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On Sunday, June 29th, the Conference Committee released their proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. This comes after the House and Senate approved their budget proposals earlier this year. The Conference proposal outlines a plan to spend over $61 billion for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. However, because the governor has 10 days to respond, the House and Senate will have to simultaneously approve an interim budget as they vote on the Conference proposal.
“The Fair Share surtax continues to prove that when those earning the most pay their fair share of taxes, everyone is better off. In the FY 2026 Conference proposal, the surtax is used to build upon successes while maintaining funding for current education and transportation initiatives. We are grateful to the Conference Committee for utilizing the surtax to its full capacity by infusing hundreds of millions of additional surtax dollars into their proposal.
Thanks to the Fair Share surtax, the Conference Committee was able to propose expansions to successful programs like free fares for all Regional Transit Authority buses and new dollars to provide approximately 600 additional children with access to affordable child care while also sustaining vital surtax investments in child care grants for providers to support families with low-incomes, continuing free community college, free school meals, and more. These are long-term investments that address significant basic needs of low-and middle-income residents, benefiting the state as a whole. Fair Share is helping us to develop a strong workforce and vibrant communities where people can afford to live and work.
We are pleased to see the Conference Committee take steps to better protect tenants by banning the practice of requiring tenants to pay broker fees when renting a home. However, we were disappointed to see lower funding amounts for some core housing safety net programs. With current housing costs at an all time high, restrictions on access to family shelter, and expected cuts to federal housing assistance, now is the time for the state to double down on programs that work to house families.
Through the Fair Share Amendment, voters provided the state with additional resources to make needed investments in public education and transportation. As I issue this statement, the United States Senate debates a budget reconciliation bill that will make unprecedented cuts to human service programs that will hurt our most vulnerable residents. In the Commonwealth, we need to push forward progressive revenue proposals to mitigate the harm. Unlike what we are seeing at the federal level, where they are taking from the poor to give to the rich, we can ask wealthy corporations to pay their fair share in Massachusetts. By accounting for more of the profits that billionaire corporations currently shift to offshore tax havens, we could generate over $400M annually in new revenue to do just that. We must put low-and middle-income families first.”
– Viviana M. Abreu-Hernández, PhD
President, MassBudget
