Budget Minutiae – Part 2 of a 700 part series

More interesting fun with amendments and earmarks —

What if your favorite non-profit isn’t getting the state funding it so richly deserves?

Hire a lobbyist (type “International Institute” into here).

Get three amendments to the House budget for $150,000, $100,000, and $163,642 .

Not a bad days work, eh?

No judgment from this corner on the merits of the particular non-profit.

But who is better placed to determine the level of need and the most effective means of meeting that need — the staff at Mental Health, Social Services, and Workforce Development or these legislators?

And a question — if you codify a transaction between a private provider and a state agency into law — What leverage does the state agency have to insure proper delivery of services? I don’t know the answer, but I’d love to hear from someone who does.

UPDATE — The Boston Globe and some of the larger local blogs (here and here) join in the fun.