to support or improve such programs in pre-K, elementary, and/or secondary schools. Districts were able to apply for funding to fulfill either one or both of the following program goals: Goal 1: Collect and analyze data pertaining to proficiency in languages other than English to improve World Languages, Heritage Languages, and English Learner programs. Goal 2: Support educators to teach for proficiency in languages other than English by aligning to the proficiency-based standards and high-leverage teaching practices described in the 2021 Massachusetts World Languages . . . Read More

(BOSTON) - This week, $5 million in grant funding was awarded to 306 Massachusetts fire departments from the FY22 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program.  The grant program enables fire departments to purchase a variety of equipment that will make firefighters’ jobs safer.  Examples of eligible equipment include, among others, personal protective clothing and equipment; communications equipment; thermal imaging cameras; and health and wellness equipment. Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and Scituate were among the 306 communities that received awards. Towns in the 3rd Plymouth District received the following funding: Cohasset: $12,190.30 Hingham: $18,830.00 Hull: $11,779.70 Scituate: $11,861.59 “Firefighters provide critical services to our communities on the South Shore, and we need to take good care of them, too,” said Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull).  “The fire departments in Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and Scituate will be able to use this grant funding to continue their efforts to improve the health and safety of . . . Read More

BOSTON, MA – Recently, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs completed the awarding of the summer Food System Infrastructure Grants. The goal of the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program is to ensure that individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth have equitable access to food, especially local food. The program also seeks to ensure that farmers, fishermen and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future food supply and distribution disruption. As part of the announcement, organizations and businesses across the South Shore were awarded over $500,000 to help them grow their operations to support food security in their area. “Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen food insecurity intensify across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “This funding will allow our local fishing, farming, and assistance organizations on the South Shore the ability to provide . . . Read More

(BOSTON) – On Friday, July 9, 2021, Representative Joan Meschino (D-Hull) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget, which invests in programs and services across the Commonwealth. Funded at nearly $48.1 billion, the budget makes major investments in education, housing, substance use disorder services, health care, the environment, and other areas as the state pursues an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Though initial plans were made to withdraw more than $1.5 billion from the state’s Stabilization Fund, the final budget transfers $1.1 billion into the fund – bringing the total balance to more than $5.8 billion to safeguard the future of vital programs and services. In addition, the budget prioritizes funding for education, allocating $350 million to be utilized for the implementation of the state’s Student Opportunity Act (SOA) in the coming years. Locally, the budget includes the . . . Read More