The Senate Ways and Means Committee released its $39.49 billion
budget earlier this week.
The Trial Court was funded at $643.5 million, but that amount
does not include funding for specialty courts. It is shy of the
$654.3 million requested by the Trial Court for maintenance funding
and $6 million more than the House budget. However, unlike the
House version of the budget, the Senate version does include
funding for expansion of the Housing Court.
Additionally, the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation was
level-funded at $17 million, $1.5 million less than the $18.5
million in the House budget. Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton)
has filed an amendment seeking an additional $3 million for civil
legal aid. For information on MLAC's funding, click here.
The Senate will begin debating its budget on Tuesday, May
24.