On May 5, the Senate Ways and Means Committee released its $63.3 billion fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget proposal.
As Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means, my team and I worked closely with Chair Michael Rodrigues and his staff to advance a proposal that responds to the needs of western and north central Massachusetts communities. This budget reflects a strong commitment to food security, educational equity, municipal stability, and thoughtful policy reform.
I also brought my learning from the eight Ways and Means hearings held across the Commonwealth to this budget proposal, you can learn more about hearings here.
A few key wins from this proposal include:
- Over $265 million for food security and nutrition programs, including $29.7 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
- $20 million in further capitalization for the state Disaster Relief and Resilience Fund
- $20 million in rural school aid, comprised of $16 million in this budget proposal and $4 million proposed for FY27 in the Fair Share supplemental budget previously passed by the Senate
- A record $160 minimum per-pupil aid level
- Initiates a Foundation Budget Review Commission to crack open and reform the Chapter 70 K–12 school funding formula — a long-standing priority for my team and me
- Record support for cities and towns, with a $53 million increase in Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA)
- Restoration of funding for municipal police and mental health clinician co-response initiatives
- A policy I also filed as a bill improving transition planning for young adults with disabilities as they age out of youth services into adult systems
You can explore additional highlights from the budget here.
The Senate will begin its debate of this budget on May 19. The livestream will be available on malegislature.gov.
