Press Room

(BOSTON—5/22/2026) Across multiple days of debate on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the Massachusetts Senate adopted amendments that boost funding for mental health support for students, civics and language classes for immigrants pursuing U.S. citizenship, and a new program to promote safe and healthy social media use by schoolchildren.

Senators also voted to add key policy provisions to the budget to help prevent deadly wrong-way driving, protect vulnerable children from sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority, and kickstart the process to fundamentally rethink how local aid dollars are distributed to cities and towns in an equitable way.

Summaries of notable amendments adopted by the Senate this week are below. Further details of the Senate’s FY2027 budget bill are available in a fact sheet in the Senate press room.

Museum of African American History — Amendment 30

Appropriates $1 million to help the Museum of African American History continue its work in the face of the Trump administration’s pressure to sanitize the way in which American history is told and recorded. The museum, with two campuses and its Black Heritage Trails, is committed to “connecting colonial and early African American history & culture in Boston and the larger New England area with the abolition of slavery and current explorations of race and the struggle for human rights.”

Massachusetts Downtown Initiative — Amendment 134

Promotes small businesses, lifts up local main streets, and invests in vibrant town centers by adding $600,000 in funding for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant program. MDI grants help municipalities to revamp downtowns into places that residents are excited to visit for shopping and recreation. Grants support the creation of local downtown improvement plans, implementation of streetscape and signage upgrades, and improvements to public facilities and gathering spaces.

Candidate Safety — Amendment 248

Addresses recent tragic and high-profile incidents of targeted violence against public officials in their own homes by removing candidates’ personal home addresses from ballots. Candidates’ addresses would still be accessible to members of the public for purposes such as verifying or challenging candidates’ residency.

State Parks and Recreation Operations — Amendment 315

Strengthens recreational spaces and natural preservation across Massachusetts by boosting the line item for Department of Conservation and Recreation park operations by $1 million.  DCR is responsible for stewarding nearly half a million acres of land.

Elder Nutrition — Amendment 412

Makes a meaningful investment in senior wellbeing with $500,000 to support elder nutrition programs such as Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels delivers fresh, hot meals to homebound seniors.

Roca Young Mothers Experiencing Acute Trauma Program — Amendment 415

Supports victims of abuse with $1.25 million for Roca Inc.’s groundbreaking programming for young mothers who have experienced acute trauma. Roca offers a “nationally recognized, four-year behavioral health intervention model” to give young mothers “skills they need in order to choose to live and set their children up for success.”

MCPAP for Schools — Amendment 426

Devotes $500,000 to support school-based mental health services through the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program.  Building on successful pilot programs in Agawam and Somerville, this funding will help MCPAP develop and implement behavioral health consultation services for K-12 students and school personnel across the state.

Endometriosis Task Force — Amendment 530

Advances support for women living with endometriosis, a consistently misdiagnosed or hard-to-diagnose condition that affects one in 10 women. A task force would be responsible for researching and summarizing the advances in treatment, diagnoses, access to care, and available support services, along with developing a comprehensive plan to improve health outcomes for people with endometriosis.

Healthy Social Media Use — Amendment 612

Jump-starts the effort to tackle young people’s addictive social media usage through school-based educational programs. Appropriates $2 million for a new grant program to support programs in local school districts that teach kids how to have safe, responsible, and healthy social media usage.

Head Start State Supplemental — Amendment 635

Continues the Senate’s long-standing support for early education by boosting grant funding to support Head Start programs in the midst of federal funding challenges. Raises the line item for Head Start grants by $1.5 million, for a total of $21.5 million.

Hunger-Free Campus Initiative — Amendment 702

Sustains the Hunger-Free Campus pilot program with $500,000 to tackle food insecurity at colleges and universities in Massachusetts that are primarily attended by historically-underrepresented groups.

DESE/DDS Residential Placement Prevention Program — Amendment 710

Assists students aged 6-21 who receive special education services with wraparound support through the Residential Prevention Program, which promotes skill building, independence, and social integration at the student’s home, in school, and in the community. Increases dedicated funding for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education/Department of Developmental Services wraparound services by $1.2 million, for a total of $11.7 million.

FRESH Grants — Amendment 810

Invests in children’s nutrition and boosts the agricultural industry with $750,000 for the Farm to School FRESH Grant program, which encourages the use of healthy, locally-grown produce in school meals. Appropriates an additional $150,000 for school wellness coaching and $100,000 to develop food literacy curricula for use in schools.

Learnfare — Amendment 815

Repeals an arbitrary and ineffective law that puts families at risk of losing crucial state assistance based on their children’s school attendance. The outdated ‘Learnfare’ law cuts off Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) to families if their dependent children have too many unexcused absences from school. This punitive law has proven to harm families and have uncertain or minor effects on attendance.

Sexual Assaults by Adults in Positions of Authority or Trust — Amendment 841

Safeguards 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, and social workers and Department of Children and Families custodians.

Wrong Way Driving — Amendment 872

Addresses the all-too-common occurrence of wrong-way driving on highways, which has resulted in tragedies such as the recent line-of-duty death of Trooper Kevin Trainor, by requiring new infrastructure and training to prevent and mitigate the damage from wrong-way driving. MassDOT would be responsible for new protocols that include directional striping on access ramps, signage, and lane delineators. New detection systems would activate multi-sensory warning devices to alert wrong-way drivers and notify public safety agencies in real time about wrong-way driving incidents. MassDOT would also be responsible for implementing messaging systems to alert motorists to the threat of an active wrong-way driver. To specifically ensure the safety of police officers such as Trooper Trainor, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security would implement new training for all police officers in Massachusetts on how to deal with incidents of wrong-way driving.

Citizenship for New Americans Program — Amendment 905

Supports immigrants and refugees on the pathway to U.S. citizenship by increasing funding for the Citizenship for New Americans Program by $250,000. CNAP helps legal permanent residents who are pursuing naturalization by providing civics classes, citizenship application assistance, English language classes, interview preparation, and other supportive services.

Firefighter Health and Wellness — Amendment 908

Prioritizes the health and safety of firefighters by adding $250,000 for a municipal grant program to fund firefighter cancer screenings, including advanced blood testing and imaging.

Nonprofit Security Personnel Grants — Amendment 945

Increases funding for security grants to help protect nonprofit organizations at high risk of being targeted for terrorist attacks or hate crimes, including protection from hateful acts based on bigotry around religion, race, or gender. Boosts funding for security personnel by $450,000 for a total of $750,000 specifically for personnel-related grants, and a total of $5,450,000 in funding for the entire program.

Shannon Grants — Amendment 967

Helps prevent gang and youth violence by boosting funding for the Shannon Community Safety Initiative by $500,000. Shannon Grants address gang and youth violence through strategies like social intervention, suppression, and community mobilization. The program, now in its 20th year, currently serves thousands of youth every year and funds anti-gang violence initiatives in 25 communities across Massachusetts.

Special Commission to Study the Adequacy, Reliability, and Distribution of Unrestricted General Government Aid — Amendment 1035

Moves forward to implement long-needed reforms to the system the state uses to distribute local aid dollars to municipalities. Amid heightening budget crunches at town and city halls, this amendment convenes a commission to report back to the Legislature with a concrete plan to implement a modern formula for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) distribution that better reflects modern economic realities, current demographics, and local communities’ service needs.

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