State Legislature Update

Gov. Healey Signs $60.9 Billion

Fiscal Year 2026 Budget into Law

On July 4^th, Governor Maura Healey signed the $60.9 billion FY26 budget into law, the Healey-Driscoll’s third budget since taking office.

The budget represents an approximate $3 billion dollar increase over FY25, but still came in almost $1 billion below what the Governor had filed in January for her House 1 proposal. Further, the Governor made nearly $130 million in line item vetoes from the FY26 Conference Committee proposal passed by the legislature.

The budget marks several important priority investments for the Administration. The budget continues to invest in childcare costs with $475 million for early education and care providers in “Commonwealth Cares for Children” grants. Additionally, the budget codifies on of Governor Healey’s major priorities for the year – banning renter paid broker’s fees. The budget also pulls on additional millionaires tax revenue to the tune of $2.4 billion.

In the Workforce Development space, many state-funded programs saw little change throughout the FY26 budget process, and programs continue to see reductions in funding as the Commonwealth continues to cool off from significant federal investments throughout the pandemic and federal ARPA appropriations that saw historic investments into workforce programs.

There are still macro-level concerns from appropriators and advocates alike that cuts to state funded programs may come later in the year due to potential downticks in state revenue. The Governor has the authority to unilaterally cut programs through what is called “9C” cuts later in the fiscal year if revenues are not meeting projections.

Below see final numbers for various workforce programs codified in FY26.

MassHire Career Centers (local centers) 7003-0803

$8,171,084

Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund (WCTF) 1595-1075

$8,000,000

Re-Entry Demonstration 7003-0150

$2,475,000

YouthWorks/Summer Jobs 7002-0012

$15,240,000

Career Technical Institutes 7002-1091

$8,985,600

Registered Apprenticeship Expansion 7003-0151

$3,315,140

Employment Program for Young Adults with Disabilities 7003-0607

$1,000,000

Department of Economic Research 7003-0105

$782,581

School-to-Career Connecting Activities 7027-0019

$6,531,266

Increasing Access to Career & Technical Education 7035-0001

$3,118,500

Exec. Office of Labor & Exec. Office of Education Announce $10 million investment in Workforce English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Following the passage of a millionaires tax supplement budget in June by the legislature and Gov. Healey, $10 million will be invested to expand ESOL services for workforce training programs.

The Administration anticipates this additional funding to provide access to workforce training to an additional 3,000 to 3,500 residents and help to further reduce a stressed ESOL waitlist. Further, the move marks a significant shift, as advocates across the workforce spectrum have been pushing to provide more ESOL services that focus on workforce and preparing learners to be job-ready. The investment comes at a time when Federal appropriations from the Dept. of Education and Dept. of Labor are being withheld from states by the Trump Administration.

Commonwealth Caregiver Coalition calls for Nominations for “Caregiver Champion Awards”



The Commonwealth Caregiver Coalition is a team of employers, advocates, and government partners working to recognize, support and build creative solutions to allow family caregivers to thrive in the workplace while also caring for family at home.

As part of this initiative, the Coalition is calling for nominations for the Caregiver Champion Awards – which will celebrate and recognize people who demonstrate exceptional commitment to supporting family caregivers in the workplace.

The awards will be presented at an in-person event at the Massachusetts State House later this year in November.

The three categories are:

• The Employer Excellence Champion: Recognizes employers that have instituted comprehensive policies and programs to support employee caregivers in the workplace.

• The Policy Trailblazer Champion: Honors policymakers who champion caregiver-friendly workplace practices, funding, and legislation.

• The Advocacy All-Star Champion: Celebrates labor leaders, workers, and advocates who champion caregiver support initiatives within their organizations or industry.

For more information, or to nominate, please follow the link here: Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition Champion Awards | Mass.gov