Massachusetts Senate Begins Debating State Budget Proposal

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Senate has begun debating more than 1,000 proposed amendments to their state budget plan.

The proposal includes more than $400 million in new revenues but does not call for any significant hikes in the most widely-paid taxes in Massachusetts.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee last week unveiled the $40.3 billion spending plan for the July 1 fiscal year.

The 40-member Senate began debating the budget Tuesday. They hope to finish before the end of the week.

The plan assumes a 3.9 percent increase in revenues, an estimate agreed upon months ago by House and Senate leaders and the Baker administration.

Ten months into the current fiscal year, tax collections had risen only 1.1 percent over the same period a year ago, and were $462 million below benchmarks.