The budget is one of the tightest in recent memory as the state continues to pull out of the recent recession.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick appears on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 23, 2011, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on public health care policy. At right is Rep. Ernest Lee Fletcher, R-Ky. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a $30.6 billion state budget that he said reduces overhaul spending while laying the groundwork for an ongoing economic recovery in Massachusetts.
Patrick signed the budget in his Statehouse office on Monday, 11 days into the 2012 fiscal year.
The budget is one of the tightest in recent memory as the state continues to pull out of the recent recession.
The spending plan contains no broad-based taxes, draws $185 million from the state's rainy day fund, and overhauls the public defender program.
The budget signing follows an agreement reached Friday to reduce the cost to Massachusetts cities and towns of providing health care to municipal employees. House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray both support the changes.
The House and Senate are expected to vote on the amendments Monday.