An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects.

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

Emergency supplemental: adds $240,000,000 from the General Fund to cover GIC group health premiums and plan costs for FY2025, available through June 30, 2025.

Signed by the Governor, Chapter 3 of the Acts of 2025

Overview

Bill: House No. 4100

Title: An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects

Status: Signed by the Governor on May 15, 2025; Chapter 3 of the Acts of 2025

Introduced: May 12, 2025

Purpose (full intent): Immediate supplemental appropriations for FY2025 to supplement existing appropriations and to fund certain activities and projects, with an emphasis on emergency needs that require immediate public funding.

Key Provisions

Funding source: General Fund

Primary purpose of new appropriation: To cover Group Insurance Premiums and Plan Costs administered by the Group Insurance Commission (GIC).

Specific appropriation (Section 2, 1 of 2):

Account: 1108-5200
Program: Group Insurance Premium and Plan Costs
Amount: $240,000,000 (two hundred forty million dollars)

Availability period: The appropriated sums are available through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and are in addition to amounts previously appropriated for the same items.

Related language: The act is designed as an emergency law (immediate effectiveness) to ensure timely implementation of the supplemental funds.

Legislative and Procedural History

Committee action: Reported by the House Ways and Means Committee; recommended that House No. 4100 ought to pass.

Rules and readings: Passed through the standard legislative process (second reading, third reading, engrossment) with emergency preamble adopted.

Enactment timeline:

Read and passed in the House on May 12, 2025, with rules suspended
Emergency preamble adopted on May 15, 2025
Enacted and signed into law by the Governor on May 15, 2025
Recorded as Chapter 3 of the Acts of 2025

Impact and Who Is Affected

Who is affected? State government operations related to employee and retiree health and related benefits administered under the Group Insurance Commission. This includes active state employees, retirees, and other participants covered by GIC plans in Massachusetts.

What changes? Provides a significant, one-time infusion of funds to cover Group Insurance Premiums and plan costs. The bill does not specify changes to benefits or premium formulations; rather, it ensures adequate funding to meet existing premium and plan obligations for FY2025.

Fiscal impact: Adds $240 million to the General Fund for GIC premiums and plan costs for the remainder of FY2025, supplementing prior appropriations.

Timing and Context

This act serves as an emergency supplemental appropriation to address immediate budgetary needs for group health benefits and related plan costs within the 2025 fiscal year, ensuring continued operation of state employee and retiree health programs through June 30, 2025.

If you’d like, I can add a quick comparison to the base FY2025 General Appropriation Act or provide context on how GIC funding typically sits within Massachusetts’ annual budget.

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