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</head> <body class="body template template--en-US" data-template-version="1.27.0" data-canonical-name="CPE-PT17831" lang="en-US" align="center" style="-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div id="preheader" style="color: transparent; display: none; font-size: 1px; line-height: 1px; max-height: 0px; max-width: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden;"><span data-entity-ref="preheader"></span></div> <div id="tracking-image" style="color: transparent; display: none; font-size: 1px; line-height: 1px; max-height: 0px; max-width: 0px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden;"><img src="https://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?ca=bac03d9f-3459-4769-ac21-e727b6f7f3ed&a=1134000289612&c=180aeb2c-de11-11ed-8aa5-fa163ec87d62&ch=180b65b6-de11-11ed-8aa5-fa163ec87d62" / alt=""></div> <div class="shell" lang="en-US" style="background-color: #cccccc;"> <table class="shell_panel-row" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: #cccccc;" bgcolor="#cccccc"> <tr class=""> <td class="shell_panel-cell" style="" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="shell_width-row scale" style="width: 700px;" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="shell_width-cell" style="padding: 15px 10px;" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="shell_content-row" width="100%" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="shell_content-cell" style="background-color: #FFFFFF; padding: 0; border: 0px solid #3e3e3e;" align="center" valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <table class="layout layout--1-column" style="table-layout: fixed;" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="column column--1 scale stack" style="width: 100%;" align="center" valign="top">
<table class="image image--padding-vertical image--mobile-scale image--mobile-center" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="image_container content-padding-horizontal" align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 10px 40px;"> <img data-image-content class="image_content" width="600" src="https://files.constantcontact.com/c473fa70801/d443fe45-73ec-4c4d-af52-0ce3a0a1784f.png?rdr=true" alt="MCB logo with the text: FY25 H.2 Budget Update" style="display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%;"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="layout layout--1-column" style="table-layout: fixed;" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="column column--1 scale stack" style="width: 100%;" align="center" valign="top">
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<p class="indent-0" style="margin: 0;"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Dear Community Partners and Stakeholders, </span></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="margin: 0;"><br></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="margin: 0;"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) is pleased to report Governor Maura Healey filed her Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget recommendation on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. </span></p>
</td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="layout layout--1-column" style="table-layout: fixed;" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="column column--1 scale stack" style="width: 100%;" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="button button--padding-vertical" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout: fixed;"> <tr> <td class="button_container content-padding-horizontal" align="center" style="padding: 10px 40px;"> <table class="button_content-row" style="width: inherit; border-radius: 2px; border-spacing: 0; background-color: #000000; border: none;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#000000"> <tr> <td class="button_content-cell" style="padding: 10px 15px;" align="center"> <a class="button_link" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vbKr-kvVrUl6By00l3cDYDi_2-Sb9jrwaFKARpynzKz5jWApwfuyiAEcbX2COgcOV1knnoPZXTuCaFRbj08xVzAulFthbFYUdTjNJPC37L31vMGxFwN5k-OFpdjjMcqEtKAxRjWQqtjYgMz9udh8qa5IMYwtDtKrAY6fEKPftHsg-43VgPAG9CmYbF1H_PkhfkaK2IJQlukGFdwwydAX9KS5bddRSwfIc8kqvMEV0jiA9HvYZDQFfw==&c=yKkJdLr7Wizq8Gm-nnHV9yoEamsvMNWL7qCGU7fRwurTFaiDRnLi3A==&ch=Dw9l6p87kvjI1Ylocwl_UNhpsD3SU-zIwvXsvqaglNq0yflZ1dI33w==" data-trackable="true" style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">EOHHS FY25 H.2 Budget Overview Slide Deck</a> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="layout layout--1-column" style="table-layout: fixed;" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td class="column column--1 scale stack" style="width: 100%;" align="center" valign="top">
<table class="text text--padding-vertical" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout: fixed;"> <tr> <td class="text_content-cell content-padding-horizontal" style="text-align: center; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #3E3E3E; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.2; display: block; word-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 40px;" align="center" valign="top">
<p style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" class="indent--1" align="left"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Governor Healey's budget recommendation, filed as House 2 (H.2), funds MCB at $28,261,938, which is a $1,263,591 or 4.28% decreased compared to the Fiscal Year 2024 GAA. The decrease is due to the removal of legislative earmarks in the line items </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Community Services for the Blind (4110-1000) </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">and </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Massachusetts Audio Information Network (4100-1010) </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">which combined totaled $2,200,000. The Governor's FY25 H.2 budget recommendation for MCB is a $1,186,409 or 4.38% increase compared to her FY24 H.1 budget recommendation.</span></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><br></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">The increase maintains our existing staff and provider workforce through annualizing collecting bargaining agreements and provider rate increases. In addition, the Governor included $250,000 to support an earmark filed by the Legislature last fiscal year for MCB to hire additional social rehabilitation counselors and rehabilitation teachers.</span></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><br></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">The Governor's H.2 budget recommendation also fully funds our DeafBlind Extended Supports (DBES) consumers in the </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Turning 22 Program and Services (4100-2000) </span><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">line item. </span></p>
<p class="indent-0" style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><br></p>
<p style="text-align: left; margin: 0;" align="left"><span style="font-size: 16px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">To be clear, this is NOT the final enacted budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which begins on July 1, 2024. The annual budget process begins when the Governor files her budget recommendation as a bill with the House of Representatives. Next, the House Committee on Ways and Means will review the Governor's budget recommendation before releasing its own recommendations which the full House will deliberate. Before the House releases its budget recommendations, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will hold budget hearings across the state. Commissioner Oliveira will testify at one of the hearings on behalf of MCB.</span></p>
</td> </tr> </table> <table class="button button--padding-vertical" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout: fixed;"> <tr> <td class="button_container content-padding-horizontal" align="center" style="padding: 10px 40px;"> <table class="button_content-row" style="width: inherit; border-radius: 2px; border-spacing: 0; background-color: #000000; border: none;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#000000"> <tr> <td class="button_content-cell" style="padding: 10px 15px;" align="center"> <a class="button_link" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vbKr-kvVrUl6By00l3cDYDi_2-Sb9jrwaFKARpynzKz5jWApwfuyiAEcbX2COgcOUYPexxzzFaavYqObeR8ECappHc9a4QdwW7L1EiXtAw_eC3XKjbkVMI_vUktb_1LU_r9UaE-vYJNoxgQ-mySo2jF7Zz8KcCGDKSOQz79sG_coErYx2nUatW3tgUl5VBEY&c=yKkJdLr7Wizq8Gm-nnHV9yoEamsvMNWL7qCGU7fRwurTFaiDRnLi3A==&ch=Dw9l6p87kvjI1Ylocwl_UNhpsD3SU-zIwvXsvqaglNq0yflZ1dI33w==" data-trackable="true" style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Budget Process Timeline</a> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="button button--padding-vertical" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout: fixed;"> <tr> <td class="button_container content-padding-horizontal" align="center" style="padding: 10px 40px;"> <table class="button_content-row" style="width: inherit; border-radius: 2px; border-spacing: 0; background-color: #000000; border: none;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#000000"> <tr> <td class="button_content-cell" style="padding: 10px 15px;" align="center"> <a class="button_link" href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vbKr-kvVrUl6By00l3cDYDi_2-Sb9jrwaFKARpynzKz5jWApwfuyiAEcbX2COgcOrzH4e5bBUqnwSRZ0PaZLOq2-JxCwa7g8hhO5y9v2Wn7SeApzo-BWUkEvf1Po2FTZts6qfmaiACTRRJrdJOxu7XQ7V8oy2yuEw1nflxxONFYJxxMk2J_miRKKJEdPN7Z0Pl2WUlIBXGs=&c=yKkJdLr7Wizq8Gm-nnHV9yoEamsvMNWL7qCGU7fRwurTFaiDRnLi3A==&ch=Dw9l6p87kvjI1Ylocwl_UNhpsD3SU-zIwvXsvqaglNq0yflZ1dI33w==" data-trackable="true" style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; word-wrap: break-word; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Massachusetts Budget Process</a> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table class="text text--padding-vertical" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="table-layout: fixed;"> <tr> <td class="text_content-cell content-padding-horizontal" style="text-align: left; font-family: Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: #3E3E3E; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.2; display: block; word-wrap: break-word; padding: 10px 40px;" align="left" valign="top">
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">MCB is pleased to be in a positive financial position and optimistic about FY25. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Thank you for your continued support of our mission to provide individualized training, education, and empowerment to people who are legally blind, and advocate for inclusive policies across the Commonwealth, with the goal of life-long independence and full community participation. At MCB, we envision a Commonwealth where all residents who are legally blind are empowered to live a fulfilling and independent life, with opportunities to work and thrive.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I will provide additional updates as warranted.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Sincerely, </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">Sheila Tunney</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Chief Financial Officer</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Massachusetts Commission for the Blind</span></p>
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