Massachusetts House gives approval to direct $200 mill to municipal road and bridge maintenance, Baker sends Rescue Plan proposal

Chris Lisinski

The House gave initial approval on Monday to legislation directing $200 million to a municipal road and bridge maintenance program and $75 million total to three other infrastructure programs, teeing it up for a vote when representatives convene in a formal session on Tuesday.

City and town officials have urged the Legislature for years to increase the annual Chapter 90 allocation to at least $300 million and approve a multi-year authorization, but the bill that emerged Monday (H 3852) funds the program at the same $200 million level as in recent years in line with Gov. Charlie Baker’s original proposal.

The legislation also boosts funding to the municipal small bridge grant program, municipal bus transit grants, and municipal mass transit access grants by $25 million each.

The House on Monday also formally received Baker’s proposal (H 3902) to spend $2.8 billion of the roughly $5.3 billion Massachusetts received in American Rescue Plan Act funding, sending it to the Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.

Amid a feud with legislative leaders over who gets a greater say in how the massive pot of aid will be divided, Baker last week called for spending more than half of it in the short term on home ownership assistance, substance abuse treatment and job training programs. Lawmakers previously voted to stash all the money away and decide how to spend it after a public hearing process.