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Local road repair money on House agenda this week

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House leaders hope to consider legislation later this week that would allocate at least $200 million for municipal road and bridge repairs as the spring construction season gets underway, and Transportation Committee Chairman William Straus has suggested this might be the year lawmakers look to update the way the money gets dispersed across the state.

The House has scheduled a formal session for Wednesday and possibly Thursday, and Speaker Ron Mariano’s office told the News Service on Monday that it is the speaker’s intention to consider a Chapter 90 funding bill for local road repairs.

The Legislature has funded the Chapter 90 program at $200 million for many years now, and Gov. Charlie Baker again filed for $200 million (H 4358) despite pleas from cities and towns to increase that funding to at least $300 million to keep up with inflation.

The speaker’s office said the bill is still being worked on by the Committee on Transportation, and earlier this month Straus hinted that leaders may finally be ready to reform the Chapter 90 formula that distributes money based on population, employment and road mileage.

The current breakdown hurts more rural communities in central and western Massachusetts, some lawmakers and local officials have argued, because they have a lot of roads to care for but a shrinking population and limited commercial and residential tax base to raise money from.

Straus talked about the possibility of reforming the formula when he argued against adding $100 million for Chapter 90 as part of a supplemental funding bill before considering changes to how that money gets distributed.

House Democrats plan to resume in-person caucuses Wednesday when lawmakers will gather at the State House to privately discuss the bill, with an option to participate remotely.

Democrats are also expected to review changes to the House’s remote voting protocols. Leaders have said remote voting will remain an option through the end of the 2021-2022 session, though the speaker’s office asked members in an email on Friday that they either participate fully remotely or fully in-person during any one daily session.

Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan, who has been leading the House’s reopening working group, is expected to be there to answer members’ questions.

Speaker Ron Mariano is not expected to propose any changes to his leadership team at the Wednesday caucus, according to officials, despite several vacancies.

from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
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