The House plans to vote on legislation Wednesday that curtails families’ time in state-run shelters to nine months unless they are employed or in job training, with the the top Democrat in the chamber arguing the reforms are necessary in the face of “challenging revenue conditions.”

An influx of migrants to Massachusetts and an already high cost of living have put enormous strain on the emergency shelter program, which is still maxed out at Gov. Maura Healey’s 7,500 family limit and expected to cost nearly $2 billion over fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

More than half a year of dismal tax collections have clouded most conversations on Beacon Hill, and House Speaker Ron Mariano said the reforms to the shelter program were made in the face of the state’s difficult revenue situation.

“Given the challenging revenue conditions facing Massachusetts, the lack of federal support, and the severity and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the migrant crisis, the temporary reforms that we are proposing are essential for the shelter program’s long-term survival,” he said in a statement.

The nine-month limit on shelter stays — which can be extended by three months if a person is employed or enrolled in a job training program — will exit both migrant and local families in a “timely manner after receiving ample support aimed at helping them to successfully enter the workforce,” the Quincy Democrat said.

The time limits on emergency shelter stay would stay in place until April 1, 2025 or when the 7,500 family cap is ended, according to the text of the bill.

Healey has previously said she is “open to time limits” for the thousands of homeless families living in emergency shelters.

House Democrats are also proposing to hand an additional $245 million to the Healey administration to respond to an “ongoing humanitarian crisis and influx of families seeking emergency assistance” through the end of fiscal year 2024.

Those dollars, which come from an account filled with surplus revenues leftover from the pandemic, would help cover a projected $224 million budget gap the shelter system is expected to run this fiscal year.

This is a developing story…