BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are still trying to pull together a state budget for the 2019 fiscal year that began July 1.
House and Senate negotiators have been meeting to iron out differences between separate spending plans for the next 12 months that were approved by the two chambers.
While it's not ideal, it's also not unheard of to start a new fiscal year without a permanent budget. Lawmakers have already approved a stopgap budget to keep state government operating.
The House and Senate versions of the roughly $41 billion spending plan have similar bottom lines. But an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation finds about $500 million in differences in how the money should be spent.
Other major bills are still awaiting action before the end of the formal session.
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