Senate approves $41.5B state budget for upcoming fiscal year

BOSTON — After weighing hundreds of proposed amendments, the Senate approved a $41.5 billion state budget Friday, setting the stage for negotiations with the House on a final spending plan for the July 1 fiscal year.

Senators added $75.5 million in spending during the three days of debate, much of it in earmarks for local projects, according to an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Other accounts boosted included $6.4 million for regional school transportation, $2.8 million for nursing home rates and $2 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

"We have invested in essential programs, old and new, to ensure that our commonwealth can provide the best possible health care, transportation, housing, and human services in the country," said Democratic Senate President Harriette Chandler, in a statement after the unanimous final vote.

Read more: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_politics/2018/05/senate_approves_415b_state_budget_for_upcoming_fiscal_year