July 18, 2022

BOSTON, MA – Today, Representative Antonio F. D. Cabral (D-New Bedford) joined his House and Senate colleagues in unanimously passing a $52.7 billion budget proposal for FY2023. This budget upholds fiscal responsibility and makes targeted investments to strengthen the state’s economic foundation, protect the most vulnerable residents and support the everyday needs of communities and families in the Commonwealth, among many other priorities championed by Rep. Cabral.

The City of New Bedford will receive $26,647,658 in unrestricted general government aid for the City’s budget, an increase of $1.4 Million from FY22. The New Bedford Public Schools will receive $199,086,038 in state funding, an increase of $25.3 million more than FY22’s allocation. “This increase delivers on the promise of the Student Opportunity Act to ensure more equitable funding for schools, especially like those in New Bedford that serve low-income and English Language Learner (ELL) students. This funding increase is a major victory for our students, families and schools,” said Rep. Cabral.

As a cornerstone of the Commonwealth’s economic foundation, the FY23 budget expands access to educational opportunity and strongly supports students, families, educators, and institutions. This budget invests $6 billion in Chapter 70 funding, an increase of $495 million over FY22, and doubles minimum Chapter 70 aid from $30 to $60 per pupil. This historic level of investment ensures the state remains on schedule to fully implement the Student Opportunity Act. The budget also reflects a strong to commitment to early education and care, investing $1.18 billion into this sector, including $365 million in new resources to begin implementation of recommendations made by the Early Education and Care Economic Review Commission. These investments will help to stabilize providers, support the early educator workforce with rate increases and higher education opportunities, and provide access to affordable care for children and families. Finally, the budget includes $110 million for a year-long extension of universal school meals. “We know firsthand how essential New Bedford Public School’s universal meals program is to our students and families. Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach, and I hope to see these meals be made permanent” said Rep. Cabral.

Rep. Cabral, a long-time sponsor and advocate, also secured $4,000,000 for the Parent-Child Plus Program, an increase of $700,000 from the FY22 budget. This statewide program offers early education home visits to low-income families with children between the ages of 16 months and four years, and directly benefits New Bedford families from the Hayden McFadden Elementary School and the John A. Parker Elementary School to name a few.

Sending a strong and unequivocal message that reproductive and gender affirming health care will be protected in Massachusetts in the face of growing legal uncertainty across the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the FY23 budget invests $2 million in grants for improvements to reproductive health access, infrastructure, and safety.

The FY23 budget provides resources to help with housing stability to keep individuals and families in their homes, including $219.4 million for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters, more than $200 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), $175 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and $92 million for assistance to local housing authorities.

For the first time ever, the FY23 budget removes barriers to communication services for incarcerated persons and their loved ones, requiring the Department of Correction (DOC) and sheriffs to provide phone calls free of charge to those receiving and initiating phone calls and other services such as video or electronic communications. It also establishes a new requirement that commissary items in correctional facilities shall not be sold at more than 3 per cent over the purchase cost. Both changes ensure that correctional facilities do not unjustly profit off the basic needs of incarcerated persons.

New Bedford

As a direct result of his advocacy, Rep. Cabral secured $430,000 in FY23 for these local New Bedford programs:

• $80,000 for youth programs at the Dennison Memorial Community Center
• $75,000 for outreach and educational programming at AHA! Arts, History, & Architecture of New Bedford
• $75,000 for citizenship education and workforce readiness programming at the Immigrants’ Assistance Center
• $50,000 for opioid abuse treatment at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
• $50,000 for programming at the Frederick Douglass House
• $50,000 for the support of productions and programming at the Zeiterion, Inc.
• $25,000 for the youth apprenticeship program at the New Bedford Festival Theatre
• $25,000 for cultural educational programming at the Cape Verdean Association of New Bedford

As a cosponsor, Rep. Cabral also helped secure funding for these other local organizations:

• $150,000 for water quality and natural resource monitoring for the Buzzards Bay Coalition
• $100,000 for the peer-led juvenile diversion program Youth Court of New Bedford and Fall River
• $50,000 for New Bedford Coastal Foodshed to address food insecurity and quality in our neighborhoods
• $50,000 for the Greater New Bedford Opioid Task Force to continue efforts to support those fighting addiction

“The work these organizations do is far-reaching and vital to our community. From ensuring positive youth development, promoting the creativity and resiliency of downtown, providing workforce and citizenship education to our immigrant residents, preserving our multicultural history, and providing vital health services to our community, these programs are making New Bedford a model Gateway City, deserving of continued investment and development. I’ve been a fierce champion of these programs for many years and I’m proud to be a partner in their important work,” said Rep. Cabral.

Rep. Cabral again secured $550,000 for UMass Dartmouth’s SMAST for groundfish fisheries research, an increase of $100,000 from FY22. Also, working with Senate colleagues, Rep. Cabral helped deliver $250,000 for the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass Dartmouth. “UMass Dartmouth is not just an affordable option for local college students, but also a focal point of our community, bringing together the best of our local culture and business to stimulate economic development that works for the South Coast and reflects our strengths beyond our community,” said Rep. Cabral. “SMAST and the Center for Portuguese Studies are at the core of that mission.”

Gateway Cities

Rep. Cabral and the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus (GCLC) focused their budget priorities on education support programs and community development initiatives that meet the specific needs of Gateway Cities, such as New Bedford. “This is one of the most successful budgets for the GCLC’s priorities in history,” said Rep. Cabral. “It speaks to the strength of the caucus and our ability to voice our unique needs to leadership.” The GCLC secured: 

• $9,000,000 for Dual Enrollment grants, which enables high school students to earn college credit
• $1,000,000 for the English Language Learners Gateway Cities Program
• $1,050,000 for neighborhood stabilization efforts within the Transformative Development Fund to support community-led revitalization efforts
• $10 million for Early College programs, with priority given to programs that serve students who are currently underrepresented in college
• $60 million for Adult Basic Education/ESOL 

Having been passed by the House and Senate, the legislation now goes to Governor Baker for his signature.