Senate Democrats intend to vote on a bill on Thursday to establish new restrictions on the duration families can stay in emergency shelters and to authorize the use of over $800 million from state reserves for the crisis.
The Senate has prepared revised legislation that would compel the state to review the eligibility of families and pregnant women after nine consecutive months in emergency shelters.
After the initial nine-month period, shelter residents could qualify for one or more 90-day extensions based on certain conditions, such as being a single parent of a child with a disability or needing shelter to prevent job loss, as stated by a Senate Ways and Means Committee official.
In a significant change from the House's proposal, the Senate bill would allocate $10 million for smaller-scale shelter expenses like job training and English instruction, and would also enable the state to transfer $825 million from a reserve account to address the crisis over the next 15 months or more.
The proposal would allow the Healey administration to withdraw tens of millions of dollars monthly from the transitional escrow fund, with an initial limit of up to $75 million monthly for the remaining period of fiscal year 2024. This monthly cap would then decrease to $65 million for the first three months of fiscal 2025, starting on July 1. Subsequently, it would decrease further to $55 million per month from October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024, $45 million per month from January 1, 2025 through March 31, 2025, and $35 million per month from April 1, 2025 through June 30, 2025.
The House approved its own version of the spending bill earlier this month, which includes a nine-month limit for stays, with a three-month extension available for individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, and veterans. However, unlike the Senate bill, the House intended to allocate an additional $245 million to the shelter system in fiscal 2024 and took no action regarding fiscal 2025 finances.
The Senate bill also proposes to permanently implement pandemic-era provisions for expanded outdoor dining and a graduate student nursing program, according to the committee official. In contrast to the House, it does not extend the option for restaurants to continue selling alcoholic beverages for takeout, and instead allows this measure to expire at the end of this month.
Senators have scheduled the bill for debate on Thursday, along with plans to address legislation targeting revenge porn. Amendments to the Senate supplemental budget are required by 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
