Press Release: 4/15/2026
Governor Healey Proposes Social Media Protections for Teens, Ending Sunday Hunting Ban and Winter Weather Relief for Cities and Towns
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
4/14/2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Jacqueline Manning, Press Secretary
Phone
Call Jacqueline Manning, Press Secretary at (617) 725-4025
Online
Email Jacqueline Manning, Press Secretary at jacqui.manning@mass.gov
BOSTON — Today, Governor Maura Healey filed a supplemental budget that strengthens protections for teenagers on social media, eliminates the ban on Sunday hunting and takes other steps to expand hunting access, and supports the state and municipalities’ response to extreme winter weather.
“This past winter, when Massachusetts saw some of the harshest weather we’ve had in years, our first responders, transportation officials, and municipal leaders rose to the occasion to keep our communities safe,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re making sure that state agencies and our cities and towns have the resources they need to cover their costs, balance their budgets and continue delivering for our residents. I’m also taking action to protect teenagers from exploitative and addictive social media features and remove outdated hunting restrictions.”
“This legislation includes common-sense measures that support cities and towns with more financial flexibility,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This is a responsible proposal that protects taxpayer dollars while avoiding disruptions to the essential services the people of Massachusetts deserve.”
“With less than three months left in the current fiscal year, our administration is focused on disciplined management of the state’s finances to ensure we can sustain the high-quality services Massachusetts residents rely on,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “This bill allocates funding for essential state operations, including public safety measures and snow and ice removal. I appreciate the Legislature’s attention on this bill and our ongoing collaboration in maintaining a balanced state budget.”
The Governor's bill proposes $227.3 million for critical and time sensitive spending needs, and uses excess unbudgeted revenues from the voter-approved Fair Share surtax to cover $159.8 million in costs incurred by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to remove snow and ice from Massachusetts’ streets during this historic winter. The bill also accounts for necessary personnel and safety response expenditures this past winter by including $9.5 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and $1.7 million in activation costs for the Massachusetts National Guard. A policy section in the legislation increases financial flexibility for Massachusetts cities and towns by allowing municipalities to spread payments for snow and ice removal costs over three years rather than paying in one year.
In this bill, Governor Healey is also following through on her commitment to modernize Massachusetts’ outdated hunting laws, including allowing hunting on Sundays, expanding hunting with crossbows, and reducing setback distances for bowhunting and falconry.
This bill also makes changes to the offshore wind tax credit program to kickstart the first phase of construction at the Salem port. The port will be constructed for offshore wind and will support multi-use marine terminal business opportunities, helping support union construction jobs, increased energy supply, and diverse economic development opportunities.
Governor Healey is also unlocking new opportunities for small and diverse businesses by raising select construction and procurement thresholds under public construction laws to better align with inflation and increased construction costs. These changes will ease barriers for businesses to bid for and deliver public construction projects. These threshold increases align with recommendations from Governor Healey's Public Construction Projects Advisory Council.
The bill also includes changes to the state’s family shelter system to ensure that it continues to serve Massachusetts families in need, while continuing to lower taxpayer costs. Governor Healey reformed the Right to Shelter law for the first time in state history — requiring proof of Massachusetts residency and lawful immigration status and implementing length of stay limits and criminal background checks. None of those safeguards existed when she took office. As a result, caseload is lower than when she took office and costs are down by hundreds of millions of dollars. Additionally, more than 90 percent of families in the shelter system are now long-time Massachusetts residents. The changes include adjusting the six-month length-of-stay policy in the emergency shelter system to a nine-month length of stay and increasing the emergency assistance income threshold to 120 percent of federal poverty guidelines to better reflect cost-of-living pressures and align with similar programs.
Another policy section in this bill will help expedite housing development in Massachusetts by allowing pre-construction condominium buyer deposits to be used for construction costs and development. Typically, deposits are held in escrow until later in the process, so this change will allow the funds to be accessed sooner to pay for materials, hire construction workers or cover other building costs to keep the project moving.
Governor Healey is also proposing updating birth and marriage certificates by removing the term “out of wedlock” to modernize language and remove stigma. Governor Healey’s bill would also make more veterans in Massachusetts eligible for bonuses. Under these changes, any veteran who lived in Massachusetts at the time of their application would be eligible for their bonus.
This bill also includes necessary appropriations for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, Department of Correction, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Massachusetts State Police, District Attorneys and the Chief Medical Examiner.