The Budget was Finalized in MA and it is Not Good News!

 

The Legislature has finished the budget for 2014 and there isn’t too much good news. We were able to secure $250,000 for an AED Trust Fund, but that was the only one of our priorities that was included in the final version. As you might remember the Senate created a Comprehensive Stroke System of Care so that we could effectively treat stroke in the Commonwealth-this was not included. We do however; feel confident that we will be able to work with the legislature to ensure that quality is the priority for stroke patients in the Commonwealth. In the House version we were able to secure minimum packaging requirement for cheap, kid-friendly cigars, this was not included in the final budget and the Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program funding was cut. This is a huge disappointment especially since the legislature just approved raising the tobacco tax by $1.00 to fund transportation costs but did not dedicate any funding to cessation or prevention. We will continue to find opportunities to strengthen the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. We know that the budgetary process can be long so I appreciate your continued dedication as we continued to fight for significant heart and stroke funding; we look forward to continuing this battle throughout the year as we look towards the 2015 budget.

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