Through the recently signed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Senator Sal DiDomenico secured $650,000 for community organizations in the district and over $1 million for critical statewide programs that support those with ALS and organizations addressing gang and youth violence. Additionally, dozens of DiDomenico’s statewide priorities that he fought for, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, were also included in this year’s budget.
Without raising taxes on Massachusetts residents, this budget 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.
“This budget is a victory for people of all walks of life and income levels in my district and throughout the Commonwealth,” said Sal N. DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. “I am proud to bring millions of dollars to local and statewide organizations that provide vital services for residents across the communities I represent. These investments will help people put nutritious food on the table, expand access to essential government services, and support local projects that will improve lives and ensure all our children can build the bright futures they deserve.”
Senator DiDomenico’s local amendments totaling $650,000 will support:
• Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc.
• The Everett Haitian Community Center – EHCC
• John F. Kennedy Family Service Center, Inc.
• East End House
• Chelsea Black Community – CBC
• Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts
• Boston Housing Authority
• Just A Start’s Biotechnology Careers Program
• La Comunidad
• Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House
• Girls on the Run Greater Boston
• Eliot Family Resource Center
• Harvest on Vine
• Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee
• Transition House
• Special Townies
• Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition
• Courageous Sailing Center
• La Vida Scholars
• Everett Community Growers
• Art Lab Everett
• The Loop Lab
• East Cambridge Business Association
Senator DiDomenico’s statewide amendments totaling over $1,000,000 will support:
Community Safety: Senator DiDomenico secured $500,000 in funding for the Shannon Community Safety Initiative to 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. DiDomenico has been funding this program in the budget for many years.
ALS Home Care Services: The Senator directed $250,000 in the Senate Budget for the ALS Association of Massachusetts to provide home care services and essential equipment to patients living with ALS. During his speech on the Senate floor, DiDomenico spoke about his mom’s courageous battle with ALS and her enduring love for her family. “My Mom was the kindest, most selfless and most compassionate person I have ever known,” said DiDomenico. “We are hoping that one day there will be a cure, but until that happens the ALS Association continues to provide life-changing services and equipment that ensures individuals with ALS live with dignity and receive the support and care they deserve.”
Career Pathways for Life Sciences: DiDomenico brought in $250,000 for MassBioEd’s programming that will increase career pathways for the life sciences sector in his district and across the state. As Chair of the Life Sciences Caucus, it’s a priority of the Senator’s to ensure our life sciences sector is thriving, and importantly, that it is creating a pipeline for a diverse workforce filled with talented individuals from all our state’s many communities.
Supporting Nurses in Massachusetts: Senator DiDomenico secured $190,000 for Bunker Hill Community College’s Boston Welcome Back Center. This innovative program ensures nurses trained in other places can get trained to become registered nurses here in Massachusetts. This is critical to ensuring our healthcare has all the trained professionals it needs to support patients across the Commonwealth.
Senator DiDomenico’s statewide priorities included in this year’s budget:
Food and Economic Security
One of DiDomenico’s biggest priorities are anti-hunger, food insecurity, and economic security policies. Thanks to the Senator’s tireless advocacy, the budget 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.
Education
DiDomenico has been a long-time champion for increasing school funding and this year’s budget 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 budget 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
DiDomenico has always been a staunch advocate for investing in public transportation systems throughout the district and the state, and this budget 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 budget 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 budget 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.
Protecting Vulnerable
Residents
The budget 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 budget 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 budget 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.