BOSTON (SHNS) - Representatives made no changes to the $234 million spending proposal that surfaced a day earlier and nearly unanimously passed it Wednesday afternoon.

The vote was 148-1 in favor of the bill (H 4530) aimed at providing financial relief to hospitals and community health centers. Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, Republican of Southwick, cast the dissenting vote.

"This bill before us is more than funding. It is a recommitment to deliver high-quality health care, regardless of federal circumstances. It is a recommitment to our providers, our patients and our communities," Rep. John Lawn, the Watertown Democrat who chairs the House Health Care Financing Committee, said on the floor.

The bill includes $199 million in relief for acute care hospitals, including $122 million in targeted p

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