The budget Conference Committee released their version of the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) state budget on June 29, 2025, and it was approved by both the House and Senate the following day. This is the penultimate step in the state budget process: it now goes to the Governor for her signature. For context, you can see our analysis of the House budget here and the Senate budget here. These are the versions of FY26 funding that were negotiated by the Conference Committee.
This was a challenging budget year. While we had successes, advocacy work will remain critical as the state grapples with the current federal landscape.
We are pleased to report that all The Arc’s latest amendment priorities were included in the Conference Committee’s version of the budget:
- $150,000 for Operation House Call, to allow OHC to continue to train the next generation of medical providers to care for individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
- $75,000 to fund training for mobile crisis first responders, to continue to gain tools to appropriately and effectively respond to individuals with autism and IDD in the community. This amendment came directly from our Government Affairs Committee.
- $31 million to continue operations at Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children while work continues to analyze the hospital’s future. The Arc’s CEO Maura Sullivan is currently serving on a working group focusing Pappas
- $5 million for the Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative (MAICEI), ensuring access to higher education for students with IDD and autism. The Arc led the bill that established MAICEI and has consistently pushed for adequate funding.
We are incredibly grateful to Conference Committee members Senator Michael Rodrigues, Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Senator Patrick O’Connor, and Representative Todd Smola for including these important priorities. Particularly given the current federal landscape and uncertainty, this is a significant show of support to the IDD community.
The Conference Committee also had to negotiate slight differences in several key line items, as you can see here. Notably, the budget includes:
- $2.019 billion for Community Residential services
- $287 million for Community Day and Work programs
- $7.9 million for the Autism Waiver for Children
- $77.9 million for Autism Omnibus
- $110 million for Turning 22 services
- Full funding ($10.5 million) for the DESE/DDS Residential Placement Prevention program, funding which The Arc helped to restore during this budget debate
- $207 million for the Chapter 257 rate reserve, which funds human service worker salaries
- This funding, which is consistent with the 53rd percentile of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is insufficient to solve the ongoing human services workforce crisis. We are continuing to advocate for rates consistent with the 75th percentile, which would raise wages over time.
Especially in this challenging fiscal year, partly due to ongoing federal uncertainty and looming cuts, we are grateful that funding for these line items stayed relatively consistent. While increases are needed to meet growing needs, increasing complexity, and to finally make progress on the workforce crisis, this year’s budget takes a solid step forward. We are also grateful to the over 2,000 people in our community who advocated for these priorities in the budget.
The Conference Committee version of the budget now goes to the Governor. She has 10 days to review it and can veto or reduce specific line items or offer amendments for consideration by the legislature. We will continue to monitor the budget and report on any changes before it is signed and finalized as the “General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026.” We will also continue to advocate to the legislature and Governor as the state braces for looming Medicaid cuts and the impacts that will follow.
