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Bill

S 3054

Amendment S.3054

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

Funds bolster public safety, health, education, housing, transport, and higher ed with targeted investments in tutoring, mental health, special ed, and rail modernization.

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Bill Summary · S 3054

Summary of Bill S.3054 (Massachusetts, 194th General Court)

Note: This summary covers the Senate amendment to House Bill No. 3054 related to appropriations for FY2026 with additions through FY2027.

Purpose and overall intent

  • The bill provides supplemental appropriations to various existing programs and new initiatives for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, with funding available through June 30, 2027.
  • The appropriations come from the General Fund or the Transitional Escrow Fund, and are intended to reinforce or alter funding levels established in prior appropriation acts.
  • Aims include strengthening public safety, health, education, housing, transportation, and higher education, with a focus on addressing anticipated needs and mitigating disruptions.

Key provisions and funding highlights

Judiciary

  • Board of Bar Examiners: $211,857
  • Indigent Persons Fees and Court Costs (Committee for Public Counsel Services): $12,300,000

Comptroller

  • Settlements and Judgments: $25,000,000

Health and Human Services

  • Office of Refugees and Immigrants — Immigration Legal Assistance Fund: $1,000,000
  • Department of Transitional Assistance — DTA Caseworkers: $41,651,558
  • Department of Public Health — WIC Program Manufacturer Rebates Retained Revenue: $600,000

Public Safety

  • Department of Correction — Facility Operations: $31,009,996

Education

  • Office of the Secretary (Education Innovation and Capital Fund): various “Education and Transportation Innovation and Capital Fund” allocations totaling significant sums for program investments
  • Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) — numerous targeted items:
    • Mental health supports and wraparound services: $2,500,000
    • Adult Basic Education and Workforce Readiness: $5,000,000
    • High Dosage Tutoring: $25,000,000
    • Special Education Circuit Breaker: $32,000,000
    • Rural School Aid: $4,000,000
    • Local one-time education projects (with numerous district-specific allocations)
    • A large, detailed roster of capital and programming investments across hundreds of school districts and programs (e.g., classroom technology, safety upgrades, heating/cooling, athletic facilities, translation services, mental health initiatives, bridges to college/career readiness, and more)
  • DESE grant program to support cell phone-free public schools: $1,000,000
  • Special Education instructional and transportation reimbursements (funding reserve): $200,000,000 (to be used in specific repayment/transfer arrangements in 2027)
  • Regionalization and shared services grants for school districts: $25,000,000
  • Rural school aid: $4,000,000
  • Rural/Regionalization emphasis remains a major theme to optimize efficiency and resource allocation

Higher Education

  • Bridge funding reserve for higher education institutions to address federal funding uncertainty and to support research/talent retention: $100,000,000
  • Higher Education-related reserves for student financial aid and public institutions (in connection with ongoing research and collaboration efforts)
  • UMass pilot family medicine scholarship program: $10,000,000 (requires graduates to practice family medicine in MA for at least 5 years)

Transportation

  • MassDOT and MBTA rail infrastructure projects:
    • Focus on electrification, regional rail vision, and modernization
    • At least $1,000,000 to MBTA for regional rail vision/report by July 1, 2028
    • Comprehensive regional rail planning including ridership, costs, regulatory master plan, and power grid impact assessments

Who is affected

  • Public colleges and universities, K-12 public school districts, and regional school districts (through capital investments, staffing, and program funding)
  • Students and families (via higher-education bridge funding, scholarships, and financial aid programs)
  • School districts and municipalities receiving targeted one-time investments for facilities, technology, safety, and program expansion
  • MBTA/Regional rail stakeholders and commuters through infrastructure modernization and electrification efforts
  • Public safety and legal services (courts, indigent defense, and facility operations)
  • Health services and immigrant/refugee support programs

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Funding is authorized for FY2026 and remains available through FY2027 (and in some sections through FY2029 for certain items).
  • Several items require periodic reporting and compliance with Article CXXI amendments and other constitutional/public-fund constraints.
  • For higher education bridge funding and research support, agency coordination with Education, Labor & Workforce Development, and Economic Development offices is specified.

This amendment largely expands targeted investments in education (especially tutoring, mental health, and special education), strengthens higher education resilience, accelerates regionalized school services, and advances a significant rail modernization and electrification agenda.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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