Massachusetts House Unveils $38B State Budget, Modest Hike in Spending

A Massachusetts legislative panel has taken the wraps off a nearly $38 billion state budget for the next fiscal year.

The plan unveiled Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee calls for a 2.8 percent increase in overall state spending, or about $100 million less than proposed by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

The Democratic-controlled House followed Baker's lead in calling for no new taxes and no withdrawal from the state's rainy day fund.

The plan calls for an independent audit of the MBTA and offers the transit system more flexibility to enter into private contracts.

The House budget boosts spending on the judiciary by $17 million over the governor's plan. It also adds $5 million in child care vouchers to move more than 800 children off an early education waiting list.