“For weeks, legislative leaders have been unable to reach a compromise to close the books on last fiscal year, leaving a relatively routine spending bill and a $1.1 billion surplus that it is built on to languish.

But that impasse is affecting more than just the state’s ledger: Hundreds of millions of dollars that the policy-heavy legislation promises also remains in limbo, affecting everything from the MBTA and school security to helping ensure that public water supplies are safe.

The delay is prompting rounds of hand-wringing and calendar-watching among advocates and agencies, who are left to wonder not just when, but in what shape, a bill could emerge before Dec. 11, when the state comptroller said he intends to close the books himself.”

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