The Massachusetts Senate is well aware of the unpredictable policies coming out of Washington and are doing their level best to plan accordingly, according to the upper chamber’s leading lawmaker.
Senate President Karen Spilka, during an address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Government Affairs Forum on Wednesday, said that lawmakers will include no new taxes in the fiscal 2026 spending plan and not because there aren’t issues the state needs to address, but because of uncertainty coming out of Washington D.C.
“As you know, things are different this year. No state — not even one as strong and resilient as Massachusetts — can fill the massive budget gaps that could arise if federal dollars are stripped away. If the federal government pulls back its support, it will put serious pressure on our budget, our families, our communities, and our businesses,” she said.
“That’s why it’s so important that we work together to advocate fiercely, plan wisely, and protect the progress we have made,” she added.
The Senate version of the state budget released earlier this week, Spilka said, was offered with that “federal landscape in mind” and attempts to “hold the line” for taxpayers “headed into uncertain economic waters.”
The Senate will prioritize public education and solving the state’s ongoing housing crisis, the Ashland lawmaker said, but Spilka also cautioned business leaders in attendance on Wednesday that the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy spoke to the Consul General of Canada last week, who confirmed the price of Canadian-produced lumber, steel, and other building materials “will indeed go up.”
“We cannot control that, but we do have a responsibility to work together again this session to increase housing production and bring down costs,” she said.
Senate budget writers rolled out a $61 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2026 on Tuesday that increases spending by 6.3% over last year’s state budget and rejects a series of tax increases found in Gov. Maura Healey’s January offering. The Senate bill is $100 million lower than the budget the House passed last week and $647 million lower than the governor’s spending plan.
The upper chamber’s budget writers indicated they are still grappling with uncertainty caused by federal funding cuts, efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, and a potential slash to federal spending on Medicaid. Senate budget chief Michael Rodrigues said lawmakers are putting forward a spending bill “based on the facts that we know today.”
“Everyone I know is concerned about what might change in D.C. over the next few months,” the Westport Democrat said. “We hear a lot of rumors, we hear a lot of threats, we hear proposals, then retractions from proposals. We will move forward and adjust going forward when we know the facts.”
Spilka said the Senate budget invests $1 billion in “housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelter services, public housing, and homelessness assistance programs,” and would require real estate broker’s fees to be paid by the person hiring the broker “ensuring that renters are not unfairly burdened with unexpected and extraordinary costs.”
The budget offering would use Fair Share Amendment funds to add an “additional $150 minimum in per pupil” in aid for schools and send $820 million to the MBTA.
The spending plan also includes a proposal to ban the possession of cell phones by students in the classroom.
“It’s an idea that has broad bi-partisan support, and at least 18 states have laws limiting cell phone usage,” she said. “Our schools should be a truly safe space where kids can grow, learn, make mistakes, and develop healthy relationships, and so making schools cell phone free should be as fundamental to our understanding of what helps a child learn as providing school meals and access to social and emotional learning resources.”