Senator Lewis and Mass. Senate Pass Fiscal Year 2027 State Budget, Supporting Municipalities and Residents

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to approve a $63.4 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) to continue supporting Massachusetts residents and investing in the state’s future.

The Senate’s budget proposal safeguards the state’s financial health, protects the state’s most vulnerable residents, and makes investments that reinforce the Commonwealth’s economic vitality, all while not raising taxes or fees on residents. It was passed with bipartisan support and includes major investments to support municipalities, public education, housing, healthcare, transportation, and more.

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“Especially during a time when residents are feeling the strain of rising costs, I’m proud that this budget 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, food security, and healthcare,” said 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.”

Key fiscal highlights of the Senate’s FY27 budget include:

• $7.7 billion in Chapter 70 funding for K-12 public education, an increase of $297 million over FY26, as well as increasing the minimum Chapter 70 aid increase to $160 per pupil.
• $1.4 billion for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) to cities and towns, a significant increase of $53 million over FY26.
• $1.9 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.
• $22.7 billion to fund MassHealth, providing two million people with continued access to affordable, accessible, and comprehensive healthcare services.
• $1.9 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.
• $1.1 billion for housing initiatives, dedicating resources for housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelter services, and homelessness assistance.
• $455 million for environmental initiatives to protect the state’s natural resources, ensure clean air and water, and mitigate climate change, in addition to the $3.9 billion environmental bond bill passed by the state Senate in April.
• $265 million toward anti-hunger, food security, and economic security, including funding to maintain SNAP program integrity and comply with new federal requirements and continue the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) which supports local farmers and helps families afford fresh fruits and vegetables.

Key policy highlights of the Senate’s FY27 budget include:

• Reconvening the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) to examine the current K-12 school funding formula and assess new ways to address rising costs in special education, student transportation, personnel, and healthcare—a commission for which Senator Lewis has advocated for several years to support communities struggling with rising education costs.
• Establishing a commission to study the adequacy and distribution of UGGA, unrestricted funding from the state to support city and town budgets.
• Establishing a commission to review the adequacy and equity of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and make recommendations for necessary reforms—another policy Senator Lewis has advocated for many years.
• Repealing the outdated Learnfare policy that strips low-income families of some of their financial assistance from the state if a student has too many unexcused absences from school—a policy that Senator Lewis filed as a budget amendment and led the passage of on the Senate floor with a vote of 36-4.
• Requiring companies to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up, shielding residents from junk fees and hard-to-cancel recurring charges.

The Senate’s budget includes a projected $2.7 billion in revenue from the Fair Share Amendment, a 4% surtax on annual household income above $1 million approved by voters in 2022 for education and transportation investments.

Along with a $1.4 billion Fair Share supplemental budget passed by the Senate in April, the Senate is directing over $4 billion to provide universal free school meals for all K-12 students; increase K-12 school funding through the Student Opportunity Act; increase access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare; expand investment in the MBTA; provide additional funds to maintain local roads; and more.

Senator Lewis was also successful in securing $500,000 to fund a variety of local projects in his communities including park improvements, housing security, and more, and $1 million to support farm-to-school food grants and food system literacy programming in public elementary and secondary schools and early education programs.

The full FY27 Senate budget is available on the Massachusetts legislature’s website. 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.