BOSTON – Wednesday, October 15, 2025 – Today, Representative Mike Connolly joined his Cambridge and Somerville colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass a supplemental budget to address deficiencies, to make new necessary investments, and to close the books on Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). The legislation appropriates $2.25 billion in gross spending, at a net cost to the state of $750 million, representing a reduction of almost $200 million from the Governor’s original proposal.

H.4601, An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects, appropriates $10 million for Health Care for All to conduct a public awareness campaign, and to conduct health coverage enrollment assistance for communities at risk of losing health care coverage as a result of the new Medicaid reporting requirements that were put in place by President Trump and Congress through their recently enacted healthcare spending cut law. It invests $10 million for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and includes $5 million in grants to reproductive health care providers. It also invests $15 million for a new Sports and Entertainment Fund grant program, for which $10 million will be set aside for the events related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The bill passed today also includes a policy section which authorizes the Department of Public Health Commissioner to determine routine childhood immunizations and vaccination schedules, rather than relying on the recommendations of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

In addition to the appropriations, the bill also invests in the state’s future by depositing the remainder of the funds to an escrow account ($337. 7 million), to support pensions ($18.8 million), and to the Other Postemployment Benefits Trust Fund ($18.8 million).

Additionally the bill restructures existing assessments on Massachusetts hospitals used to fund the Health Safety Net and related hospital support trust funds. The changes modernize financial data used in the assessment, increase the amount hospitals contribute, and adjust how the resulting funds are distributed among hospitals.

The bill also addresses budget deficiencies, including:

• $1.67 billion in gross spending ($303 million net cost) for MassHealth
• $60.7 million for snow and ice removal
• $35 million for HomeBASE
• $14 million for the Section 35 program
• $12.5 million for no-cost calls
• $12 million for Universal School Meals
• $7.2 million for Department of Correction (DOC) Facilities operations
• $6.8 million for the Clean Water Trust Fund
• $3.5 million for State Police operations
• $700,000 for the Suffolk County District Attorney

The bill passed in the House of Representatives by a vote 141-14, and now goes to the Senate for its consideration.