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Massachusetts House budget writers propose spending on emergency shelters, public transit

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Massachusetts House budget writers propose spending on emergency shelters, public transit


Politics

FILE – Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald Mariano and fellow Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka speak at an event at the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston, Sept. 26, 2023. AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc, File
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BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts House leaders unveiled a proposed $57.9 billion state budget for the 2025 fiscal year that would include $500 million for the state’s emergency shelter system and what lawmakers say is a record investment of $555 million for the beleaguered Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The $500 million for emergency shelters is about half of what Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said is likely needed for the program, which is straining in part because of an influx of migrants seeking shelter.

Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the $555 million investment in the MBTA — and another $184 million for regional transit authorities across the state — is key to the state’s economy.

“Ensuring that the commonwealth is equipped with a safe and reliable public transportation system is critical for the prosperity of our residents and communities, and will be vital in our future efforts to grow the economy,” Mariano said in a written statement.

Mariano said the proposed funding would represent a 41 percent increase in transportation funding from the current fiscal year. He said the proposed investment relies in part on funds generated by the so-called “millionaire tax” ballot initiative that voters approved in November of 2022, which established a 4% surtax on annual income above $1 million.

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The proposed budget also includes $20 million for reduced MBTA fares for riders with lower incomes.

Budget writers said they were able to create a balanced spending plan without dipping into the state’s rainy day fund. Under the plan, the fund is on track to top $9 billion, one of the biggest state rainy day funds in the country.

The full House is expected to begin debate on the spending plan next week.

Healey released her version of the state budget in January.

Healey’s $58 billion plan included several proposals she previewed during her State of the Commonwealth address, including lowering the staggering cost of housing and childcare and making Massachusetts “the climate innovation lab for the world.”

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Healey said her proposal doesn’t rely on any new broad-based taxes and also wouldn’t require a withdrawal from the state’s rainy day fund.

It would spend a then-anticipated $1.3 billion raised from the voter-approved “millionaire tax” on transportation and education, including a universal school meals program and a low-income fare relief program for greater Boston’s public transit system.

After the House votes on its budget proposal, the debate heads to the Senate, which will draft and vote on its own state budget plan.

It will then be up to a six-member conference committee of House and Senate members to hammer out a single budget proposal to send back to each chamber for a final vote before shipping it to Healey’s desk.

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Massachusetts

Springfield attorney named to 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list

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Springfield attorney named to 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Springfield bankruptcy attorney Andrea M. O’Connor has been named to the 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list.

According to the firm, Andrea M. O’Connor of Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., has been named to the 2026 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list in the Bankruptcy: Consumer practice area, marking the fourth consecutive year she has received the recognition.

O’Connor’s practice draws on experience representing both debtors and creditors, serving as a Chapter 7 trustee and clerking for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. The firm said she develops legal strategies tailored to her clients’ individual needs and goals.

Andrea M. O’Connor (Courtesy of Market Mentors)

O’Connor graduated magna cum laude from Western New England University School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Western New England Law Review. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and Connecticut, as well as before the U.S. District Courts for Massachusetts and Connecticut, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

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Beyond her legal practice, O’Connor serves as chair of the Bankruptcy Section of the Hampden County Bar Association and is co-chair of both the Western Massachusetts Bankruptcy Conference and the MCLE Bankruptcy Conference. She also serves on committees for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Before earning placement on the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list from 2023 through 2026, O’Connor was recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star each year from 2019 through 2022.

Super Lawyers is a peer-reviewed attorney rating service that recognizes lawyers in more than 70 practice areas. The organization says its selection process includes attorney nominations, independent research and peer evaluations.

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