Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei and House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. released the following statement regarding Governor Deval Patrick’s signing of the Fiscal Year 2011 state budget yesterday:“The Fiscal Year 2011 budget signed by Governor Patrick is a testament to yet another missed opportunity by the Legislature and the Corner Office to implement real reforms in the way state government operates.
Once again, the budget relies heavily on the use of one-time revenues, including federal stimulus funding that will no longer be available next year. Governor Patrick has also failed to address the $160 million hole that has been created by Social Security reimbursements that have yet to be paid to the state, or to account for the $300 million hole created by a debt restructuring plan that is still waiting authorization by the Senate. In doing so, the Governor has simply pushed off the day of reckoning and has failed to address the serious financial crisis Massachusetts is now facing.
The state is facing a structural deficit of between $2 billion and $3 billion in Fiscal Year 2011. By taking a band-aid approach, the Governor and the Legislature continue to avoid making the tough decisions and adopting the fiscal discipline needed to rein in spending and dig the state out of its fiscal mess. This budget may be on time, but it is certainly not balanced and is anything but responsible.”
