March 2021 - billions for Massachusetts

[Peteri Szerlagi]

The $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, on track to become law this week, is
expected to deliver Massachusetts roughly $8 billion in funds over
which state and local leaders will have wide discretion, as well as
billions more earmarked for specific priorities, including reopening
schools, extending jobless benefits, and bolstering public transit.

Massachusetts has already received tens of billions of dollars in two
rounds of federal stimulus enacted by Congress in the pandemic’s wake,
but most of that money has been pegged to specific initiatives. The
timing of this new cash infusion — as the state’s vaccine rollout
continues to pick up — and the flexibility of the funds mean policy
makers can look to the future, rather than focusing only on the
immediate crisis.