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How a Bill Becomes Law
In the State of Massachusetts, before a Bill becomes law, there are several processes which it must undergo which are crucial in tracking lobbying and legislation to make it easy to prioritize. The legislative process is the initial step that a bill passes. In most occasions, this originates from the Senate or House, excluding the revenue bill and budget which by the constitution they must come from the House. Thus, any other Bill is filled by a legislator in the Senate or House Clerk’s office. After the filling of a Bill, it is given a number and registered in the book. Bills that come from the Senate their names begin with S and those from the House start with H. Before proceeding to the next step, the Bill must be presented for the public hearing which is conducted by the assigned committee (“The Legislative Process In Massachusetts | Mass Legal Services” 5). Therefore, this means that individuals can testify where this Bill is vital to the society or why it should be declined.
After the hearing, the committee decides whether to report the Bill favorably or unfavorably. Bills said approvingly may go for further discussion in a different committee and after successfully making its way out it goes for a third reading. The final process is engrossment, where the reports of one branch are compared with those of other departments. If there is a conflicting situation, a committee is appointed to settle the differences; then the Bill returns to the original branch to be approved.

It is then enacted in all the offices and lastly, taken to the governor’s desk. In over thousands of bills filled in two-years in Massachusetts only a few of them that reach the governor’s office. Once the governor receives the Bill, he may sign it where it qualifies to be law after 90 days. Otherwise, it can be taken to the General Court for review a process known as Veto. A bill may also become law without the approval from the Governor if 2/3 of the votes overrule the veto in the two chambers (“The Legislative Process In Massachusetts | Mass Legal Services” 7).
On the other hand, the State Budget undergoes a different process from other bills. It originates from the House where the Governor presents his recommended budget to the Legislature. The Senate and the House of Representative separately review the budget submitted by the Governor to obtain their recommendations (“The Legislative Process In Massachusetts” 3). The Senate and the House of representatives compare their proposals and work together to come up with a refined budget which is sent to the Governor who signs it.
In Massachusetts, a fiscal year begins in 1st July to 30th June of the following year. Thus, the planning of a budget starts at the end of the previous fiscal year. The budgeting process is governed and outlined by the State Constitution and the General laws which require the Governor to present the budget within the first three weeks of January at the beginning of a new session. In every fiscal year, the State finance law requires the Governor and the Legislature to present and approve a well-balanced budget. The final budget becomes a law which is referred to as the General Appropriation Act, and it dictates how the departments and agencies will spend their appropriations and the exact amount allocated and authorized for a specific purpose (“Overview Of The Operating Budget Process” 4).
The primary stakeholders involved in the budget process include the State agencies, the House, Senate, Governor who is currently known as Charlie Baker, citizens, as well as the General Court. The House of representative includes the Speaker of the House, Robert A. DeLeo, and the majority leader Ronald Mariano.
The governor controls the budget process in Massachusetts. Every annual budget begins by the Governor recommending it to the House of Representatives as a bill to be passed. The governor plans and allocates the funds to different departments based on his/her understanding. However, the House of Representatives reviews and amends it based on the state constitution. The Means Committee and the Senate Ways Committee play the critical roles of contributing significantly to the control and modification of the budget in Massachusetts; given that the bill cannot be approved without their review and amendments. Later it should be approved by the Legislature and the Governor before the Conference Committee Budget.
Massachusetts Budgetary Process incorporate deal makings and debates that focus on the view of the State House and the public with the intent of directly impacting the sector creatively. Citizens, lobbyists, advocates, and groups in Massachusetts are considered critical in the budget formulation and review processes. Citizens contribute to this process through directly contacting the Governor or other elected officials and staff and share their advocacy and budget priorities to be considered throughout the process. Meetings are arranged with the Governor and other leading members of the Senate and the House with senators and individual state representatives (“MASSACHUSETTS STATE BUDGET PROCESS AND TIMELINE” 7). The “line-item” priorities by the citizens are considered and incorporated in the budget during its amendment stages.
Some of the strengths of this process are that it strengthens Massachusetts’ society, making individuals focus on their day-to-day business and achieve success in their targeted operations. Budgeting also acts as action guides for Massachusetts. It is a basis for control, coordination, and evaluation of budget and annual activities in Massachusetts that promotes the coordination and communication of key ministries and departments in the state. However, the budgeting process has its limitations such as it is bureaucratic, time and cost consuming, and requires expertise skills achieved through training,

Works Cited
“MASSACHUSETTS STATE BUDGET PROCESS AND TIMELINE.” Mcae.net. N.p., 2018. “Overview Of The Operating Budget Process.” Budget.digital.mass.gov. N.p., 2018.
“The Legislative Process In Massachusetts.” Mass.gov. N.p., 2018. Web.
“The Legislative Process In Massachusetts | Mass Legal Services.” Masslegalservices.org. N.p., 2018.