Massachusetts General Laws ch. 29 sec. 2ZZZZ – Debt and Long-Term Liability Reduction Trust Fund
Section 2ZZZZ. (a) There shall be a Debt and Long-Term Liability Reduction Trust Fund. The fund shall be administered by the secretary of administration and finance, in consultation with the treasurer and receiver-general.
Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 29 sec. 2ZZZZ
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
(b) There shall be credited to the fund all monies received under subclause (i) of clause (2) of section 59 of chapter 23K. Expenditures from the fund shall be made for the payment and prepayment of commonwealth debt and other long-term liabilities including, but not limited to: (i) debt service payable by the commonwealth and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation; (ii) contract assistance payments; (iii) payments pursuant to contracts established under section 38C; (iv) funding escrow accounts for the payments described in clauses (i) to (iii), inclusive; (v) unfunded pension liabilities; and (vi) other post-employment benefits. The comptroller may certify amounts for payment in anticipation of expected receipts; provided, however, that no expenditure shall be made from the fund that shall cause the fund to be deficient at the close of a fiscal year. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation. Money remaining in the fund at the close of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years.
(c) Annually, not later than December 1, the secretary shall report on the activities of the fund to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and to the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means. The report shall include an accounting of expenditures made from the fund with a description of the authorized purpose of each expenditure, an accounting of amounts credited to the fund and any unexpended balance remaining in the fund.