The Mass Ready Act, a $3.1 billion environmental bond bill, was filed by the Healey-Driscoll administration on June 24th. The legislation proposes a new five-year capital plan and a series of policy initiatives aimed at improving climate resilience, protecting natural resources, and expanding access to open space.

5 Things to Know:

1. Senate members filed 1,058 amendments, 42 fewer than in FY 2025 and 9 more than in FY 2024.
2. The fiscal impact of all amendments is at least $2.09 billion.*
3. About 59% (624) of the amendments are earmarks.
4. Approximately 41% (434) of the amendments are outside policy sections, support programmatic funding increases, or introduce new line-item language.
5. Between FY 2023 – FY 2025, an average of $88 million in additional spending was added during Senate Debate.

MTF’s latest report, Examining Recent Trends in Rental Assistance & Emergency Assistance Shelter Spending, provides a detailed look at the evolving landscape of state-funded rental assistance programs and the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter system in Massachusetts. The report focuses on program utilization, interactions, and costs, and includes comprehensive descriptions, recent funding histories, and key cost indicators.

5 Things to Know:

As the work of the 194^th General Court gets underway, MTF is publishing its 2025 – 2026 Legislative Session Preview. The preview includes 101 primers on the Operating Budget and Capital Investment Plan development processes, as well as seven topic-specific policy briefs that cover a range of public finance and policy issues.