DiDomenico secures over $2 million in Senate FY26 Budget

This includes over $600,000 specifically for local organizations and schools in his district

 

State Senator Sal DiDomenico secured $625,000 for organizations and schools in the district, and over $1.5 million for statewide programs in the $61.4 billion state budget passed by the Senate. These local investments would support school art departments, education programs and antipoverty nonprofits across Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea and Everett. DiDomenico’s successful amendments for statewide programs would expand health care services for those in need, improve community safety, aid housing assistance programs and support education offerings for all students.

The final budget — which safeguards the Commonwealth’s financial health, protects its most vulnerable residents and makes investments that reinforce the Commonwealth’s economic vitality in the face of mounting federal threats — passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 38-2. It neither raises taxes nor spends dollars from the state’s stabilization fund, which is also known as the ‘Rainy Day Fund’ and currently stands at a historic $8.1 billion.

“The Senate Budget is a victory for schools, public infrastructure, healthcare access, and housing in my district and throughout the Commonwealth,” said Senator DiDomenico, who is Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I am proud to direct hundreds of thousands of dollars to my district and over a million dollars statewide for organizations and programs that provide vital services for our residents. These investments will create new opportunities for people of all ages in our communities, ensure all our children can enjoy the best education possible, and support organizations fighting against poverty by helping our neighbors get the resources they need.”

 

Senator DiDomenico’s local amendments totaling $625,000 will support the following:

Local organizations:

• Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee
• Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition
• Chelsea Black Community
• Community Action Programs Inter-City (CAPIC)
• East End House
• Eliot Family Resource Center
• Everett Haitian Community Center
• Global Arts Live
• Harvest on Vine
• Just-A-Start Biomedical Careers program
• Kennedy Center
• La Comunidad
• Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts (LUMA)
• Margaret Fuller House

Education:

• Cambridge Theater Program
• Chelsea High School Music Program
• Courageous Sailing
• Everett High School Music Program
• Girls on the Run
• La Vida Scholars
• Loop Lab

 

Senator DiDomenico’s statewide amendments totaling over $1,500,000 will support the following:

• The ALS Association of Massachusetts offers life-changing services and equipment that ensures individuals with ALS live a higher quality of life and receive the support and care they deserve.
• The Boston Housing Authority supports thousands of low- and moderate-income families across Boston with their critical housing needs.
• The Pediatric Palliative Care program provides invaluable comprehensive care for children living with life-limiting or end-of-life illnesses, as well as support for their families.
• The Shannon Grant Gang Violence Prevention program empowers communities across his district and beyond to build programs that improve safety and reduce gang activity. Thanks to this funding, communities can provide youth programming and help build and strengthen relationships between police and young people.

 

Senator DiDomenico’s policy amendments will:

• Ensure all eligible students can take advantage of the Seal of Biliteracy, which is an award that recognizes high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and another language by high school graduation.
• Instruct the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to collect data on sex and relationship education in public schools so that we can understand what students in our state are being taught about an important subject.

The Senate’s final budget increases spending by $3.7 billion over Fiscal Year 2025, with the majority of the increase attributed to MassHealth. Aligned with estimated tax revenue growth, the spending plan is based on a consensus tax revenue estimate of $41.214 billion for the coming fiscal year, a 2.25 per cent increase over the current fiscal year’s benchmark. Based on Fair Share surtax revenue estimates, the Senate’s budget proposal included $1.95 billion in education and transportation investments, an increase of $650 million over the last fiscal year.

 

Fair Share Investments

The Senate’s budget includes $1.95 billion in Fair Share surtax revenues, consistent with the consensus revenue agreement reached with the Administration and House of Representatives. The Senate budget uses these revenues to support quality public education investments and the state’s transportation infrastructure, which are two cornerstones of the state’s economic foundation. Together with the Senate’s $1.28 billion Fair Share supplemental budget proposal passed earlier this month, total support this year for Fair Share supported statewide transportation and education projects amount to over $3 billion.

To brace for potential federal actions, the Senate’s FY26 budget deposits $165 million of surtax revenues into the Education and Transportation Reserve Fund, maintaining the Senate’s steadfast commitment to prioritizing fiscal responsibility in the face of rising uncertainty. By doing so, the budget sets aside a down payment that will help maintain commitments to public education programming and transportation infrastructure in the event of economic disruption due to potential federal actions.

Notable Fair Share Education investments include:

• $325 million (M) for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grant program, which is matched with other funds for a total investment of $475M
• $265M for Student Opportunity Act (SOA) expansion
• $170M for universal free school meals
• $120M for universal free community college
• $100M to maintain financial aid programs for in-state students attending state universities through MASSGrant Plus
• $98M for childcare supports
• $50M for school transportation reimbursement costs
• $14M for the State University Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services (SUCCESS) Program
• $10M for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI)
• $20M for early literacy initiatives and programs
• $8M for the Reimagining High School Initiative
• $5M for school-based mental health and wraparound services

Notable Fair Share Transportation investments include:

• $350M (in addition to other funding) to support Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operations for FY26
• $120M to support Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) across the state. Together with resources from the General Fund, the bill provides a record $214M for RTAs. The Fair Share funding supports direct operating support for RTAs, complete fare-free, fixed-route access across all RTAs, incentivizing connections between regional transit routes and local economic hubs, and expanded mobility options for the elderly and people with disabilities.
• $78M for debt service for expanded new bond capacity for the Commonwealth Transportation Fund (CTF) for essential transportation projects across the Commonwealth
• By committing $600M annually to the CTF, the Senate will unlock additional bond capacity for critical transportation projects over the next 10 years.
• $52M in operating support for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

 

Education

The Senate FY26 budget supports students of all ages by maintaining investments in public education at every level. The budget fully funds the fifth year of the Student Opportunity Act, provides a historic funding commitment to the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), and stands with public and private institutions of higher education at a volatile time.

With a $1.71 billion total investment in early education and care, the Senate’s budget builds on last year’s passage of the EARLY ED Act, supporting the sector’s workforce, protecting programming and maintaining access to affordable care for families facing economic pressures.

Notable education funding includes:

• $517.6M for income-eligible childcare
• $448.2M for Department of Children & Families (DCF) and Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) related childcare
• $475M for the C3 operational grant program, supporting critical operational and workforce initiatives across the early education sector
• $98M for childcare supports, coupled with other funding, to maintain the current capacity and rates of the childcare financial assistance program
• $44.9M for EEC Quality Improvement Initiatives
• $27.6M for the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative to maintain access to universal pre-kindergarten and preschool opportunities in underserved areas
• $20M for Childcare Resource and Referral Centers
• $20M for grants to Head Start programs
• $5M for grants to early education and care providers for childhood mental health consultation services
• $2.5M to continue the successful public–private pilot program with employers to create new childcare seats

The Senate budget’s public K-12 investments provide crucial support to school districts confronting increased costs and fiscal pressures while delivering high-quality public education to Massachusetts’ students. To support schools across the state, the Senate follows through on the commitment to fully fund and implement the SOA by Fiscal Year 2027 and invests $7.3 billion in Chapter 70 state aid to public schools, an increase of $460M over FY25. Further, the budget increases minimum Chapter 70 aid to $150 per pupil, delivering an additional $39.6M in resources to school districts across the state.

For the second year, the Senate’s budget dedicates $120M to fully fund MassEducate, the Commonwealth’s universal free community college program that became law in last year’s budget. By again delivering free tuition and fees for residents, the FY26 proposal continues its support for this vital initiative that expands economic opportunity in a regionally equitable manner across the Commonwealth.

Other education investments include:

• $492M for the Special Education (SPED) Circuit Breaker (in addition to other funding) to fulfill the promise of 75 per cent reimbursement for eligible tuition and transportation costs, recommending $682M in total to reimburse school districts for the cost of educating students with disabilities
• $183M for charter school reimbursements
• $275.8M for scholarships to students
• $103.7M to reimburse school districts for regional school transportation costs
• $30M for higher education wraparound services
• $16M for rural school aid support
• $14.2M for early college programs and $13.1M for dual enrollment, along with $8M for Reimagining High School to empower high school students to take college courses prior to graduation
• $5M to support continued implementation of the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Higher Education law, including funding to help high school students with intellectual disabilities aged 18–22 access higher education opportunities; and funding for the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Trust Fund.
• $3M for the Genocide Education Trust Fund
• $3M for the Civics Education Trust Fund
• $1M for Hate Crimes Prevention Grants to support public schools

 

Community support

  Highlighting the Senate’s longstanding commitment to a sustainable state–local partnership, this budget provides significant resources to support all Massachusetts cities and towns, ensuring that the state can meet the needs of every region, city and town—and leave no corner of the Commonwealth behind. The proposal includes $1.337 billion in funding for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), the primary source of direct state aid to Massachusetts towns and cities, an increase of $38.7M over FY25. UGGA funding supports resources for municipalities as they collectively confront increased fiscal constraints at the local level.

The budget establishes a special commission to study how local aid is distributed, evaluate its effectiveness and equity and make recommendations to maximize the equity of the distribution. In addition to traditional sources of local aid, this budget also increases payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land to $54.5M. PILOT funding is a source of supplemental local aid for cities and towns working to protect and improve access to essential services and programs.

To further help communities thrive, the Senate Budget proposal gives communities, not the Legislature, the final say when issuing liquor licenses for restaurants and bars.

Other local investments include:

• $214M for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support regional public transportation systems, including funds to maintain and continue expansions to regional bus service, sustain systemwide fare free transit service and support RTA commuter operations
• $116M for local housing authorities
• $54.5M for PILOT to cities and towns for state-owned land
• $52.9M for libraries
• $29.9M in grants to Councils on Aging
• $26.2M for the Mass Cultural Council

The FY26 budget codifies fare-free RTA service, which will require all RTAs to eliminate passenger fares for fixed routes and ADA-required paratransit service. With this measure, the Senate continues to prioritize regional equity, supporting RTAs as an essential public service that connects communities and provides a crucial connection for commuters, students, seniors and people with disabilities.

 

Health, mental health, and family care

  The Senate’s FY26 budget funds MassHealth at $22.41 billion, an increase of $2.34 billion over the last fiscal year. As the largest cost driver in the state’s budget, MassHealth alone accounts for 65 per cent of the total spending increase over the FY25 budget. Amid uncertainty in Washington, this budget maintains access to comprehensive health care coverage for over 2 million Massachusetts residents. MassHealth covers affordable, accessible and comprehensive health care services for more than one in four residents, nearly half of all children and seven out of every 10 nursing facility residents. To help keep healthcare costs down, the Senate Budget proposal includes a provision which will target high-cost prescription drugs and ensure that the price for the drugs does not far exceed the value.

Other health investments include:

• $3.2 billion for a range of services and focused support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• $1.73 billion to support the Personal Care Attendant program and its historic collective bargaining agreement that raised the wage scale to $25 per hour
• $694M for adult support services, including $19M to support jail diversion initiatives to better serve individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders and connect them with appropriate treatment
• $582.1M for nursing facility Medicaid rates, including $112M in additional base rate payments to maintain competitive wages
• $386.4M for Department of Mental Health (DMH) hospital and community-based services
• $237.7M for Department of Public Health (DPH) hospital operations
• $179.9M for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS), including $1.5M in new funding to develop the state’s recovery coach workforce, which will support key initiatives from last session’s Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Coach Licensure Act
• $132M for children’s mental health services
• $102M for nursing facility enhanced Medicaid rates to begin implementation of the 2024 Long-Term Care Act
• $79.9M for domestic violence prevention services
• $39.3M for Early Intervention (EI) services
• $35M for Family Resource Centers (FRCs) to maintain mental health resources available to families
• $26.5M for family and adolescent health, including $11.2M for comprehensive family planning services and $6.7M to enhance federal Title X family planning funding
• $22.6M for school-based health programming and services
• $20M to recapitalize the Behavioral Health, Access, Outreach and Support Trust Fund to support targeted behavioral health initiatives
• $14.3M for suicide prevention and intervention, with an additional $1.8M for Samaritans Inc. and $1.1M for the Call2Talk suicide prevention hotline; this investment protects and fully funds 9-8-8, the 24/7 suicide and crisis lifeline.
• $14.7M for maternal and child health, including $10.8M for pediatric palliative care services for terminally ill children and a policy adjustment to ensure that children up to age 22 can continue to be served through the program
• $12.7M for Meals on Wheels and other nutrition programs for seniors.
• $6M for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) grants to bolster support for K-12 students
• $5.5M for children advocacy centers to maintain critical support available to children that have been neglected or sexually abused
• $5M for workforce support for community health centers, including loan forgiveness
• $5.2M for the Office of the Child Advocate
• $3.8M for the Massachusetts Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma
• $2.5M for veterans’ mental and behavioral health services through the Home Base program
• $2M for grants for improvements in reproductive health access, infrastructure and safety

 

Expanding and protecting opportunities

  The Senate is committed to expanding opportunity and supporting the state’s most vulnerable residents; therefore, this budget maintains the annual child’s clothing allowance, providing $500 per child for eligible families to buy clothes for the upcoming school year. The budget also fully annualizes the FY25 10 per cent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefit levels to help families move out of deep poverty. Additionally, an amendment ensures that pregnant women can access TAFDC at any time. In addition, the budget dedicates $82M to support food security and child nutrition initiatives, including $42M for Emergency Food Assistance to assist residents in navigating the historical levels of food insecurity, and $25.4M for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) to ensure access to healthy food options.

  Economic opportunity investments include:

• $467M for TAFDC and $209M for EAEDC to provide the necessary support as caseloads increase
• $142.9M for DTA caseworkers to protect access to crucial financial assistance, food support, and employment and training programs for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents
• $59.4M for adult basic education services to improve access to skills necessary to join the workforce
• $42M for Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance
• $25.4M for HIP to support healthy food access for households in need
• $20.6M for employment services programs to help people with lower incomes move toward economic independence
• $15.5M for the Women, Infants, & Children Nutrition Program (WIC)
• $9.2M for career technical institutes to increase the state’s skilled worker population and provide residents with access to career technical training opportunities, which will combine with other funding
• $5M for the Secure Jobs Connect Program, providing job placement resources and assistance for homeless individuals
• $4.8M for the Innovation Pathways program to continue to connect students to training and post-secondary opportunities with a focus on STEM
• $1M for employment programs for young adults with disabilities

 

Housing

As the state envisions a more fiscally sustainable path for its future, increasing affordable housing opportunities and addressing housing challenges remain at the forefront of the Senate’s agenda. This budget therefore invests more than $1.16 billion in housing initiatives, dedicating resources for housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelter services and homelessness assistance programs. The Senate’s FY26 budget deploys a humane, responsible and sustainable approach to support families and individuals in need with affordable, safe and secure housing options.

Housing investments include:

• $253M for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
• $116M for local housing authorities
• $110.7M for assistance for homeless individual shelters
• $57.3M for the HomeBASE program to support sustainable exits from shelter
• $27.7M for homeless program administration to move people from the Emergency Assistance shelter system
• $19.5M for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), providing rental assistance to people with disabilities
• $15.8M for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
• $10.5M for assistance for unaccompanied homeless youth
• $10M for sponsor-based supportive permanent housing to support 16 new housing units and case management services for vulnerable individuals
• $8.9M for the Home and Healthy for Good re-housing and supportive services program, including funding to support homeless LGBTQ youth
• $6.5M in continued support for resident service coordinators to help residents maintain stable tenancies at local housing authorities

In addition to these investments in housing, the Committee’s budget includes a provision — on which the Senate has consistently led — requiring that residential rental broker’s fees must be paid by the contracting agent, often the landlord of an apartment, ensuring that renters are not burdened with unexpected and extraordinary costs. The Senate first passed this proposal last session. During debate, the Senate approved an amendment exploring opportunities to remove the sales tax for multifamily housing construction projects.

With both chambers of the Legislature having approved different versions of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, they will now reconcile their versions before sending a final FY26 budget to the Governor for her signature and/or other actions.