Special to the Times-Free Press

Without raising taxes on Massachusetts residents, the Massachusetts Legislature delivered a Fiscal Year 2027 budget that drives down costs for residents, boosts the state’s economy, and adds to the state’s savings account. 

The plan makes record investments in public education, unlocks new housing production, strengthens the state’s public transportation systems, and protects vulnerable residents from the impact of federal cuts.

The bill spends $63.4 billion, a 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. The budget raises no 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.

“As a result of the Trump Administration’s sweeping federal funding cuts, reckless trade policies, and war with Iran, this budget has come during a period of significant economic uncertainty. That’s why I’m incredibly proud of the investments that this budget makes despite those challenges, from funding for free school meals and for the final year of the Student Opportunity Act, to robust support for the MBTA, to nearly $10 billion for cities and towns across the Commonwealth – all without raising taxes,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank Chairman Michlewitz and my colleagues in the House, along with our partners in the Senate, for working to ensure that this budget delivers for every community across Massachusetts.”

“This final $63.4 Billion Fiscal Year 2027 conference committee report will better position the Commonwealth for the challenges that lie ahead while also ensuring that we protect the programs that some of our most vulnerable populations rely on the most. Whether it is greater investments into programs like housing stability, food security, or early education the initiatives contained in this budget are a reflection of our shared values,” said Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). “By reinvesting in the people of the Commonwealth we will continue to assist those in need while making our economy more competitive and equitable for years to come. I want to thank Speaker Mariano for his leadership during this budget process, as well as my fellow House conferees, Representative Diggs and Representative Smola. I also want to thank my counterparts in the Senate, specifically my co-chair Senator Rodrigues, for their partnership in bringing this proposal over the finish line.”

“I’m incredibly proud of the funding we secured for East Boston in this year’s FY27 budget,” said Representative Adrian C. Madaro (D-East Boston). “These funds will empower organizations throughout the community with the resources to provide programming and services to East Boston residents, improve our environment, and celebrate the culture and history of the neighborhood. I thank local residents and nonprofits for their partnership and service to our community and look forward to continued collaboration ahead”.

Funding secured by Representative Madaro for East Boston organizations and projects in the FY27 budget include:

Constitution Beach Patrols – To ensure continued safety and security at Constitution Beach, funding is being provided to continue regular state police patrols and monitoring at Constitution Beach.

Maverick Landing Community Services – to provide for a Housing Support Station in East Boston, Rep. Madaro secured funding Maverick Landing Community Services. The housing support station provides information, education, and assistance on housing rights, housing applications, and eviction and foreclosure issues for tenants and homeowners.

Mutual Aid Eastie – Providing funds to Mutual Aid Eastie to support their mutual aid programming and assistance to local residents and families in East Boston

Neighbors United for a Better East Boston – Funding through the budget will provide resources for NUBE to facilitate work in civic engagement and community programming throughout East Boston.

Center for Community Development and Solidarity – Appropriations will aid CCDS in providing support and community organization toward the creation of worker owned cooperatives. This funding will support CCDS in their search for permanent space to base their operations.

East Boston Community Soup Kitchen – East Boston’s only soup kitchen will be bolstered by funding to provide food aid and other critical services to those most in need in the East Boston community.

Tree Eastie –  Funding will help support Tree Eastie’s successful work expanding the tree canopy in East Boston through the planting and maintenance of new trees on streets, in parks, and in yard across the neighborhood.

Harlem Lacrosse – This earmark will support lacrosse programming at Harlem Lacrosse’s East Boston site based at the McKay school.

East Boston Main Streets – This budget earmark will allow East Boston Main Streets to revitalize community signage in our main squares and neighborhood business corridors.

East Boston Veterans Museum – The East Boston Veterans museum is an exciting piece of the renovations to the ITAM and American Legion Post. These funds will support the further development and expansion of the museum.

Paris Street Community Center Programming – Resources allocated in the state budget will support unique Special Olympics programming at the Paris Street Community Center.

Golden Thread Project – A new project developed to highlight the history and culture of East Boston, this earmark will support the initial stages of East Boston’s Golden Thread, creating public markers and information to highlight East Boston’s role in the history of immigration, maritime commerce, and more.

East Boston Senior Center – The East Boston Senior Center has continued to be an invaluable resource and social hub for seniors in East Boston and surrounding communities. Funding will support programming and events through the East Boston Senior Center.

Health Safety Net – Covers services provided by NeighborHealth under the Commonwealth’s Health Safety Net program, allowing them to continue to provide essential services to under-insured and uninsured individuals in our community.

Funding for these organizations and programs builds off funding that Representative Madaro was able to secure for the neighborhood in the Fair Share supplemental budget bill recently approved by the legislature, including:

Friends of the Children – Running an excellent K-12 youth mentorship program in East Boston, this earmark will support Friends of the Children Boston in expanding their impact in the community.

NeighborHealth PACE – Providing critical medically-necessary patient transportation and home meal deliver, these funds support the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) operated through NeighborHealth.

Piers Park Sailing Center – Supporting the vital sailing and maritime educational programming at Piers Park Sailing Center, a key after school and summer education program in our neighborhood.

East Boston Social Centers – One of the largest childcare providers in the neighborhood, this earmark will fund community-based initiatives for kindergarten through the East Boston Social Centers.

Boston Scores – As the 2026 World Cup continues to be celebrated in Boston, this earmark allowed Boston Scores, a non-profit based in East Boston promoting youth development through soccer programming, to operate the East Boston FC soccer program and Festival 2026 programming to celebrate housing the World Cup, including important youth cultural exchange programming.

East Boston School STEM – New experiential STEM and innovation programming offered for public K-6 schools in East Boston will receive much-needed funding.

YouthConnect – A longtime program in the community that has helped high-risk youth and families alike by providing community-based mental health services and intervention, this earmark will continue to support their work in the neighborhood.

Salt Marsh Restoration Education – These resources will support efforts by the University of Massachusetts Stone Living Lab to research salt marsh restoration techniques in East Boston.

East Boston Ferry – Bolstering the operation of the MBTA ferry between Long Wharf in the North End and Lewis Mall in East Boston. The continuation of this year’s route includes later hours, the expansion to year-round service, studies for additional ferry stops, and new tap-to-pay options on board.

Other provisions that were part of the final FY27 budget include:

Education

The agreement completes the Legislature’s commitment to fully fund and implement the Student Opportunity Act with $7.66 billion in Chapter 70 aid to public school districts, an increase of $297 million over Fiscal Year 2026 and the highest level ever, along with a record $160-per-pupil minimum in local school aid.

The budget also revives the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) to examine the K-12 funding formula and assess how the state can address rising costs in special education, student transportation, personnel, and educator health care statewide.

The agreement funds the Special Education Circuit Breaker at $654.6 million to help students who need support, which, combined with $152 million from the recent Fair Share supplemental budget, brings the total investment to $806.6 million, reimbursing school districts for 75 percent of the costs of educating students with disabilities and complex needs.

Other education investments include $475 million for the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grant program to support early education and care providers’ day-to-day operational and workforce costs, $137 million for the MassEducate and MassReconnect free community college programs, $20 million for rural school districts, and $180 million for universal free school meals, which serve nearly 150 million free meals to Massachusetts kids every year. 

The budget also includes $11.7 million to support students receiving special education services through the DESE/DDS Residential Prevention Program, and $2 million for a new grant program helping schools address young people’s social media use.

Transportation

The agreement provides $465 million in direct investment for the MBTA, which, combined with $595 million from the recent Fair Share supplemental budget, brings the total new investment in the system to over $1 billion for Fiscal Year 2027. It also includes $217 million for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs), including $40 million to sustain fare-free transit service statewide. The state’s fare-free Regional Transit program has resulted in ridership exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

The budget also responds to a string of fatal wrong-way driving incidents on Massachusetts highways, including the tragic line-of-duty death of State Trooper Kevin Trainor, by directing MassDOT to implement new infrastructure and officer training, including directional striping, signage, lane delineators, and motorist alert systems.

Municipalities and Housing

The agreement provides record support to cities and towns across the state, including $1.363 billion for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), a $40 million increase over Fiscal Year 2026 and the highest level ever. For new dollars, the legislation implements a new funding formula to equitably distribute the increase throughout all of the state’s 351 communities. 

In another step toward addressing the housing crisis and building homes faster statewide, the budget builds on last session’s Affordable Homes Act by streamlining local permitting, supporting development on nonconforming properties, providing reasonable timelines for projects under existing zoning, and modernizing the variance standard, all aimed at boosting housing production and driving down costs.

Health Care

The agreement extends the ConnectorCare expansion pilot program through 2027. Since 2024, the pilot has helped more than 115,000 residents access more affordable insurance through lower premiums, no deductibles, and reduced co-pays.

The budget also codifies existing federal protections requiring comprehensive insurance coverage of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) without cost sharing or utilization management barriers and directs a new study to modernize and improve the long-term sustainability of emergency medical services in the Commonwealth.

Retiree COLA Reform

This budget includes comprehensive, fiscally prudent reforms to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retired public employees, based on recommendations from the Special COLA Commission. It establishes a COLA Reserve Fund financed in part by pension investment returns above target, provides enhanced COLA benefits for certain current retirees based on years in retirement, and allows the base amount used to calculate future COLAs to increase in $1,000 increments as funding allows.

Food and Economic Security

The agreement protects access to benefits through Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC), and includes a $500 clothing allowance per child for families receiving TAFDC benefits.

It repeals the Learnfare law, which cut off TAFDC benefits when children had too many unexcused school absences and ended up hurting families who lost needed assistance.

It also provides $56.1 million for Emergency Food Assistance, an increase of $6.1 million over Fiscal Year 2026, and $21.5 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which supports local farmers and access to healthy food.

Protecting Vulnerable

Residents

The agreement includes provisions protecting children aged 16 and 17 from sexual interactions with mandated reporters and others responsible for their care and oversight, including teachers, coaches, police officers, and social workers.

In response to the tragic fire at Gabriel House in Fall River, the agreement provides $500,000 to implement recommendations from the Assisted Living Residences (ALR) Commission to improve safety standards, emergency preparedness, and oversight at assisted living facilities statewide.

The budget also establishes a commission to study transitional youth services for individuals with disabilities whose access to special education services will end due to high school graduation or turning 22, as the Legislature works to preserve community-based care options amid federal challenges to the Olmstead decision.

Sports Wagering Revenue

The agreement adjusts the distribution of sports wagering revenue, directing 5.5 percent to the Sports and Entertainment Fund and 2 percent to the Economic Development Trust Fund, dedicating new resources to support the Commonwealth’s economic growth. 

The full text of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget is available online. On Thursday July 9, Governor Maura Healey signed the finalized FY27 budget with no vetoes.