At the end of last week, the MA House and Senate agreed to a final version of the FY 2025 budget. There are a number of big wins (but some disappointments) in it.
What We’re Excited About:
- $170 million for universal school meals
- $117.5 million for tuition-free community college
- Major steps to deliver affordable, high-quality education and child care that will mean more stable funding for providers, better pay for educators, and more affordability for families
- Continued funding for fare-free transit in Regional Transit Authorities
- An access to counsel pilot program that will provide legal representation for low-income tenants
- Increased cash assistance for families, seniors, and people with disabilities in poverty
- Continued work to replace our state flag and seal
Click here to see how the full $1.3 Billion in new Fair Share revenue was allocated by the House and the Senate — new investments that you made possible by volunteering and voting for the Fair Share campaign in 2022.
What We’re Disappointed About:
- That only $10 million was provided for the implementation of free calls in prisons and jails (No Cost Calls), well below the $35 million allocated in the Governor’s budget and the House budget
- The exclusion of stronger reporting requirements for No Cost Calls implementation passed by the Senate
- The exclusion of a key voting reform to delink the municipal census from voter registration passed by the Senate
- The legalization of online lottery sales, which is an extremely regressive way of raising revenue
The budget now goes to the Governor to sign.
