BOSTON (AP) ? A top Senate panel unveiled a $32.3 billion Massachusetts budget Wednesday that calls for no new taxes or fees, creates a new state police unit to investigate welfare fraud and keeps partially open a state psychiatric hospital pegged for closure by Gov. Deval Patrick. The proposed budget, approved unanimously by the Senate Ways and Committee, would increase overall state spending in the fiscal year starting July 1 by 3.7 percent over current year levels, according to Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre, the panel's chairman. Like the House's spending plan, the Senate's proposed budget seeks a crackdown on alleged misuse of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards by welfare recipients, but takes a different approach. Like the House, the Senate plan fully funds unrestricted local aid and also hikes state aid to public school districts.
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