What to Know
- The compromise annual budget would increase state spending about $3.3 billion, or 5.6% over the spending plan Gov. Maura Healey signed last summer.
- Health care, including MassHealth, and education remain some of the largest cost drivers.
- Healey gets 10 days to review any bill sent her way — Massachusetts will likely again fail to have an annual budget in effect by the July 1 start of the fiscal year.
The Massachusetts Legislature on Monday tossed the budget hot potato to Gov. Maura Healey, approving a $61 billion annual spending bill on the earliest date in nearly a decade as Congress hurtles toward major spending cuts that could force significant revisions to state plans.
A day before the start of fiscal year 2026, the House and Senate accepted a compromise annual budget that ramps up spending on health care, education, transportation and other key areas while reining in rental broker fees, codifying free bus trips at regional transit authorities and allowing the use of political campaign funds for adult care services.
The House voted 139-6 and the Senate voted 38-2 in favor of the budget. All eight votes against it came from Republicans: Reps. David DeCoste of Norwell, John Gaskey of Carver, Marc Lombardo of Billerica, Alyson Sullivan-Almeida of Abington, Ken Sweezey of Pembroke and Justin Thurber of Somerset, as well as Sens. Kelly Dooner of Taunton and Ryan Fattman of Sutton…