Governor Healey signed the Commonwealth’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget into law on July 9, 2026, a spending package that totals $63.4 billion in appropriations and runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The FY27 budget is a responsible 4 percent increase from last year, and includes $2.7 billion in Fair Share funds that will support public education and transportation as voters intended when approving the Fair Share Amendment. The budget does not increase taxes and adds $51 million to the state’s ‘Rainy Day’ Stabilization Fund, which is projected to reach a historic $8.2 billion balance by the end of Fiscal Year 2027.
This budget contains significant local funding increases, as well as over $2 million in funding for targeted local projects in the 4th Middlesex district secured by Senator Friedman, and additional amounts by her colleagues who also represent communities within the 4th Middlesex.
The final budget comes after Governor Healey released her initial proposed FY27 budget in January, the House of Representatives passed a proposed FY27 budget in late April, and the Senate took up the budget and passed their own version in May. To view proposals, visit the Massachusetts Budget Tracker.
Final FY27 Budget (July 2026)
PRESS RELEASE: Friedman Votes for Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Delivering Record Investments Without Raising Taxes
Text of Final Budget Sent to Governor Healey (H.5555)
In the final budget, and originally included in the Senate version of the budget, is a $1.5 million appropriation secured by Senator Friedman for the Restoration Center of Greater Lowell, a pilot program that she helped establish. For more information about the Restoration Center, check out this Facebook post!
Through the Senate budget amendment process, Senator Friedman secured local project funding in the final FY26 Budget, which were all included in the final budget and can be seen in the images below:
Senate FY27 Budget Proposal and Debate (May 2026)
PRESS RELEASE: Friedman Votes for Senate Budget Investing in Municipalities, Education, Lowering Costs
Full Senate Ways and Means FY27 Budget Proposal (S.4)
Senate Ways and Means FY27 Budget Proposal Executive Summary
Watch the Senate’s Budget Debate
Fact Sheet: Senate Proposed Budget
Included in the underlying Senate budget is $1.5 million in funding for the Restoration Center of Greater Lowell, a pilot program that Senator Friedman helped create. For more information about the Restoration Center, check out this Facebook post!
Through the Senate budget amendment process, Senator Friedman secured local project funding in the final FY26 Budget, which are included in the images below:
Additional Amendments Sponsored by Senator Friedman
| Amendment Number | Amendment Title | Summary | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 488 | Supporting School-Based Bridge Programs for Youth | Earmarks $750,000 for Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (“bryt”) to help schools work with students to successfully transition back to school after prolonged absence due to hospitalization for physical or mental health care | Adopted as Redrafted to $500,000 |
| 489 | Health Care For All HelpLine | Earmarks $500,000 for Health Care For All’s HelpLine, which helps Massachusetts residents apply for and enroll in health insurance, use their insurance, and resolve health insurance coverage issues | Withdrawn |
| 490 | Prescription Drug Upper Payment Limit | Allows the state to set an Upper Payment Limit (UPL) on a drug, establishing the maximum amount that anyone in a state can pay for the drug. | Withdrawn |
| 491 | Large Employers Utilizing MassHealth Report | Establishes an annual report of Massachusetts employers with 50 or more employees receiving health services through one or more of the state’s publicly subsidized health care programs. | Withdrawn |
| 492 | GLP-1 Coverage Loss Study | Appropriates funding for the Havard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to conduct a study and issue a report on the impact of discontinuing health insurance coverage for GLP-1 medications for patients. | Adopted as Redrafted |
| 493 | Protecting Public Worker Access to Health Care | Provides protections for Group Insurance Commission (GIC) beneficiaries by prohibiting physicians and other providers of services from refusing to treat an individual covered by hospital, surgical, medical or catastrophic illness coverage offered by the GIC. | Adopted as Redrafted |
| 494 | Clarification of Dental Caps | Clarifies the language changing the cap on MassHealth dental benefits. | Adopted as Redrafted |
| 495 | Supporting Health and Human Services IT Infrastructure | Restores the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) IT funding to $187.2 million, consistent with H.2 to help modernize the IT infrastructure as part of the state’s response to federal policy and compliance changes through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”. | Withdrawn |
| 496 | Supporting the Health Safety Net | Directs funds from the Federal Matching and Debt Reduction Fund (FMDRF) to the Health Safety Net. | Withdrawn |
| 497 | GIC Rebate Report | Establishes a report to explore cost drivers within the Group Insurance Commission (GIC). | Withdrawn |
Helpful General Budget Links
Massachusetts Budget Tracker (View the budget proposals of the Governor and House of Representatives)
Governor Healey’s FY27 Budget Proposal Web Portal
Senator Friedman FY26 Budget Webpage