(BOSTON–5/22/2026) On Thursday the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a $63.37 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2027 that invests responsibly in public education and municipalities, unlocks new opportunities for housing growth, and upholds the Commonwealth’s core commitments to its residents.  

Every investment made by the Senate comes without raising a single tax or fee on Massachusetts residents, who are already feeling the weight of inflation, tariffs, and the impact of the federal government’s costly foreign entanglements. 

“The Fiscal Year 2027 budget adopted by the Senate is the result of months of thoughtful collaboration and public engagement, including nine public hearings held in communities across the Commonwealth, testimony from hundreds of residents, advocates, non-profit organizations, and over 1,100 amendments considered by the Senate during our debate. Process is what makes this product strong: it responds to the needs articulated to us, reflects our shared priorities and upholds the fiscal discipline necessary to navigate an uncertain economic climate,” said Senator Paul R. Feeney (D-Foxborough), Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Under the leadership of Senate President Karen Spilka and Chairman Michael Rodrigues, this budget invests in record-high municipal aid, historic education funding, and keeps our longstanding commitment to expand opportunity without raising new taxes or tapping into our Rainy Day fund. Each and every dollar spent in this balanced, responsible budget was carefully considered to meet the needs of our residents today and keep the Commonwealth competitive to embrace the challenges of tomorrow." 

Supporting Local Capital Improvement, Organizations, and Priorities  

As the Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, Senator Feeney successfully secured funding for local priorities throughout the Bristol & Norfolk State Senate District during Senate Debate of the spending bill.  

“Despite significant fiscal constraints and uncertainty, the people, local businesses, and communities of the Bristol and Norfolk District always come first for me when crafting our annual state budget. This year is no exception — from resources for local first responders, including funding for new firefighter turnout gear and active shooter response equipment, to investments that help address substance misuse, support local arts and culture, and strengthen community health, this budget leads with our values and prioritizes the needs of our Senate District. In my role as Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, I have the privilege of elevating the unique needs of our communities and delivering on your behalf. Thank you to everyone who has made their voice heard, contributed to the budget process, called, emailed, and advocated to help make this work possible,” said Paul R. Feeney (D-Foxborough). 

Funding secured by Senator Feeney in the Senate FY27 Budget:  

• $20,000 for the purchase of new turnout gear for Fire Fighters in the town of North Attleborough. 

• $50,000 to the Hockomock Area YMCA in North Attleborough for their Integration Initiative to provide unique, innovative and impactful opportunities for children, teens and young adults with special needs and their families. 

• $20,000 for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation Inc. in the city of North Attleborough to provide assistance to individuals of all ages and their families experiencing emotional and financial hardships due to a cancer diagnosis. 

• $50,000 for Manet Community Health for the Nurse Care Management Program, including at the Manet location in Attleboro. This program provides wraparound services to individuals with chronic illness. 

• $10,000 to support the Attleboro Vincentian Immersion Reentry Project, administered by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul District Council of Attleboro, to serve incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals throughout Bristol County. 

• $15,000 to the Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse. 

• $15,000 to the Sharon Substance Prevention and Resource Coalition. 

• $15,000 to the Norton Opioid Prevention and Education Collaborative N.O.P.E. 

• $15,000 to Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, Inc. for expanded programming, marketing, and supplies related to litter prevention and beautification. 

• $40,000 to the city of Attleboro for the renovation of the Educational Amphitheater at the Capron Park Zoo. 

• $25,000 for Sturdy Health in the city of Attleboro to provide additional staff for major and regional events in the surrounding area. 

• $40,000 to the Boyden Library in the town of Foxborough for the purchase of new furniture, equipment for maker space, children's room, and facilities and IT upgrades. 

• $100,000 to Attleboro Enterprises Inc. (AEI) to support their expansion into Plainville, to provide services to adults with a broad range of neurodiverse and intellectual/developmental disabilities and the creation of a wheelchair accessible garden in their facility in North Attleborough. The mission of AEI is to support adults with cognitive and physical challenges by promoting opportunities for them to become contributing members of society and to achieve their life goals. Senator Feeney secured this funding in partnership with Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham).  

• $15,000 to the city of Attleboro Police Department for the purchase of active shooter protective gear and response equipment.  

• $50,000 to Mansfield public schools for expenses related to the creation of a multimedia lab space in Mansfield High School to offer production courses for students. 

• $10,000 to the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center, Inc., in the town of Foxborough, for facility upgrades and programming. 

• $10,000 to Confikids Inc. in Foxborough to provide children with access to recreational sports, arts, and activities. 

• $250,000 to Community Servings, Inc. to create a fully synchronized statewide logistics hub at their existing location in Mansfield, with precise route optimization supporting more efficient and equitable medically appropriate meal distribution across Massachusetts. Community Servings, Inc., which opened their distribution center in Mansfield in 2024, is Massachusetts' only statewide provider of medically tailored nutrition services, with 36 years of experience delivering meals to chronically and critically ill residents across the Commonwealth. 

Strengthening our Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system 

Senator Feeney was the lead advocate in the Senate behind an initiative to strengthen the Commonwealth’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) by providing $100,000 to the Executive Office of Public Safety And Security (EOPSS), in collaboration with Department of Public Health (DPH), to study the feasibility and fiscal impacts of transferring the administration and oversight of the state EMS system from DPH to a new agency within EOPSS.  

In many communities, emergency medical response is already delivered by local fire departments, yet statewide EMS oversight remains housed within DPH—an agency primarily focused on healthcare policy, not emergency response operations. Massachusetts fire chiefs, paramedics, EMTs, and municipal leaders have increasingly raised concerns that the current EMS structure has slowed modernization and placed frontline responders at higher risk. Even in communities that are served by private ambulance services, first responders and local officials have raised concerns about an outdated system of EMS care. 

Keeping the need to modernize in mind, the Senate took a significant step in the FY27 budget to update and strengthen EMS. The language in line item 8000-0600—backed by funding—directs the Healey Administration to take a big-picture look at how EMS is run and start creating a playbook to evaluate whether the services should be overseen by a new agency within EOPSS. This new agency could handle oversight, management, and day‑to‑day operations. 

The goal is simple: create a more modern, efficient, and sustainable EMS system that works better for patients, first responders, and communities across the Commonwealth. 

Statement of support from Foxborough Fire Department Chief Michael Kelleher:  

“Allocating resources to conduct a thorough, forward-looking analysis of our Commonwealth’s EMS system is a smart and necessary step toward ensuring long-term sustainability, better patient outcomes, and stronger public safety integration. The requirement to meaningfully engage stakeholders—including the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts, Professional Fire Fighters, and other key partners—along with public hearings across the state, shows a commitment to practical, real-world solutions rather than top-down mandates. This inclusive approach will help build a stronger, more unified emergency services system that is efficient, effective, and sustainable for the future. We stand ready to participate fully in this important work,” said Chief Kelleher.   

Wrong Way Driving Prevention 

During debate of the budget Senator Feeney rose to speak in support of an amendment adopted by the Senate that would direct MassDOT to upgrade our roads and highways to help prevent wrong way driving accidents.  

The Commonwealth recently lost State Trooper Kevin Trainor, who was struck and killed while heroically responding to a wrong-way driver on May 6, 2026. The Senate adjourned in memory of Trooper Trainor on Thursday and unanimously passed Amendment #872 on a 40-0 vote. This amendment was filed by Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and Senator Joan Lovely, who represent the communities where Trooper Trainor grew up, resided, and served.  

Sadly, the Bristol and Norfolk Senate region has also witnessed wrong way driving tragedies. In 2023, a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Somerset on Christmas night took the lives of 15-year-old Jacoby Arruda, a student at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, and his grandparents, Floriano and Donna Arruda.  

“This is not a magic wand,” Feeney said of the amendment. “But we can embrace technology and smart policy and listen to our partners in law enforcement and figure out a better way and be deliberate about making this less likely.”  

Additional Statewide Budget Highlights 

The budget makes historic investments in cities and towns through record levels of Chapter 70 school aid—which helps support the full range of school expenses from teachers to school supplies—and Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), which local leaders can use as flexible spending for everything from paving sidewalks to hiring police officers. 

The budget completes the Legislature’s promise to fully fund and implement the Student Opportunity Act with $7.66 billion in funding for local school districts—an increase of $297 million over last fiscal year—along with a record $160-per-pupil minimum for local school aid. It also boosts UGGA by $53 million, distributed through a new method based on population, while formally starting the process of reforming the UGGA distribution formula to be more equitable and move forward from an outdated system that has left some municipalities behind. 

The budget reconvenes the Foundation Budget Review Commission (FBRC) to examine the current K-12 funding formula and assess new ways to address rising costs in special education, student transportation, personnel, and educator health care. It also establishes a commission to study public school construction financing through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to ensure grant funding is allocated responsibly and equitably. 

On housing, the budget builds on last session’s Affordable Homes Act (AHA) with provisions to streamline local permitting, support development on nonconforming properties, provide reasonable timelines for projects to move forward under existing zoning rules, and modernize the variance standard — all aimed at meeting housing demand and driving down costs. 

The budget directs over $265 million toward anti-hunger, food security, and economic security—including $148 million for Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) caseworkers to maintain SNAP program integrity and comply with new federal requirements, $55 million for Emergency Food Assistance, and $29.7 million for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) supporting local farmers and healthy food access.  

Additional investments include improved safety standards at assisted living residences following the tragic Gabriel House fire in Fall River; expanded affordability in higher education through Senate-led programs like MassEducate; and full funding for jail diversion programs connecting individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders to appropriate treatment—improving lives and strengthening public safety. 

The budget also includes a consumer protection provision requiring companies to make canceling a subscription as easy as signing up, shielding residents from junk fees and hard-to-cancel recurring charges. 

During debate, Senators adopted amendments sending resources to programs and institutions that serve residents across Massachusetts, including funding for the Museum of African American History. 

Notably, the Senate adopted an amendment shielding children from sexual exploitation and abusive power dynamics by protecting children aged 16 and 17 from sexual interactions with people who are responsible for their care and oversight—mandated reporters such as teachers and coaches, police officers, social workers and Department of Children and Families (DCF) custodians. 

A detailed summary highlighting the many key components of the budget is available in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room.  

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