BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to approve a $61.4 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) to continue supporting Massachusetts residents and investing in the state’s future. The budget is fiscally responsible while strongly investing in public education, local aid for cities and towns, transportation and infrastructure projects, healthcare, early education and childcare, housing programs, and more.
The Senate’s budget proposal was passed with bipartisan support and safeguards the state’s financial health, protects the state’s most vulnerable residents, and makes investments that reinforce the Commonwealth’s economic vitality in the face of mounting federal threats. The budget does not raise taxes or spend dollars from the state’s “Rainy Day” stabilization fund.
“I’m proud that this budget, passed with bipartisan support, will deliver critical resources for our public schools and communities, and will make our state more affordable for working families with significant investments in childcare, housing, and healthcare,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “I want to thank all the advocates and constituents who shared their priorities and helpful feedback with me throughout the budget process.”
A few highlights of the Senate’s FY26 budget include:
- $7.3 billion in Chapter 70 funding for K-12 public education, an increase of $460 million over FY25, as well as increasing minimum Chapter 70 aid to $150 per pupil.
- $1.3 billion for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) to our cities and towns.
- $1.7 billion for early education and childcare programs, including $475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants, to improve quality, access, and affordability for working families.
- $22.4 billion to fund MassHealth, providing more than two million people with continued access to affordable, accessible, and comprehensive healthcare services.
- $1.7 billion to support public safety, security, and criminal justice initiatives.
- $1.3 billion to support a wide range of mental health services and prevention programs which are critical to the well-being of adults and children in need.
- $1.2 billion for housing initiatives, dedicating resources for housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelter services, and homelessness assistance.
- $470 million for environmental initiatives to protect our natural resources, ensure clean air and water, and mitigate climate change.
- Requiring that residential rental broker’s fees be paid by the contracting agent, usually the landlord of an apartment, ensuring that renters are not burdened with unexpected and extraordinary costs. The Senate first passed this proposal last session.
The Senate’s budget also includes a projected $1.95 billion in revenues to be collected from the Fair Share Amendment, approved by voters in 2022 for education and transportation investments.
The Fair Share funds in the FY26 budget will be used to provide universal free school meals for all K-12 students; increase access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare; increase K-12 school funding through the Student Opportunity Act; increase financial aid for students to attend Massachusetts public colleges and universities; expand investment in the MBTA; provide additional funds to maintain local roads, and more.
Senator Lewis was successful in securing $500,000 to fund a variety of local projects in his communities. He also led the effort to adopt several budget amendments, including:
- Initiating a Chapter 70 school funding formula study to make recommendations to improve the adequacy and equity of municipalities’ required local contributions for funding their public schools.
- Supporting food literacy with $1 million to support farm-to-school food system literacy programming in public elementary and secondary schools and early education programs.
- Continuing to back the advisory commission that is finishing up its work to select a new state seal, flag, and motto for the Commonwealth.
The FY26 Senate budget is available on the Massachusetts legislature’s website: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2026/SenateBudget. A conference committee will now be appointed to reconcile differences between the versions of the budget passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, before being sent to Governor Healey for her signature.
