Published August 6, 2010
Good news! Massachusetts is getting a check for $665 million from the federal government (despite a “no” vote from Sen. Scott Brown). It’s called FMAP funding. And here’s why it means the embattled gambling legislation may not be dead yet.
- The FMAP is allocated to states to offset the costs of Medicaid and education. By receiving that infusion of cash, Massachusetts frees up money in the budget for other stuff. The state budget is about $23 billion, so the FMAP funding amounts to about 3 percent. (Not enough money to throw a party over, but an amount you would be really stoked to find lying on the sidewalk.)
- Lawmakers must convene to divvy up the money. But the formal legislative session ended last weekend, so the House and Senate have to figure out how to spend the money in an informal session or call everyone back for a formal session. The latter requires a two-thirds majority of each body.
- Laws can be passed in informal session, but a single lawmaker could raise an objection that kills the session. That would force lawmakers to meet in formal session.
- And if the House and Senate meet in formal sessions, some lawmakers say, casino gambling could be back on the table. One House member, speaking anonymously, told the Boston Globe the idea has been discussed in deliberations.
(Dennis Redfield/Flickr)
In interviews with WBUR today, the House and Senate minority leaders (Republicans) both say they want the gambling legislation to die. Neither of them has a lot of power on Beacon Hill, but they could prevent their colleagues from objecting to the FMAP spending. Which means the chambers could meet in informal sessions. Which means gambling would not come up for debate.
Globe reporter Michael Levenson said it best: “Like Wile E. Coyote, the gambling bill just will not die.”