How Massachusetts Spent $1.1 Billion On Its Coronavirus Response

MASSACHUSETTS —Massachusetts has spent $838 million of the $1.1 billion it set aside in a supplemental budget bill for fighting the coronavirus crisis, according to a report released Wednesday that also shows how that money has been spent.

The report shows the state spent $744 million of the $1 billion set aside for the fiscal year ended June 30 and $94 million of the $140 million set aside for the fiscal year that started July 1. The state could still spend the money remaining for Fiscal Year 2020, as it has not yet closed the books on the year ended June 30.

The report's biggest line item was $350 million for personal protective equipment, which was slightly below the $356 million state lawmakers projected when they passed the bill earlier this year.

Other key details from Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan's report to the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees:

• The state has not released $20 million that had been set aside by the Baker administration to "address racial disparities in health during the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic."
• The Baker administration has also not released $111 million for hospital, health provider, and nursing home payments.
• The state spent $47 million on field hospitals, well below the $85 million that had been anticipated.
• The state had budgeted $44 million for a contract tracing program but had only spent $29 million as of Wednesday's report.

Most Local Earmarks Funded

The supplemental bill included $6.6 million for local programs, most of which had been funded as of Wednesday's report. Some bigger local earmarks include:

• $600,000 for housing stabilization in Lawrence.
• $500,000 for personal protective equipment in western suburbs represented by Senate President Karen Spilka.
• $450,000 for remote learning in Medford.
• $300,000 for public meeting changes in Andover.
• $250,000 for shelter and food programs in Chelsea.
• $250,000 to Revere for monitoring, treating and preventing coronavirus.
• $250,000 to Winthrop for monitoring, treating and preventing coronavirus.

Other Local Aid

Massachusetts cities and towns also got aide from the supplemental budget bill in the form of grants, including:

• $25.7 million for housing programs, with most of that funneling through the state's rental assistance program.
• $7.2 million for food distribution programs.
• $2.5 million in school reopening grants.
• $1 million in grants to local boards of health.
• $846,000 in remote learning grants

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).