Massachusetts House Passes FY26 Budget, Invests In Programs That Support Families Across Massachusetts
/BOSTON – Friday, May 2, 2025 – This week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget. Funded at $61.47 billion, nearly $500 million below Governor Maura Healey’s budget proposal, the House’s FY26 budget responds to the needs of residents, provides strong support for the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, and among many critical investments, includes significant funding for education, transportation, health care, housing, and workforce development.
“The House’s FY26 budget makes key investments that better support Massachusetts students and families, that increase access to affordable health care, and that provide for a safer and more reliable public transportation system – all without raising taxes. In a moment of incredible uncertainty at the federal level, our budget is proof that government can be both fiscally responsible and an agent of good, the kind of government that our residents deserve,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank Chairman Michlewitz and the House Committee on Ways and Means for working diligently to craft a budget that delivers results for our constituents, as well as all my colleagues in the House for their valued input.”
“I am proud to have worked with my House colleagues to pass a responsible budget that provides for the most pressing needs of our residents and the Commonwealth,” said Representative Tackey Chan (D-Quincy). “Working together we secured hundreds of thousands in funding for Quincy, including for Quincy Community Action Programs, Quincy Asian Resources, Inc., and Germantown Neighborhood Center – crucial local organizations dedicated to supporting Quincy residents.”
“I’m proud to have worked with the Quincy delegation to secure necessary funding for important programs and projects in our district,” said Representative Bruce J. Ayers (D-Quincy). “The FY26 budget focuses our resources on critical areas including education, transportation, health care, housing, and workforce development. I’m also grateful that our efforts were successful in securing significant funding for expanding Ferry service out of Marina Bay, as well as additional dedicated seasonal patrols along Wollaston beach. This budget supports our local organizations and best serves the community and our constituents, all without raising taxes.”
Due to responsible fiscal management, the House’s FY26 budget is balanced, and makes significant investments across several issue areas, without needing to include new taxes or tax increases nor drawing from the Stabilization Fund, which is set to reach $8.36 billion.
The budget that passed this week includes $1.95 billion in investments for transportation and education initiatives made possible because of funding generated by the Fair Share ballot initiative that voters approved in November of 2022, which established a surtax of 4 percent on annual income above $1 million. These funds will support the MBTA, public water transportation, free community college, childcare programs, universal school meals, and regional transportation authorities, among a host of other programming and services.
Local Aid and Education
The FY26 House budget funds Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $1.308 billion, and Chapter 70 education funding at $7.121 billion, representing a $257.2 million increase over the FY25 budget. For Quincy, this shakes out to $47,604,553 in Chapter 70 education funding, a 3.2% increase from FY25, and $23,511,939 in Unrestricted General Government Aid, in line with FY25 funding.
The budget also funds the fifth year of a six-year implementation plan for the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), which was enacted in 2019 to ensure that public schools have the necessary resources to provide high-quality education to students, regardless of zip code or income level. The budget provides an additional $120 per pupil in minimum aid supplements, increasing the minimum aid total to $150 per pupil. Additionally, the budget includes the following education initiatives:
$483.2 million for Circuit Breaker Special Education reimbursement
$199 million for 100 percent charter school reimbursement
$122.1 million for regional school transportation
$28.7 million for homeless student transportation
The House’s FY26 budget continues to fully fund universal free school meals for every public-school student in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts is one of only six states in the country that mandate district participation for free school meals for all students, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Public Transportation
The House budget includes a record investment of $687 million for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), including:
$637 million operating transfer to the MBTA, including funds for reduced MBTA fares for riders with low incomes
$40 million to create an MBTA Academy to support recruiting and training efforts, and to establish a pipeline for a skilled workforce across departments
$10 million for grants for ferry services including $50,000 for improvements, preparedness, and operations for the ferry service out of Squantum Point Park
Early Education and Care
Continuing the House’s longstanding commitment towards investing in the early education and care (EEC) workforce, the House budget includes $1.67 billion, $126.3 million more than FY25, to sustain recent rate increases and other historic investments in child care access and affordability across the Commonwealth in FY26. Other early education and care investments include:
$475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants
$448.2 million for child care for children involved with the Department of Children & Families and the Department of Transitional Assistance
$517.6 million for child care for low-income families
$18.5 million for Head Start grants
$7.5 million for an EEC educator scholarship program
$7.5 million for an EEC educator loan forgiveness program
Affordable and Accessible Housing
The FY26 budget maintains the House’s commitment to protect renters and homeowners across the Commonwealth from eviction and homelessness by investing in the following programs:
$275 million for the Emergency Assistance (EA) program, which provides shelter to families with children and pregnant women
$258.1 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
$207.5 million for Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program
$57.3 million for HomeBase
$10 million for shelter workforce assistance
$8.4 million for the Home and Healthy for Good program, including $500,000 for the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance
Workforce Development
The House budget funds the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development at $113.4 million. Additionally, it invests in the following initiatives:
$58.9 million for Adult Basic Education Services
$20.9 million for Labor and Workforce Development Shared Services
$18.9 million for DTA Employment and Training Services
$15.2 million for Summer Jobs for At Risk Youth
$9 million for Career Technical Institutes
$10 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund
$8.3 million for One Stop Career Centers
Energy and Environmental Affairs
The House’s budget invests $505.4 million in Energy and Environmental Affairs, including:
$163.4 million for the Department of Conservation and Recreation
$85.3 million for the Department of Environmental Protection
$67.2 million for the Department of Agricultural Resources
$63.4 million for the Clean Water Trust
The House budget also includes a $25 million transfer to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and $20 million in continued support for Green SchoolWorks program to decarbonize and increase efficiency in our schools through green energy projects. It also includes a $14 million transfer to the Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund, which was created last year for permanent emergency disaster relief from natural disasters or other catastrophic events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, landslides, extreme winds, and extreme temperatures.
Health and Human Services
The House budget includes $22.43 billion for MassHealth, including $13.8 million in primary care rates and $5.3 million in behavioral health investments in outpatient and substance use disorder services.
The House budget extends the Health Connector’s ConnectorCare Pilot program from two years to three years and expands its eligibility from 300% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to 500% FPL. There were 51,237 people enrolled in ConnectorCare Pilot as of June 2024. The House budget also establishes a nine-member task force to address barriers and impediments to telehealth across state lines which must issue a report to facilitate interstate medical practice and the practice of telemedicine.
The House’s FY25 budget invests in the human services workforce, which provides services to our most vulnerable residents, by including $207 million for Chapter 257 rates for health and human service workers, and $132 million for rate increases for nursing facilities. It also funds the following initiatives:
$12.6 million for the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative
$4.9 million in workforce development for funding for nurses through recruitment bonuses, educator funding, and testing
$29.5 million for Councils on Aging
The House budget makes investments controlling the cost of living by lowering food costs and ensuring access to our most vulnerable populations. It includes $55 million for the Emergency Food Assistance program, $20 million for the Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program, which provides a dollar-for-dollar match to SNAP recipients purchasing locally grown healthy food, and $8.4 million for the SNAP for low-income workers program.
Public Health and Mental Health
The House budget funds the Department of Public Health at $1.05 billion and the Department of Mental Health at $1.28 billion for FY26. Investments include:
$194.5 million for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS)
$35 for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention
$14.3 million for statewide and community-based suicide prevention
$10.4 million for community health centers, including $1 million for a new gender-affirming care program
$661.9 million for adult mental health supports
$128.6 million for child and adolescent services
The House budget also includes a provision establishing a special legislative commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation and study into the future of the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in Canton.
Veterans’ Services
The Executive Office of Veterans’ Services provides educational opportunities, outreach centers and service benefits, as well as personal care services through the Veterans’ Homes in Chelsea and Holyoke. The House budget includes the following investments:
$81.8 million for Veterans’ Benefit Payments
$9.5 million for Veterans’ Outreach Centers
$4 million for Veterans’ Homelessness Services
Quincy Investments
The House budget included a number of key investments in Quincy’s local non-profits, community organizations, and support services:
$100,000 for homelessness prevention services at Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc.
$95,000 for State Police patrols at Wollaston Beach and along Furnace Brook parkway during the summer season
$55,000 for the hazmat emergency response program
$50,000 for the Friends of Faxon Park
$100,000 for Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. (QARI)
$100,000 for the Germantown Neighborhood Center
$30,000 for upgrades to the baseball practice facilities at Quincy High School
$30,000 for the Penn’s Hill Neighborhood Association, Inc.
$500,000 for the Adams Presidential Center
$300,000 for Quincy College student supports and services
Speaker Mariano and the House Committee on Ways & Means introduced their FY26 budget proposal on April 16, 2025, following a review of the Governor’s proposal and a series of public hearings. The budget passed the House of Representatives 151-6 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.