Governor Maura Healey’s ambitious proposal to allocate $400 million to support Massachusetts’ research universities has faced significant reductions. Lawmakers from the Legislature’s economic development committee have decided to halve the funds available, now proposing $200 million specifically for public institutions such as UMass Chan Medical School.
The committee’s co-chairs, Representative Carole Fiola and Senator Barry Finegold, initiated a polling process among committee members on Thursday, which will conclude on Monday. It is uncommon for committee members to diverge from the recommendations of their co-chairs, suggesting that the new funding proposal is likely to gain support.
Healey introduced the “Discovery, Research & Innovation in a Vibrant Economy” bill last summer to mitigate the impact of federal budget cuts on local universities. Originally, the plan allocated $200 million from Massachusetts’ “millionaires tax” for public universities and another $200 million from interest accrued on the state’s rainy-day fund for private universities and non-profit institutions. However, the current proposal shifts focus away from private institutions, now earmarking all funds for public universities.
According to Fiola and Finegold, the revised plan to invest $200 million will serve as a “short-term stop gap measure” aimed at safeguarding essential research at UMass Chan, particularly in fields such as diabetes, ALS, and Alzheimer’s disease. In a joint statement, the co-chairs emphasized that the committee’s decision reflects the state’s current fiscal challenges and the need to prioritize funding for public universities amid other federal budget constraints.
The committee has also indicated that it will continue to explore potential funding avenues for private institutions in the future. As the polling process unfolds, the fate of the revised funding proposal remains uncertain, yet the focus on public universities underscores a shift in state legislative priorities regarding education funding.
For further inquiries, Jon Chesto can be reached at [email protected].
