Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei issued the following statement today following the release of the Senate Ways and Means Committee’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011:“I’m pleased to see the Senate budget avoids making the same mistake the Governor and the House did by leaving the Rainy Day Fund intact. However, it’s troubling that we continue to rely heavily on other one-time revenues, including federal stimulus funding, to pay for what’s in the budget, without undertaking the fundamental reforms needed to rein in spending and attain long-term fiscal stability for the Commonwealth.
The Patrick Administration claims we’re on the road to an economic recovery, but state revenues remain uncertain at best and are well below the levels that were needed to sustain crucial programs just a few years ago. The real problem, however, is not revenues but spending. Even after hitting Massachusetts’ residents with over $2 billion in new taxes and fees last year, Governor Patrick and the Legislature seem unwilling to change their free-spending ways and tighten their belts, just like every family and business in Massachusetts has already done.
The Senate Republican Caucus will be offering a wide-ranging package of cost-saving reforms during the upcoming budget debate to root out waste and inefficiencies in state government. Our entire focus next week will be on finding ways to achieve a fiscally responsible and balanced budget that requires the state to live within its means. The Governor and the Legislature cannot continue to ignore this problem and keep pushing the tough decisions off to another day. The time to act is now.”
