What do you call a bill that isn’t a bill…

The General Court calls it an outside section.

While technically outside sections - those found in a budget after all the appropriations are listed - are only supposed to relate to those appropriations, here in Massachusetts, they are often used to bypass the legislative process. When it comes to outside sections… called riders at the federal level… anything goes!

Which version of the budget tends to try to squeeze in the most outside sections? As you can see from the chart above, the Senate Printed As Amended version won handily prior to FY2021. But for the past two years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the Conference Committee version that eked out a victory.

With the FY2023 budget season starting next week upon the release of Governor Baker’s HB2, it will be interesting to see which body tries to do the most lawmaking through this opaque, but common strategy.

If you need help keeping track of what’s in the budget and proposed amendments, reach out! We summarize all outside sections for each version, as well as all proposed amendments. We are happy to give you a tour and a free trial. Contact us here: info@instatrac.com.