Senate Advances Fiscal Year 2025 Closeout Supplemental Budget
October 20, 2025(BOSTON—10/20/2025) The Massachusetts Senate’s Committee on Ways and Means voted today to advance a supplemental budget that responsibly closes the books on Fiscal Year 2025. The legislation also establishes fiscal controls for county sheriffs’ offices, shines transparency on the records of certain state institutions, and protects financial aid commitments for community college students.
The Senate voted during its session this morning to schedule the legislation for floor debate on Thursday, October 23 with amendments to be filed by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21.
The supplemental budget, S.2655, directs an investigation of county sheriffs’ Fiscal Year 2025 spending in response to an abnormally high spending deficit created by sheriffs’ offices. The bill also creates a Sheriff Fiscal Oversight Council to set financial metrics that ensure fiscal and operational integrity of sheriffs’ operations.
With the goal of restoring dignity to former patients of state-run institutions, the legislation opens up access—with appropriate safeguards—to old patient records from institutions for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities or mental health conditions.
The bill also sets up a reserve to keep financial aid opportunities fully funded for students of public colleges and universities. The Public Higher Education Student Support Fund would maintain stipends designed to support students, such as the MassEducate program’s stipend covering books and supplies, and other forms of financial aid.
Providing final accounting for Fiscal Year 2025 spending, the closeout supplemental budget features a total bottom line of $2.3 billion, which results in $795 million in net spending of state resources after accounting for revenue from federal reimbursements.
The underlying legislation was filed by the Governor on August 14, 2025. The House of Representatives passed a version of the bill on October 15, 2025.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means voted 16-0 on Monday to advance the redrafted legislation. All votes taken by the Committee on Ways and Means are publicly posted on the Legislature’s website.
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