Procedural war over controversial budget bill continues Friday on Beacon Hill

A procedural war over a budget bill that includes critical funding for union contracts and the state’s ability to respond to an influx of migrants continued Friday as Massachusetts Republicans pledged to keep up their blockade.

Democratic leadership in the House and Senate released a compromise version of a nearly $3.1 billion supplemental budget Thursday that included $250 million for Massachusetts’ struggling shelter system and nearly $400 million for 95 union contracts.

But Republicans, who had voiced concerns with the shelter aid for weeks, blocked the advancing agreement after attempting to move consideration of the bill from an informal session — where any one lawmaker can object to a proposal — to a formal session, where legislators can debate and take recorded votes.

After a private meeting Friday afternoon with other House Republicans, House Minority Leader Brad Jones said he believed minority party members would continue to object to the supplemental budget if Democrats attempted to push the full proposal through.

“We’re having continuing conversations with the caucus about all the different considerations, the contracts that have been, were held captive by this ridiculous process as well as having a discussion with the comptroller, and realizing what’s the fine point of, as I billed it, responsible opposition versus irresponsible obstructionism. I don’t know that we’re at that point yet,” he said. “I’m sure the speaker would say we’re past that point.”

House Speaker Ronald Mariano criticized Republicans Thursday night after they blocked the supplemental budget from advancing.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that House Republicans are blocking the passage of the supplemental budget,” he said in a statement. “This bill includes $3 billion worth of critical funding for state employee raises and for a number of other pressing issues. Despite that, House Republicans are willing to jeopardize the entire package over $250 million that will be used to provide shelter for all vulnerable families in Massachusetts.”

The budget agreement hashed out by Ways and Means Chairs Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues includes a provision requiring the Healey administration to use $50 million of the migrant aid to set up an overflow site for families placed on a waitlist for shelter placement.

The union contract funding affects pay raises for tens of thousands of public sector workers just as the winter holidays are approaching. Union members pushed Beacon Hill lawmakers late last month to advance those dollars quickly.

The budget bill also features $15 million in disaster relief for communities hit hard by extreme weather events, $10 million for resettlement agencies to support immigrants and refugees, and $60 million to support caseworkers and staff at the Department of Transitional Assistance dealing with an increased volume of people looking for benefits.

If the supplemental budget manages to make it through the House, it still will need to clear the Senate, where Republicans have also expressed discontent with the proposal.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said GOP members of both branches offered a “very clear” path forward by pushing to move consideration of the budget into formal sessions.

“I think you have to ask yourself the question, you should be asking others the question, these are priorities, to be able to advance some of these things, the union contracts, certainly the disaster relief,” he told the Herald Thursday night as he left the State House. “And if they’re a priority for all of us, then why would we not agree to have debate and take roll calls? What is the reason we wouldn’t do that?”

Both the House and Senate gaveled in around 11 a.m. Friday and quickly moved into extended recesses, where they remained just after 1 p.m. Senate Republicans huddled privately at 11 a.m. to discuss strategy and suggested they might do so again later in the day if necessary.

This is a developing story…