Press Release: 5/1/2026
House Passes $63.4B Budget, Rejects Tax Relief & Reforms
The Massachusetts House has passed its FY2027 state budget, approving a $63.4 billion spending plan on a 149–9 vote after adding $81 million in earmarks during debate.
This comes even as legislative leaders warned that the state is heading into a “very difficult fiscal year” and a challenging economic environment. Despite those concerns, the final product reflects a familiar pattern: higher spending with no effort to change course or provide relief. In fact, more reliance on one-time budgetary maneuvers was built into this budget as yet a further move to brush much needed reform under the rug.
During debate, Republican lawmakers offered a series of amendments aimed at addressing affordability, making meaningful reforms and prioritizing core government responsibilities. Proposals to lower the income tax, implement voter ID requirements as well as requirements for certain state funded benefits, and redirect certain spending toward municipalities were all rejected by the House majority.
At the same time, pressure on cities and towns continues to grow. Local officials are dealing with rising costs while state aid has egregiously failed to keep pace with the overall growth in the budget. More communities are being pushed toward Proposition 2½ overrides, often unsuccessfully, forcing difficult decisions on schools, public safety, and basic services. House leaders shot down all attempts to address this concern during the course of the debate.
We also saw clear examples of spending priorities that raised concerns. Funding for taxpayer funded lawyers for illegal migrants increased from $5 million to $7 million in just one year when the program was started, while efforts to provide tax relief to working families were dismissed as unaffordable.
MassFiscal tracked several key moments throughout the week:
Citizenship Requirement for Benefits
Rep. Ken Sweeney filed an amendment to require U.S. citizenship for HomeBASE benefits.
Income Tax Reduction Debate
Rep. Marc Lombardo pushed for lowering the income tax to 4%, highlighting the need for relief due to the burden on working families.
“Tell that to the working families struggling to pay their bills.”
Watch his floor speech here.
Standing for Taxpayers
Rep. Nick Boldyga followed through on his commitment to bring substantive debate to the House floor, advocating for Voter ID and properly funding our local cities and towns.
We also published the roll call votes on several key amendments, including efforts to redirect funding from the free prison phone call program to local aid, voter ID requirements, and final passage of the budget.
Final Roll Call Vote on the Overall Budget.
MassFiscal would like to thank the nine legislators who voted NO on the final budget.
At a time of record spending and increasing strain on taxpayers, they stood for fiscal responsibility, accountability, and a renewed focus on the core responsibilities of government.
The process now moves to the Senate, where they will release their own version and debate in the coming weeks before a final compromise is reached.
As always we will continue to follow closely and be sure keep you informed. Afterall, Democracy dies in darkness…