THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage.

RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the MBTA’s service territory, have long had a line item in the state budget. After adjusting for inflation, however, the state’s basic operating support for the RTAs actually declined 5 percent between fiscal 2016 and 2023, according to the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

But now the RTAs are poised to get a chunk of the $1 billion in projected revenue from the millionaire tax. In her budget proposal, Gov. Maura Healey proposed using $25 million from the millionaire tax money to support the RTAs. The House upped that number to $70 million, and the proposed Senate budget contains $100 million, a tenth of all projected funding from the new tax.

The $100 million in the Senate proposal includes $56 million for direct operating support, $25 million for innovation grants, $4 million for accessibility grants, and $15 million so each of the RTAs can launch six-month, fare-free pilots on their bus systems.

The Senate spending plan ultimately may not prevail when the final budget is hammered out, but it illustrates the growing interest on Beacon Hill in the RTAs and the desire to make them fare free.

Several RTAs have already gone fare-free using federal pandemic funding, with Worcester recently extending its fare-free bus pilot into 2024. The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority even took the fare boxes out of its buses. Ridership has increased and service has improved on the free transit options. 

But, at some point, the federal money will run out and new funding will be needed. The Senate last year inserted $2.5 million in the budget for a brief fare-free experiment between Thanksgiving and New Year, and now the Senate is pushing funding for a six-month experiment. It’s the way Beacon Hill lays the groundwork for a funding expansion.

Phineas Baxandall, policy director at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, says making RTA buses free attracts more riders, improves service, and is easy to implement. “It’s also relatively cheap to do,” he said.

The Senate proposal comes at a time of debate about how best to help low-income transit riders. In the MBTA service territory, many advocates favor a lower fare for low-income riders of buses, subways, ferries, and trains because most riders use multiple modes (not just buses) and it would target those who need assistance.

Others, like Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, favor making the T’s buses and eventually all transit service free. Wu is using the city’s federal funding to make buses on three MBTA routes free as part of a two-year experiment.

Healey, when she was running for governor, vowed to implement a lower fare for low-income riders and establish a “pathway to fare-free buses.”

In her budget proposal, Healey included $5 million in startup costs for a low-income fare at the MBTA but no money for fare-free buses at the T or at the RTAs. The House, in its budget proposal, mirrored Healey’s approach, although it steered more millionaire tax money to the RTAs.

Is the Senate proposal a sign that sentiment is building on Beacon Hill for fare-free buses at the RTAs and a low-income fare at the MBTA?

BRUCE MOHL

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Don’t trust the maps: A new report indicates the federal maps most Massachusetts homeowners use to determine whether their home is vulnerable to flooding are inaccurate because they tend to focus on property along shorelines or waterways, when in fact inland flooding is becoming more and more prevalent.

– The report, by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, recommends reducing reliance on the maps and requiring more disclosures about previous flood damage whenever a house is sold. Read more.

Different path: Senate President Karen Spilka is following a different path on tax relief, opting to debate a package of tax cuts at some point after work on a budget plan is completed. Maura Healey and the House released a budget and a tax plan at the same time. Spilka declined to discuss specifics, saying only that the Senate proposal would be  permanent, progressive, smart, and sustainable. Read more.

Stop the deaths: The parents of a man who died in 2021 after falling from a closed, dilapidated staircase near the JFK/UMass Station urge a legislative panel to stop the deaths at the MBTA by upgrading safety oversight of the agency. Pending bills would transfer safety oversight from the Department of Public Utilities to a new independent state agency or to another state agency, possibly the inspector general’s office. Read more.

OPINION

Fixing DCR: Kathy Abbott of Boston Harbor Now and M. Ilyas Bhatti of Wentworth Institute of Technology say Brian Arrigo has a big challenge ahead in fixing the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Read more.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

BEACON HILL

An array of bills before the Joint Committee on Public Health tackle access gaps in health care, promote education campaigns, and establish performance standards in public health response. (Worcester Telegram)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

A federal judge put the brakes on Boston’s new city council redistricting plan, granting an injunction to a plaintiffs who said it violated the Constitution and declaring that, “The ball is back in the City Council’s court” to come up with a new map. (Boston Herald) 

The Boston Planning and Development Agency is preparing to take up a plan for the Mattapan neighborhood that would permit “accessory dwelling units” and focus on improvements to Mattapan Square. (WBUR)

Three new members were appointed by the state education commissioner to the board that oversees the Lawrence Public Schools. They include Dolores Calaf, Edgar Deleon, and Juana Matias, the regional administrator of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Eagle-Tribune)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

The Food and Drug Administration for the first time is considering whether to allow women to obtain birth control drugs without prescriptions. (NPR)

The Massachusetts Medicaid program is moving to limit payments for certain high-cost drugs. (Eagle-Tribune)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

President Biden will meet today with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders in an effort to stem default as the government nears its debt ceiling. (Washington Post) 

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Restaurant tech company Toast plans to vacate more than 100,000 square feet of space in the Fenway, paying $16 million to its landlord to get out of its lease, which was set to run until 2029. It’s unclear whether the company is securing new office space and switching to a more remote work model. (Boston Globe) 

EDUCATION

The Senate budget being unveiled today will build on new aid to community colleges in budget plans by the governor and the House and propose $55 million in funding, including targeted aid to nursing students. (Boston Globe) 

Former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis will lead the independent review into the sudden resignation of six Uxbridge School Committee members recently. Thirteen school committee members have resigned in the last two years, with nine resignations since June. (Worcester Telegram)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

Rats! MassLive breaks down the drivers of Boston’s rat problem, including leaving food waste in trash cans, and some recent efforts to deal with it. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

Falmouth is getting closer to choosing its next police chief after Edward Dunne announced he would leave the top spot after a 48-year career within the department. Town officials have narrowed possible replacements down to three finalists and a selection may be made in June. (Cape Cod Times)