The Senate Vote is Unanimous: "Yes" to More CPA Revenue

Yesterday, May 22, 2018, during the Senate Budget debate, Senate Budget Amendment #3(Community Preservation Act) was the very first amendment that was adopted after a roll call vote. This is important because each Senator went on record to individually vote in favor of adopting the amendment - a resounding showing of unanimous support.

The amendment calls for a $30 increase to the recording fees at the State's Registries of Deeds, providing a higher state match to all CPA communities in November of 2019. While it is difficult to make long-term predictions on the exact percentage communities would receive, preliminary estimates indicate that the increase would restore the first round distribution to a level near 30%.

We are extremely grateful for the support of Senate President Harriet Chandler, Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka, Majority Leader (and long-time CPA sponsor) Cynthia Stone Creem, Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, and the rest of the Senate body for their individual votes to adopt the CPA amendment.

A six-member conference committee will be charged with reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the FY19 state budget. CPA revenue was included in the Senate version of the document, but not the House, so the Conference Committee will have to agree to include it in the final version of the budget. The Committee usually issues its report by the end of June, after which it will head to the desk of Governor Baker.

Please let your Senator know how much you appreciate this!

For more information see:

http://communitypreservation.org/news/60665