Faced with a revenue shortfall, the House Ways and Means Committee released a $27.99 billion budget for fiscal 2009 that trimmed $109 million from the previous year's budget. The measure, which, incorporated $381 million from increased corporate tax collections and a $1-per-pack cigarette tax, draws $427 million from the state's $2.2 billion reserve account. While level funding some line items, the House Ways and Means Committee attempted to spread funding cuts among a variety of programs to prevent any catastrophic effect. While many funding advocates in the State House expressed concern that level funding amounted to funding cuts, House and Senate leadership have been quite public about the lack of additional funding available this year.

Of particular note, the House Ways and Means budget included the following highlights in areas of interest:

Economic Development

• Continued funding for Permitting Technical Grants to streamline state and local permitting procedures, helping to advance job creation in the Commonwealth
• Maintained funding for the Massachusetts Office of Business Development which facilitates the relocation of businesses to Massachusetts
• Consolidated the Massachusetts Business to Business Program into the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development to promote administrative efficiency
• Consolidated the Massachusetts Opportunity Relocation and Expansion Program Administration into the Massachusetts Office of Business Development to streamline services
• Provided $11.1M for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism which manages an advertising and marketing program aimed at increasing travel to Massachusetts

Labor and Workforce Development

• Maintained $1.5M in funding for Health Care Career Ladder Programs which provide grants to long term care facilities to upgrade skills of certified nurses' aides and entry-level workers in nursing homes
• Maintained $21M in funding for Workforce Training Programs which provide training grants to employers, employer groups and labor organizations
• Maintained $5.5M in funding for One-Stop Career Centers which provide employment services for the unemployed
• Maintained $2.3M for the Division of Occupational Safety which administers workplace health and safety programs
• Provided an increase of more than $455K for the Division of Industrial Accidents

Life Sciences and Biotechnology Sectors

• Provided $5.5M for biotechnological workforce training grants and training grants to enhance Massachusetts' technological workforce
• Provided $1M to support academic and industrial research and development and life science business exchanges with Israel
• Provided $2.5M for Biotechnology Workforce Training Grants
• Provided $250K to promote research and development of plant-made pharmaceuticals
• Provided $570K for the stem cell bank and stem cell registry at UMass Medical Center
• Provided $200K for the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center