An Act changing regional school transportation reimbursement law

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Donnie Berthiaume and 5 co-sponsors

Switch regional school transportation reimbursements to a monthly allotment, not subject to annual appropriation, with a floor of 1/12 of prior-year expenditures.

Hearing scheduled for 06/03/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-2

Summary: H 642 — An Act changing regional school transportation reimbursement law

Overview

H 642, introduced February 27, 2025 by Rep. John J. Marsi, seeks to change how regional school transportation reimbursements are funded in Massachusetts. The bill would modify the language in Section 16C of Chapter 71 to remove the phrase “subject to appropriation” and establish a fixed, monthly allotment mechanism for reimbursements. The intent appears to provide more predictable funding for regional transportation expenditures.

Key provisions and changes

Amend Section 16C of Chapter 71 (as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition) by striking the words “, subject to appropriation” in lines 7-8.

Replace with language clarifying:

“the reimbursement shall not be subject to appropriation and shall be subject to a monthly allotment.”
“such monthly allotment shall not be less than 1/12th of the regional school district’s transportation expenditure for the previous year.”

In effect, reimbursements would be automatically funded through a monthly allotment process rather than being tied to annual or specific appropriations each year.

The minimum monthly allotment ensures a baseline level of reimbursement equal to at least 1/12 of the district’s prior year transportation expenditure.

Who would be affected

Regional school districts in Massachusetts that rely on state transportation reimbursement.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would implement and administer the monthly allotments.

The state budget process would shift from annual appropriation-based funding for these reimbursements to a continuing monthly allocation framework.

Financial and policy implications

Stability and predictability: Districts would receive a predictable monthly funding stream, reducing the risk of interruption due to annual appropriations timing.

Minimum funding floor: The statutory minimum of 1/12 of prior-year expenditures provides a safeguard against underfunding in any given month.

Autonomy from annual appropriations: The reimbursement would no longer be “subject to appropriation” in the traditional sense, which could affect legislative budgeting flexibility and how adjustments are made in future fiscal years.

Potential computation: The monthly allotment would be tied to the prior year’s regional transportation expenditure, which could require consistent reporting and annual reconciliation to determine prior-year figures.

Procedural and timeline details

Status: Hearing scheduled for June 3, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM in room B-2.

Introduced: February 27, 2025.

Referred to: House Committee on Education (education bill).

Legislative actions show “Senate concurred” on the same date as introduction, and the related HD 2256 replaces this measure.

Related bill: HD 2256 (replaces) referenced in materials.

Additional context

This bill represents a targeted adjustment to regional transportation funding policy, with a focus on funding reliability and a defined minimum annual baseline via monthly allotments. The actual fiscal impact would depend on the size of regional district transportation expenditures and any subsequent adjustments by the legislature or the administration during the appropriation process.