House Passes Bill Authorizing $200 Million

for Municipal Road and Bridge Maintenance

(BOSTON) – State Representative Colleen M. Garry  (D- Dracut and Tyngsborough) joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives today in passing legislation to apportion $1,148,735 for the maintenance of roads and bridges in the 36^th Middlesex District for the upcoming fiscal year. Dracut will receive $794,319 and Tyngsborough will receive $354,416.

Overall, the bill authorizes $200 million for the maintenance and upkeep of municipal roads and bridges across the Commonwealth. This $200 million marks a high for Chapter 90 funding and demonstrates the House’s strong commitment to local road and bridge funding.

“These funds will provide the opportunity for cities and towns to make necessary infrastructure improvements in their communities,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D – Winthrop). “Having the ability to maintain and make much-needed repairs on roads and bridges across will further ensure the safety of drivers across our state.”

“I’m pleased that the House was able to act swiftly on the local road and bridge funding piece of the Governor’s most recent transportation bond bill in advance of the April 1^st deadline,” said Representative William Straus (D – Mattapoisett), Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation. “We have moved quickly on the legislation so that the monies will be able to get to cities and towns as soon as possible and construction may begin.”

“The Chapter 90 allocation allows cities and towns the opportunity to continue to invest in repairs to ailing roads and bridges,” said Representative Brian Dempsey (D – Haverhill), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. “It is important that we show support for local infrastructure improvements with this funding.”

“Chapter 90 funds are crucial for maintaining roads and bridges in our cities and towns,” said Representative Antonio Cabral (D – New Bedford), Chairman of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. “These investments save money by addressing necessary maintenance needs and protecting the infrastructure that encourages businesses and families to locate in Massachusetts.”

Rep. Garry stated, “ Our communities have come to depend on these funds to address local road projects and I am thrilled that even in these tough economic times we can continue to provide these resources.”

MASSACHUSETTS IMPROVES TO A- RATING IN BUDGET TRANSPARENCY

Following reforms adopted by the state legislature last year, Massachusetts was recently awarded an “A-” in government spending transparency, according to Following the Money 2012: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data, an annual report by the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, (MASSPIRG).  The Commonwealth now ranks fourth in online government spending transparency with a score of 92 per cent.

Massachusetts, which ranked 6^th last year, was already one of the most transparent states in the union, scoring a B+ in the 2011 study.  Nevertheless, several reforms adopted during the FY2011 budget process helped push the state even higher amongst its peers.  One such reform was the establishment of the "Open Checkbook" tool, which gives users the ability to monitor state spending as it happens.  The Commonwealth also established a singular transparency web portal, www.mass.gov/transparency, where residents can easily search and download information on virtually all state spending accounts.  This website also includes link to track federal spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The site is interactive and citizens are also free to provide feedback directly through the Massachusetts Transparency webpage.

“I was proud to stand with my colleagues in the House in calling for more transparency in state budget spending.  These reforms are important tools to allow Massachusetts citizens full access to information about exactly how and where the Commonwealth spends money while providing services,” Representative Colleen Garry remarked.

The Following the Money report examines states on 13 scoring criteria measuring the accessibility and amount of information available to users on their respective budget transparency websites.    Each state’s website was examined and given a numerical grade from zero to 100. Massachusetts received perfect scores in the areas of historical data, introductory data on municipalities and quasi-public agencies, recovery act spending, allowance of user feedback, the site’s searchability and downloadability, and for providing checkbook-level detail on spending.

The checkbook-level detail made possible by the “Open checkbook” tool directly addressed one of the few critiques of the Commonwealth’s transparency in the 2011 report and was largely responsible for the improvement in the state’s score and ranking. The study also recognized the state’s improvement in overall user-friendliness.

“Massachusetts has moved to the head of the class when it comes to providing the public with easy-to-use, one-stop, comprehensive and timely information about how government spends our tax dollars,” said Deirdre Cummings, Legislative Director of MASSPIRG.