The Massachusetts Senate passed a $63.37 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) on May 21, 2026 after beginning debate on the proposed budget on May 19. The Commonwealth’s FY27 budget runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 and serves as an important legislative vehicle to fund state programs and services, local initiatives, as well as policy priorities.
The Senate budget provides a responsible increase of just over 3.5 per cent from last fiscal year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA). The Senate budget more strategically aligns revenues from the Governor’s budget proposal to address current spending pressures. This budget contains significant local funding increases, as well as over $2 million in funding for targeted local projects in the 4th Middlesex district.
The FY27 Senate budget includes $2.7 billion in Fair Share spending for public education and transportation initiatives. This proposed budget does not raise any taxes on Massachusetts residents and would not spend any dollars from the state’s Stabilization Fund, also known as the ‘rainy day fund.’ The bill would continue to responsibly save for the future by placing a $51 million deposit into the state’s rainy day fund for a record balance of $8.2 billion by the end of next fiscal year.
Governor Healey released her proposed FY27 budget in January and the House of Representatives passed a proposed FY27 budget in late April. To view either of these proposals, visit the Massachusetts Budget Tracker.
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