S 2655

SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2655
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
  SENATE, October 20, 2025.
 The committee on Senate Ways and Means to whom was referred the House Bill making
appropriations for the fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing
appropriations and for certain other activities and projects (House, No. 4615); reports,
recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment striking out all after the enacting
clause and inserting in place thereof the text of Senate document numbered 2655. (Direct
Appropriations: $2,302,196,732.00 -- This legislation makes $2,302,196,732 in direct fiscal year
2025 appropriations, with a net cost to the Commonwealth of $795,714,639 after federal
financial participation.)
  For the committee,
  Michael J. Rodrigues
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2655
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
1SECTION 1. To provide for supplementing certain items in the general appropriation act
2 and other appropriation acts for fiscal year 2025, the sums set forth in section 2 are hereby
3 appropriated from the General Fund or the Transitional Escrow Fund established in section 16 of
4 chapter 76 of the acts of 2021, as amended by section 4 of chapter 98 of the acts of 2022, unless
5 specifically designated otherwise in this act or in those appropriation acts, for the several
6 purposes and subject to the conditions specified in this act or in those appropriation acts, and
7 subject to the laws regulating the disbursement of public funds for the fiscal year ending June 30,
8 2025. These sums shall be in addition to any amounts previously appropriated and made
9 available for the purposes of those items. These sums shall be made available through the fiscal
10 year ending June 30, 2026.
11SECTION 2.
12DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
13Suffolk District Attorney's Office
140340-0100       Suffolk District Attorney..............................$700,000
15District Attorneys’ Association
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16 0340-8908      District Attorneys’ Wide Area Network....................$90,663
17 EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
18 1595-6153      Communications Access Trust Fund Transfer....................$12,500,000
19 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION
20 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
21 1596-2422      School Meals..............................$12,000,000
22 Education and Transportation Fund…100%
23 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
24 Office of the Secretary
25 1599-0093      Clean Water Trust Contract Assistance....................$6,779,246
26 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
27 Office of the Secretary
28 4000-0700      MassHealth Fee for Service Payments....................$2,046,164,359
29 Department of Public Health
30 4590-0915      Public Health Hospitals....................$18,500,000
31 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
32 Department of State Police
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338100-1001       Department of State Police..............................$3,500,255
34Department of Correction
358900-0001       Department of Correction Facility Operations....................$7,184,865
36SECTION 2A. To provide for certain unanticipated obligations of the commonwealth, to
37 provide for an alteration of purpose for current appropriations, and to meet certain requirements
38 of law, the sums set forth in this section are hereby appropriated from the General Fund or the
39 Transitional Escrow Fund established in section 16 of chapter 76 of the acts of 2021, as amended
40 by section 4 of chapter 98 of the acts of 2022, unless specifically designated otherwise in this
41 section, for the several purposes and subject to the conditions specified in this section, and
42 subject to the laws regulating the disbursement of public funds for the fiscal year ending June 30,
43 2025. Except as otherwise stated, these sums shall be made available through the fiscal year
44 ending June 30, 2026.
45EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
46Department of Revenue
471233-1818       For fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024 payments due to cities and towns
48 pursuant to section 5 of chapter 64N of the General Laws..............................$1,250,000
49Marijuana Regulation Fund…100%
50Reserves
511599-1214       For a reserve for expansion, upgrades or enhancements to staffing,
52 operations or infrastructure for new and existing facilities that treat men with an alcohol or
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53 substance use disorder under sections 1 and 35 of chapter 123 of the General Laws; provided,
54 that the secretary of administration and finance may transfer funds from this item to state
55 agencies as defined in section 1 of chapter 29 of the General Laws....................$14,000,000
56OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER
57Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
581595-0604        For an operating transfer to the Housing Preservation and Stabilization
59 Trust Fund established in section 60 of chapter 121B of the General Laws.............$75,000,000
60MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
611596-2527        For the cost of snow and ice removal services incurred by the
62 Massachusetts Department of Transportation; provided, that funds in this item may be
63 transferred to the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund established in section 4 of chapter 6C
64 of the General Laws $60,727,344
65Education and Transportation Fund…100%
66EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
67Office of the Secretary
684000-0010        For direct supports to reproductive health care providers to maintain
69 continuity of access to services at risk of federal funding reductions including, but not limited to,
70 Medicaid reimbursements..............................$5,000,000
71Department of Transitional Assistance
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724400-0709  For operational enhancements at the department of transitional assistance
73 in response to upcoming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; provided,
74 that the department shall expend funds for enhancements including, but not limited to,
75 information technology and infrastructure improvements to reduce the commonwealth’s payment
76 error rate; provided further, that at the direction of the commissioner of transitional assistance,
77 funds may be transferred from this item to item 4400-1000 of section 2 of the general
78 appropriation act for fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027; provided further, that not later than
79 March 15, 2026, the department shall submit a report to the joint committee on children, families
80 and persons with disabilities and the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing
81 strategies for reducing payment error rates and summarizing departmental responses to recent
82 policy changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and provided further, that
83 funds appropriated in this item shall be made available until June 30,
84 2027..............................$10,000,000
85EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION
86Department of Higher Education
871596-2528  For a reserve to provide financial assistance to Massachusetts students
88 enrolled in and pursuing a program of higher education at any public institutions of higher
89 education in the commonwealth; provided, that funds shall be expended to restore financial aid
90 allocations to public institutions of higher education in fiscal year 2026 at an amount not less
91 than that allocated in fiscal year 2025; provided further, that funds shall be expended to increase
92 awards for MassGrant recipients in fiscal year 2026 at an amount not less than that allocated in
93 fiscal year 2025; provided further, that funds shall be expended to increase award allowances for
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94 Pell Grant recipients in fiscal year 2026 at an amount not less than that allocated in fiscal year
95 2025; provided further, that funds shall be expended to restore the allowance of up to $1,200 per
96 academic year, adjusted by number of credits, for books, supplies and other expenses for
97 students whose household income is at or below 125 per cent of the standard median income and
98 who are attending a community college program pursuant to section 5B of chapter 15A of the
99 General Laws; provided further, that funds may be expended for programs or activities during
100 summer months; and provided further, that at the discretion of the secretary of education, funds
101 may be transferred from this item to items 7070-0065, 1596-2414 and 1596-2501 of the general
102 appropriation act........................................$18,300,000
103Education and Transportation Fund…100%
104SECTION 2B. To provide for supplementing certain intragovernmental chargeback
105 authorizations in the general appropriation act and other appropriation acts for fiscal year 2025,
106 to provide for certain unanticipated intragovernmental chargeback authorizations, to provide for
107 an alteration of purpose for current intragovernmental chargeback authorizations and to meet
108 certain requirements of law, the sum set forth in this section is hereby authorized from the
109 Intragovernmental Service Fund established in section 2Q of chapter 29 of the General Laws for
110 the several purposes specified in this section or in the appropriation acts and subject to the
111 provisions of law regulating the disbursement of public funds for the fiscal year ending June 30,
112 2025. This sum shall be in addition to any amounts previously authorized and made available for
113 the purposes of this item. These sums shall be made available through the fiscal year ending June
114 30, 2026.
115TREASURER AND RECEIVER-GENERAL
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116Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General
1170699-0018       Agency Debt Service Programs........................................$21,000,000
118SECTION 2C.I. For the purpose of making available in fiscal year 2026 balances of
119 appropriations which otherwise would revert on June 30, 2025, the unexpended balances of the
120 appropriations listed below, not to exceed the amount specified below for each item, are hereby
121 re-appropriated for the purposes of and subject to the conditions stated for the corresponding
122 item in sections 2 or 2F of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024; provided, however, that for items
123 which do not appear in said sections 2 or 2F of said chapter 140 of the general appropriation act,
124 the amounts in this section are re-appropriated for the purposes of and subject to the conditions
125 stated for the corresponding item in sections 2 or 2A of this act or in prior appropriation acts.
126 Amounts in this section are re-appropriated from the fund or funds designated for the
127 corresponding item in said sections 2 or 2F of said chapter 140; provided, however, that for items
128 which do not appear in said sections 2 or 2F of said chapter 140, the amounts in this section are
129 re-appropriated from the fund or funds designated for the corresponding item in sections 2 to 2F,
130 inclusive, of this act or in prior appropriation acts. The unexpended balance of each
131 appropriation in the Massachusetts management accounting and reporting system with a
132 secretariat code of 01 or 17 is hereby re-appropriated for the purposes of and subject to the
133 conditions stated for the corresponding item in said section 2 of said chapter 140. The sums re-
134 appropriated in this section shall be in addition to any amounts available for said purposes.
135JUDICIARY
136Supreme Judicial Court
1370320-0003       Supreme Judicial Court........................................$400,000
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138Appeals Court
1390322-0100  Appeals Court..................................................$175,000
140DISTRICT ATTORNEYS
141Northwestern District Attorney
1420340-0600  Northwestern District Attorney........................................$225,000
143District Attorneys’ Association
1440340-9111  District Attorneys’ Association........................................$307,101
145TREASURER AND RECEIVER-GENERAL
146Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General
1470610-2000  Welcome Home Bill Bonus Payments..............................$600,000
148POLICE REFORM COMMISSIONS
1490800-0000  Massachusetts Police Officer Standards and Training
150 Commission..............................$73,853
151OFFICE OF THE CHILD ADVOCATE
1520930-0100  Office of the Child Advocate..................................................$200,000
1530930-0101  Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma..............................$1,900,000
154CENTER FOR HEALTH INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS
1554100-0060  Center for Health Information and Analysis..............................$693,500
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1564100-0063  Betsy Lehman Center............................................................$395,450
157EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
158Health Policy Commission
1591450-1200  Health Policy Commission........................................$750,000
160Reserves
1611599-4448  Collective Bargaining Reserve..............................$34,000,000
162EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND SECURITY
1631790-1700 Core Technology Services and Security..............................$355,089
164EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
165Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
1664125-0100 Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of
167 Hearing..............................$170,000
168Department of Transitional Assistance
1694400-1000  Department of Transitional Assistance Administration and
170 Operation....................$2,813,484
171EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF VETERANS’ SERVICES
172Veterans’ Services
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1731410-0630  Agawam and Winchendon Veterans’
174 Cemeteries........................................$185,000
175Veterans’ Home in Chelsea
1764180-0100  Veterans’ Home in Chelsea Administration and
177 Operations..............................$916,018
178Veterans’ Home in Holyoke
1794190-0100  Veterans’ Home in Holyoke Administration and
180 Operations..............................$150,018
181MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
1821596-2401 Federal Matching Funds............................................................$23,000,000
1831596-2406 Regional Transit Funding and Grants........................................$11,155,416
184EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
185Division of Insurance
1867006-0020  Division of Insurance............................................................$1,274,008
187Massachusetts Marketing Partnership
1887008-0900  Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism..............................$100,000
189EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
1907004-0102  Homeless Individual Shelters........................................$2,100,000
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191EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION
192Department of Early Education and Care
1933000-1000      Department of Early Education and Care..............................$7,500,000
194Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
1957061-9805      Teacher Diversity Initiative..................................................$8,300,000
1961596-2436      Mental Health Supports and Wraparounds..............................$4,657,078
197Department of Higher Education
1987066-0025      Performance Management Set Aside........................................$2,000,000
199EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
200Department of State Police
2018100-0515      New State Police Class..................................................$9,600,000
202Department of Fire Services
2038324-0000      Department of Fire Services Administration..............................$560,750
2048324-0050      Local Fire Department Projects and Grants..............................$250,000
205SECTION 2C.II. For the purpose of making available in fiscal year 2026 balances of
206 retained revenue and intragovernmental chargeback authorizations which otherwise would revert
207 on June 30, 2025, the unexpended balances of the authorizations listed below, not to exceed the
208 amount specified below for each item, are hereby re-authorized for the purposes of and subject to
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209 the conditions stated for the corresponding item in sections 2 to 2F, inclusive, of chapter 140 of
210 the acts of 2024; provided, however, that for items which do not appear in said sections 2 to 2F,
211 inclusive, of said chapter 140, the amounts in this section are re-authorized for the purposes of
212 and subject to the conditions stated for the corresponding item in sections 2 through 2F,
213 inclusive, of this act or in prior appropriation acts. Amounts in this section are re-authorized
214 from the fund or funds designated for the corresponding item in sections 2 to 2F, inclusive, of the
215 general appropriation act; provided, however, that for items which do not appear in sections 2 to
216 2F, inclusive, of the general appropriation act, the amounts in this section are re-authorized from
217 the fund or funds designated for the corresponding item in sections 2 to 2F, inclusive, of this act
218 or in prior appropriation acts. The sums re-authorized in this section shall be in addition to any
219 amounts available for those purposes.
220MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
2210940-0103  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Retained
222 Revenue....................$1,205,504
223EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
224Operational Services Division
2251775-0800  Chargeback for Purchase Operation and Repair of State
226 Vehicles....................$200,000
227EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
228Office of the Secretary
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2297002-0018  Chargeback for Economic Development IT
230 Costs..............................$3,846,468
231EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY
232Department of Correction
2338900-0021  Chargeback for Prison Industries and Farm
234 Program..............................$430,000
235SECTION 3. Section 10H of chapter 21A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024
236 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 33, the words “of $10 per fish” and
237 inserting in place thereof the following words:- for a recreational fisher of $10 per fish or $5 per
238 pound of striped bass or for a commercial fisher of the market value of all catch seized and
239 labeled pursuant to section 12 not to exceed $10,000.
240SECTION 4. Section 3 of chapter 23I of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
241 amended by striking out, in line 42, the word “Six” and inserting in place thereof the following
242 figure:- Five.
243SECTION 5. Section 2HHHH of chapter 29 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
244 hereby amended by inserting after the figure “71”, in lines 6 and 15, the following words:- ,
245 section 74E of chapter 112, section 18 of chapter 112A.
246SECTION 6. Section 2YYYY of said chapter 29, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
247 striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-
248The secretary may expend, without further appropriation: (i) not more than $160,000,000
249 per fiscal year from the fund to expand and support the residential treatment system to treat
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250 individuals with a substance use disorder or co-occurring mental health and substance use
251 disorder and to expand and increase access to the 24-hour diversionary system; (ii) not more than
252 $135,000,000 per fiscal year from the fund to reduce stigma, expand access, support
253 implementation and increase competencies for medications for substance use disorder; (iii) not
254 more than $35,000,000 per fiscal year from the fund to support access to evidence-based
255 recovery services through peer and paraprofessional services; and (iv) not more than
256 $85,000,000 per fiscal year from the fund to ensure appropriate assessment for levels of care
257 utilizing American Society of Addiction Medicine or other evidence-based modalities and to
258 support integration of physical health, mental health and substance use disorder care across all
259 provider settings. To accommodate timing discrepancies between the receipt of revenues and
260 related expenditures, the fund may incur expenses, and the comptroller shall certify for payment,
261 amounts not to exceed the most recent revenue estimate as certified by the MassHealth director,
262 as reported in the state accounting system. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to
263 further appropriation and money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert
264 to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year.
265SECTION 7. Section 2AAAAA of said chapter 29, as so appearing, is hereby amended
266 by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-
267There shall be credited to the fund: (i) any transfers from the Health Safety Net Trust
268 Fund established in section 66 of chapter 118E; (ii) any revenue from appropriations or other
269 money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (iii)
270 an amount equal to any federal financial participation revenues claimed and received by the
271 commonwealth for eligible expenditures made from the fund; and (iv) interest earned on any
272 money in the fund. Money from the fund shall be expended for payments to providers that
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273 qualify under an approved federal waiver and in accordance with said waiver. Amounts credited
274 to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation. At the end of each fiscal year, the
275 secretary of health and human services shall determine, in the secretary's sole discretion, the
276 amount of any money in the fund that is in excess of the money needed to make payments from
277 the fund in accordance with said waiver; provided, however, that the money needed to make
278 such payments shall include any money needed to make any payments that are unearned as of the
279 end of such year but potentially earned in a subsequent year. Subject to the terms of said waiver:
280 (i) for periods applicable to the waiver beginning on or after January 1, 2025, the secretary of
281 health and human services shall transfer to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in said
282 section 66 of said chapter 118E the state share of any such excess money, excluding any federal
283 funds; and (ii) for periods applicable to the waiver through December 31, 2024, the secretary of
284 health and human services shall transfer to said Health Safety Net Trust Fund the state share of
285 any such excess money, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is $62,500,000 and the
286 denominator of which is the total amount transferred to or deposited in the fund for such fund
287 year, excluding federal funds. Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not
288 revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years. To
289 accommodate timing discrepancies between the receipt of revenue and related expenditures, the
290 comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the most recent revenue estimates as
291 certified by the secretary of health and human services to be transferred, credited or deposited
292 under this section.
293SECTION 8. Section 2TTTTT of said chapter 29 is hereby amended by striking out
294 subsection (c), as appearing in section 51 of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024, and inserting in
295 place thereof the following subsection:-
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296(c)(1) The secretary shall expend money in the fund, including all amounts credited to the
297 fund, for payments to qualifying acute hospital providers under contract with the executive office
298 of health and human services or under subcontracts with care organizations that contract with the
299 executive office in connection with the MassHealth program as provided in this subsection.
300(2) The secretary shall annually expend amounts from the fund averaging, for the 2-year
301 period from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2027, inclusive, not less than $2,264,500,000 per
302 year; provided, however, that all such payments shall fall into 1 of the following categories: (i)
303 health equity incentive payments; (ii) clinical quality incentive payments; (iii) other incentive
304 payments; (iv) rate payments for services provided to MassHealth members; or (v) targeted
305 payments to: (A) freestanding pediatric acute hospitals; (B) nonprofit teaching acute hospitals
306 that provide medical, surgical, emergency and obstetrical services and are affiliated with a state-
307 owned medical school; (C) freestanding cancer hospitals; (D) the acute hospital that had the
308 lowest statewide commercial relative price in fiscal year 2019 as reported by the center for health
309 information and analysis; (E) the independent group 1 safety net hospital that had the largest
310 percentile of operating loss in fiscal year 2022 as reported by the center for health information
311 and analysis; (F) the acute hospital that had the highest statewide public payer mix in fiscal year
312 2023 as determined by the secretary; (G) the acute hospital affiliated with a health system with 2
313 or more critical access hospitals operating in the commonwealth in calendar year 2025, as
314 determined by the secretary; or (H) to any non-state-owned public hospital in the
315 commonwealth, as determined by the secretary. The secretary may determine funding allocations
316 among and within each such category within a given year; provided, however, that such
317 allocations shall be consistent with all approved federal waivers and state plan provisions; and
318 provided further, that the secretary shall allocate an average of not less than $1,280,000,000 per
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319 year, for the 2-year period from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2027, inclusive, for the rate
320 payments described in clause (iv), with an average of not less than $92,000,000 allocated for
321 group 1 safety net hospitals for such 2-year period, an average of not less than $460,000,000
322 allocated for group 2 safety net hospitals for such 2-year period and an average of not less than
323 $728,000,000 allocated across all acute hospitals for such 2-year period.
324(3) Of the targeted payments described in clause (v) of paragraph (2), the secretary shall
325 expend annually from the fund: (i) $70,000,000 to freestanding pediatric acute hospitals, of
326 which at least 98 per cent shall be paid to the freestanding pediatric hospital that had the largest
327 volume of inpatient discharges in fiscal year 2019; (ii) $35,000,000 to nonprofit teaching acute
328 hospitals that provide medical, surgical, emergency and obstetrical services and are affiliated
329 with a state-owned medical school; (iii) $14,000,000 to the acute hospital that had the lowest
330 statewide commercial relative price in fiscal year 2019 as reported by the center for health
331 information and analysis; (iv) $6,000,000 to freestanding cancer hospitals; (v) $10,000,000 to
332 the independent group 1 safety net hospital that had the largest operating percentile loss in fiscal
333 year 2022 as reported by the center for health information and analysis; (vi) $6,000,000 to the
334 acute hospital that had the highest statewide public payer mix in fiscal year 2023, as determined
335 by the secretary; (vii) $6,000,000 to the acute hospital affiliated with a health system with 2 or
336 more critical access hospitals operating in the commonwealth in calendar year 2025, as
337 determined by the secretary; and (viii) $2,000,000 to any non-state-owned public hospital in the
338 commonwealth, as determined by the secretary.
339(4) Of the incentive payments described in clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (2), the
340 secretary shall make interim payments to qualifying hospitals based on the secretary’s estimate
341 of each such hospital’s final payment for the measurement period. As soon as practicable after
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342 the close of the measurement period, the secretary shall determine the final amount of each
343 qualifying hospital’s incentive payments and shall reconcile each hospital’s interim payment
344 with its final payment.
345(5) If, in any fiscal year, the commonwealth fails to secure federal financial participation
346 necessary to make expenditures described in this section, or if the total hospital assessment
347 amount described in section 67 of chapter 118E is insufficient to support the distributions to the
348 fund required to be made from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 66 of said
349 chapter 118E, or if such distributions are otherwise not made due to limitations on federal
350 matching, applicable payment ceilings or other restrictions under state or federal law, then the
351 expenditures otherwise required to be made from the fund shall be reduced proportionally based
352 on the total amount available for expenditure.
353SECTION 9. Subsection (c) of section 2UUUUU of said chapter 29, as appearing in the
354 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-
355(3) If, in any fiscal year, the commonwealth fails to secure federal financial participation
356 necessary to make expenditures described in this section, or if the total hospital assessment
357 amount described in section 67 of chapter 118E is insufficient to support the distributions to the
358 fund required to be made from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 66 of said
359 chapter 118E, or if such distributions are otherwise not made due to limitations on federal
360 matching, applicable payment ceilings, or other restrictions under state or federal law, then the
361 expenditures otherwise required to be made from the fund shall be reduced proportionally based
362 on the total amount available for expenditure.
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363SECTION 10. Section 2FFFFFF of said chapter 29, as so appearing, is hereby amended
364 by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
365(c) The secretary shall annually expend money in the fund, including all amounts credited
366 to the fund, for payments to Medicaid managed care organizations, as such term is defined in
367 section 64 of chapter 118E; provided, however, that such amounts expended annually shall be
368 not less than the Medicaid managed care organization revenue amount, as such term is defined in
369 said section 64 of said chapter 118E; and provided further, that such expenditures shall be
370 consistent with all approved federal waivers and state plan provisions.
371SECTION 11. Said chapter 29 is hereby further amended by inserting after section
372 2LLLLLL the following 2 sections:-
373Section 2MMMMMM. There shall be established and set up on the books of the
374 commonwealth a separate fund known as the Deficiency Reserve Fund. The fund shall be
375 credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the general court
376 and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources,
377 including, but not limited to, gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) interest earned on any money
378 in the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended, subject to appropriation, to fulfill
379 existing financial obligations of the commonwealth with unanticipated deficiencies. Money
380 remaining in the fund at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. The fund
381 shall not be subject to section 5C.
382Section 2NNNNNN. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the
383 commonwealth a separate, non-budgeted special revenue fund known as the Public Higher
384 Education Student Support Fund, which shall be administered by the secretary of education. The
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385 fund shall be credited with: (i) appropriations or other money authorized or transferred by the
386 general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and
387 private sources, including, but not limited to, gifts, grants and donations; and (iii) interest earned
388 on any money in the fund.
389(b) Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended, without further appropriation, to: (i)
390 supplement financial aid awards to students at public institutions of higher education to prevent a
391 reduction in aid relative to the amount awarded in the prior fiscal year or relative to amounts
392 established subject to appropriation in statute or regulation, which shall include, but not be
393 limited to, the maintenance of the no cost community college program under section 5B of
394 chapter 15A of the General Laws; (ii) supplement allocations to public institutions of higher
395 education for financial aid programs to prevent a reduction in allocation from the prior fiscal
396 year; or (iii) otherwise maintain financial aid benefits to students relative to prior year benefit
397 levels. The secretary of education shall provide notice to the secretary of administration and
398 finance, the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and the house and senate
399 committees on ways and means not less than 15 days prior to expending funds from the Public
400 Higher Education Student Support Fund, including, but not limited to, the purpose and amount of
401 each expenditure.
402(c) The unexpended balance in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall remain available
403 for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years. No expenditure made from the fund shall cause the
404 fund to be in deficit.
405SECTION 12. Chapter 31 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the
406 following section:-
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407Section 79. Following their original appointment and oath as a permanent full-time
408 environmental police officer in the police force of the office of law enforcement under section
409 10A of chapter 21A, a person shall perform the duties of such position on a full-time basis for a
410 probationary period of 12 months before they shall be considered a full-time tenured employee in
411 such position. The administrator, with the approval of the commission, may establish procedures
412 to ensure the evaluation by appointing authorities, prior to the end of such probationary period,
413 of the performance of persons appointed as police officers in such force. Unless otherwise
414 provided by civil service rule, and with appropriate adjustments to the timing of performance
415 evaluations called for therein, the second paragraph of section 34 shall apply to persons covered
416 by this section.
417SECTION 13. Section 1 of chapter 32 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking
418 out the definition of “Violent act injury”, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, and inserting
419 in place thereof the following definition:-
420“Violent act injury”, a catastrophic or life-threatening permanent bodily injury sustained
421 as a direct and proximate result of a violent attack upon a person by means of a dangerous
422 weapon, which is used in a manner intended to cause serious injury or death, including, but not
423 limited to, a firearm, knife, automobile or explosive device.
424SECTION 14. Paragraph (a) of subdivision (2) of section 26 of said chapter 32, as so
425 appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- This subdivision shall not
426 apply to a member in service who is physically unable to perform the essential duties of the
427 member’s job by reason of violent act injury.
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428SECTION 15. Said section 26 of said chapter 32, as so appearing, is hereby further
429 amended by inserting after subdivision (2) the following subdivision:-
430(2½) Section 7 shall apply to any member in service classified in Group 3 who is an
431 officer of the department of state police if the rating board, after an examination of such officer
432 by a registered physician appointed by the board, reports in writing to the state board of
433 retirement that such officer is physically incapacitated for the performance of duty by reason of a
434 violent act injury occurring during the performance and within the scope of the officer’s duty and
435 without contributory negligence on the officer’s part and that such incapacity is likely to be
436 permanent.
437SECTION 16. Section 56 of chapter 41 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
438 amended by striking out, in lines 38 to 41, inclusive, the words “or (ii) the payment of software
439 licenses, software maintenance agreements or online subscription services for school curriculum
440 prior to the fiscal year in which services shall be rendered” and inserting in place thereof the
441 following words:- (ii) the payment of software licenses, software maintenance agreements or
442 online subscription services for school curriculum prior to the fiscal year in which services shall
443 be rendered; or (iii) the payment of estimates issued by utilities for make-ready work to facilitate
444 access to utility poles, conduits, ducts or rights-of way related to broadband infrastructure
445 projects.
446SECTION 17. Section 7 of chapter 66 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
447 amended by adding the following sentence:- Subject to the Health Insurance Portability and
448 Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104–191, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
449 2009, P.L. 111–5, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, 42 U.S.C. 290dd-2 and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160, 162 and 164, all
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450 records from state institutions for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or
451 mental health conditions in the commonwealth shall be open to public inspection and available
452 for copying after the expiration of 75 years from creation of the record.
453SECTION 18. Subsection (a) of section 24N of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as so
454 appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the definition of “Routine childhood
455 immunizations” and inserting in place thereof the following definition:-
456“Routine childhood immunizations”, immunizations for children until their nineteenth
457 birthday as determined by the commissioner.
458SECTION 19. Subsection (c) of said section 24N of said chapter 111, as so appearing, is
459 hereby amended by striking out the last 5 sentences and inserting in place thereof the following 6
460 sentences:- The council shall recommend the list of routine childhood immunizations, including
461 types of vaccines to be purchased and shall take into account provider preference, cost,
462 availability and other factors as determined by the council. The commissioner shall recommend
463 the amount of funding needed each fiscal year by calculating the total non-federal program cost.
464 The council shall make recommendations to the commissioner on whether the commissioner
465 may authorize provider choice of more than 1 comparable brand or type for a routine childhood
466 immunization vaccine. In its recommendations, the council shall examine the feasibility, costs
467 and benefits of authorizing provider choice, provide a schedule of the cost of each comparable
468 brand or type of a vaccine recommended for provider choice and demonstrate that the estimated
469 vaccine cost of authorizing provider choice would not be substantially greater than the estimated
470 vaccine cost of purchasing a single brand or type of a vaccine. The commissioner of public
471 health shall determine the final list of routine childhood immunizations and vaccines to be
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472 purchased. The council shall also consider other vaccine-related questions presented by the
473 commissioner.
474SECTION 20. Said section 24N of said chapter 111, as so appearing, is hereby further
475 amended by striking out, in lines 109 to 111, inclusive, the words “Advisory Committee on
476 Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and inserting in place
477 thereof the following word:- commissioner.
478SECTION 21. Chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
479 section 74D the following section:-
480Section 74E. (a) The board of registration in nursing may obtain a state and national
481 fingerprint-based criminal background check, as authorized by Public Law 92-544, to determine
482 the suitability of an applicant for a license to practice nursing pursuant to sections 74, 74A, 76
483 and 80B, including, but not limited to, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and advanced
484 practice registered nurses.
485(b) Registered nurses subject to background checks pursuant to this section shall be
486 individuals who hold ultimate responsibility for direct and indirect nursing care and are seeking:
487 (i) licensure as a registered nurse pursuant to this chapter; and (ii) to provide nursing care, health
488 maintenance, teaching, counseling, planning and restoration for optimal functioning and comfort
489 of patients they serve within the commonwealth. For the purposes of this section, “advanced
490 practice registered nurse” shall mean a registered nurse authorized by the board of registration in
491 nursing to perform an expanded scope of practice when caring for patients in the commonwealth
492 consistent with section 80B.
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493(c) Licensed practical nurses subject to background checks pursuant to this section shall
494 be individuals who are seeking: (i) licensure as a practical nurse pursuant to this chapter; and (ii)
495 to provide nursing care and health maintenance services to patients within the commonwealth.
496(d) An individual applying to the board of registration in nursing for a license to practice
497 nursing shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the identification section of the department of
498 state police to obtain a state and national fingerprint-based criminal background check, as
499 authorized by Public Law 92-544, to determine the suitability of any applicant for licensure.
500(e) Fingerprints submitted pursuant to this section shall be used by the department of state
501 police to conduct a state criminal history check and forwarded to the Federal Bureau of
502 Investigation for a national criminal history check in accordance with the policies and procedures
503 established by the state identification section of the department of state police and by the
504 department of criminal justice information services. Fingerprint submissions may be retained by
505 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the state identification section of the department of state
506 police and the department of criminal justice information services to assist the board of
507 registration in nursing to ensure the continued suitability of these licensees and persons subject to
508 criminal background checks under this section. The department of criminal justice information
509 services may disseminate the results of the state and national criminal background checks to
510 authorized staff employed by the department of public health and board of registration in
511 nursing.
512(f) Each applicant shall pay a fee, as established by the secretary of administration and
513 finance, in consultation with the secretary of public safety and security, to offset the costs of
514 operating and administering a fingerprint-based criminal background check system. The
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515 secretary of administration and finance, in consultation with the secretary of public safety and
516 security, may increase the fee accordingly if the Federal Bureau of Investigation increases its
517 services fees for processing fingerprint background checks. Any fees collected from
518 fingerprinting activity under this section shall be deposited into the Fingerprint-Based
519 Background Check Trust Fund established in section 2HHHH of chapter 29.
520(g) The board of registration in nursing may use the results of the criminal history record
521 check solely for the purpose of determining the applicant’s eligibility for a license to practice
522 nursing pursuant to sections 74, 74A, 76 and 80B. The department of public health and board of
523 registration in nursing shall not disseminate the criminal history record check information to any
524 other entity.
525(h) The department of public health and board of registration in nursing may receive all
526 available criminal offender record information, juvenile adjudications and delinquency matters,
527 sealed records and the results of checks of state and national criminal history information
528 databases under Public Law 92-544. Upon receipt of the results of the state and national criminal
529 background checks, the department of public health, board of registration in nursing and
530 authorized staff shall treat the information according to sections 167 to 178, inclusive, of chapter
531 6 and the regulations thereunder regarding criminal offender record information.
532(i) The board of registration in nursing may promulgate regulations necessary to carry out
533 this section.
534SECTION 22. Sections 1 to 5, inclusive, of chapter 113 of the General Laws are hereby
535 repealed.
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536SECTION 23. Section 64 of chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024
537 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the definition of “Assessed charges” and
538 inserting in place thereof:-
539''Assessed charges'', gross patient service revenue attributable to all patients less gross
540 patient service revenue attributable to Title XVIII, XIX and XXI programs, as such revenues are
541 reported to the center for health information and analysis and as determined by the secretary.
542SECTION 24. Said section 64 of said chapter 118E, as so appearing, is hereby further
543 amended by striking out the definition of “Managed care organization reinvestment revenue
544 amount” and inserting in place thereof the following 3 definitions:-
545“Managed care organization services assessment rate”, the rate calculated annually by
546 dividing the non-Medicaid managed care organization revenue amount by the total managed care
547 organization services subject to assessment that are not Medicaid managed care organization
548 services subject to assessment.
549“Medicaid managed care organization revenue amount”, an amount calculated annually
550 by multiplying the Medicaid managed care organization services subject to assessment by the
551 managed care organization services assessment rate.
552“Non-Medicaid managed care organization revenue amount”, an amount equal, for each
553 calendar year, to the sum of the following in the same year less $20,000,000: (i) the health safety
554 net managed care organization revenue amount; (ii) the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access
555 Project revenue amount; (iii) the immunization revenue amount; (iv) the health policy
556 commission revenue amount; (v) the center for health information and analysis revenue amount;
557 (vi) the amount transferred, pursuant to section 66, to the Behavioral Health Access and Crisis
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558 Intervention Trust Fund established in section 2WWWWW of chapter 29; and (vii) the amounts
559 necessary to incorporate prospectively all adjustments or reconciliations to account for under-
560 assessments in the prior year.
561SECTION 25. Said section 64 of said chapter 118E, as so appearing, is hereby further
562 amended by striking out the definition of “Total managed care organization services assessment
563 amount” and inserting in place thereof the following definition:-
564“Total managed care organization services revenue amount”, an amount equal, for each
565 calendar year, to the sum of the following in the same year: (i) the Medicaid managed care
566 organization revenue amount; and (ii) the non-Medicaid managed care organization revenue
567 amount.
568SECTION 26. Said section 64 of said chapter 118E, as so appearing, is hereby further
569 amended by striking out, in line 189, the figure “$1,484,050,000” and inserting in place thereof
570 the following figure:- $1,534,050,000.
571SECTION 27. Section 66 of said chapter 118E is hereby amended by striking out
572 subsection (b), as so appearing, and inserting in its place thereof the following 2 subsections:-
573(b) The fund shall consist of: (i) all amounts paid by hospitals and managed care
574 organizations under sections 67 and 68; (ii) all appropriations for the purpose of payments to
575 acute hospitals or community health centers for health services provided to uninsured and
576 underinsured residents; (iii) any transfers from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund established
577 in section 2OOO of chapter 29; (iv) any transfers from the Safety Net Provider Trust Fund
578 established in section 2AAAAA of chapter 29; (v) any transfers from the Hospital Investment
579 and Performance Trust Fund established in section 2TTTTT of chapter 29; (vi) any transfers
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580 from the Managed Care Organization Services Reinvestment Fund established in section
581 2FFFFFF of chapter 29; and (vii) all property and securities acquired by and through the use of
582 money belonging to the fund and all interest thereon. There shall also be credited to the fund an
583 amount equal to any federal financial participation claimed and received by the commonwealth
584 for eligible expenditures made from the fund and financed by money transferred from the
585 Hospital Investment and Performance Trust Fund established in section 2TTTTT of chapter 29,
586 the Managed Care Organization Services Reinvestment Fund established in section 2FFFFFF of
587 chapter 29, or from the Safety Net Provider Trust Fund established in section 2AAAAA of
588 chapter 29. To accommodate timing discrepancies between the receipt of such revenue and
589 related expenditures, the comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the most
590 recent revenue estimates as certified by the secretary of health and human services to be
591 transferred, credited or deposited under this subsection. Annually, the office shall transfer from
592 the non-federal money in the fund: (A) $149,300,000 to the Safety Net Provider Trust Fund
593 established in section 2AAAAA of chapter 29; (B) $1,041,170,000 to the Hospital Investment
594 and Performance Trust Fund established in section 2TTTTT of chapter 29; (C) $115,500,000 to
595 the Population Health Investment Trust Fund established in section 2UUUUU of chapter 29; (D)
596 $ 33,169,685 to the Non-Acute Care Hospital Reimbursement Trust Fund established in section
597 2WWWW of chapter 29; (E) an amount equal to the Medicaid managed care organization
598 revenue amount to the Managed Care Organization Services Reinvestment Fund established in
599 section 2FFFFFF of chapter 29; (F) an amount equal to the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry
600 Access Project revenue amount to the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project Fund
601 established in section 2EEEEEE of chapter 29; (G) an amount equal to the health policy
602 commission revenue amount to the Healthcare Payment Reform Fund established in section 100
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603 of chapter 194 of the acts of 2011; (H) an amount equal to the immunization revenue amount to
604 the Vaccine Purchase Fund established in section 24N of chapter 111; (I) $33,700,000 to the
605 Behavioral Health Access and Crisis Intervention Trust Fund established in section 2WWWWW
606 of chapter 29; (J) an amount equal to the center for health information and analysis revenue
607 amount to the Center for Health Information and Analysis Fund established in section 7A of
608 chapter 12C; and (K) $35,000,000 to the Essential Community Provider Trust Fund established
609 in section 2PPP of chapter 29. The office shall expend amounts in the fund, except for amounts
610 transferred to the Safety Net Provider Trust Fund, the Hospital Investment and Performance
611 Trust Fund, the Population Health Investment Trust Fund, the Non-Acute Care Hospital
612 Reimbursement Trust Fund, the Managed Care Organization Services Reinvestment Fund, the
613 Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project Fund, the Vaccine Purchase Fund, the Center for
614 Health and Information Analysis Fund, the Healthcare Payment Reform Fund and the Behavioral
615 Health Access and Crisis Intervention Trust Fund, for payments to hospitals and community
616 health centers for reimbursable health services provided to uninsured and underinsured residents,
617 consistent with the requirements of this section, section 69 and the regulations adopted by the
618 office. The amount collected pursuant to clause (vii) of the definition of non-Medicaid managed
619 care organization revenue amount in section 64 shall be dedicated to reducing the shortfall, as
620 described in subsection (b) of section 69, for the year prior to the assessment year. The office
621 shall also annually expend money from the fund for the expenses of the executive office,
622 including the health safety net office under subsection (a), for the administration of the health
623 safety net and related assessments. The office shall also expend not more than $6,000,000
624 annually from the fund for demonstration projects that use case management and other methods
625 to reduce the liability of the fund to acute hospitals. Any annual balance remaining in the fund
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626 after these payments have been made shall be retained in the fund and shall not revert to the
627 General Fund. All interest earned on the amounts in the fund shall be deposited or retained in the
628 fund. The director shall from time-to-time requisition from the fund amounts that the director
629 considers necessary to meet the current obligations of the office for the purposes of the fund and
630 estimated obligations for a reasonable future period.
631(c) For each fiscal year, in the event that federal financial participation is not available for
632 any of the Medicaid expenditures made or to be made from this fund or from amounts transferred
633 from the fund pursuant to paragraphs (A), (B), (C), (D) or (K) of subsection (b), or hospital
634 assessment funding serving as the non-federal share of such expenditures is not available due to
635 the application of any federal law, regulation or policy, such as federal expenditure limits or
636 federal health care-related tax rules, or for any other reason, the amount of each such
637 forementioned transfer from the fund shall be reduced on a pro-rata basis by multiplying each
638 such expenditure or transfer by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate amount of the
639 transfers from the fund pursuant to paragraphs (A), (B), (C), (D) or (K) of subsection (b)for
640 which federal financial participation will be available and the denominator of which is the
641 aggregate amount the expenditures and transfers from the fund pursuant to paragraphs (A), (B),
642 (C), (D) or (K) of subsection (b) that would otherwise be made.
643SECTION 28. Said chapter 118E is hereby further amended by striking out section 67, as
644 so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
645Section 67. (a) Subject to all required federal approvals, including any required waivers
646 under 42 CFR 433.68, a hospital’s annual liability to the fund shall be calculated in accordance
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647 with this section. The annual aggregate liability of all hospitals to the fund shall equal the total
648 hospital assessment amount.
649(b) [reserved].
650(c) The office shall promulgate regulations establishing an appropriate mechanism for
651 enforcing each hospital’s liability to the fund if a hospital does not make a scheduled payment to
652 the fund.
653(d) For the purposes of the assessment in this section, all hospitals in the commonwealth
654 shall be divided into the following groups, as determined by the secretary: (i) large group 1
655 safety net hospitals which, for the purposes of this section, shall mean, any group 1 safety net
656 hospital that had not less than 355 staffed beds in fiscal year 2022, as reported by the center for
657 health information and analysis; (ii) small group 1 safety net hospitals which, for the purposes of
658 this section, shall mean any group 1 safety net hospital that had less than 355 staffed beds in
659 fiscal year 2022 as reported by the center for health information and analysis; (iii) large group 2
660 safety net hospitals which, for the purposes of this section, shall mean any group 2 safety net
661 hospital that had not less than 355 staffed beds in fiscal year 2022 as reported by the center for
662 health information and analysis; (iv) small group 2 safety net hospitals which, for the purposes of
663 this section, shall mean any group 2 safety net hospital that had less than 355 staffed beds in
664 fiscal year 2022 as reported by the center for health information and analysis; (v) freestanding
665 pediatric acute hospitals; (vi) academic, teaching and specialty hospitals which, for the purposes
666 of this section, shall mean an academic medical center, teaching hospital or specialty hospital as
667 determined by the center for health information and analysis as of September 30, 2019, but
668 excluding any high public payer hospital; (vii) private acute hospitals which, for the purposes of
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669 this section, shall mean a private hospital licensed under section 51 of chapter 111 that contains a
670 majority of medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric and maternity beds as defined by the department
671 of public health and operating as of September 30, 2019, but excluding any safety net hospital or
672 academic, teaching and specialty hospital; (viii) non-state public hospitals which, for the
673 purposes of this section, shall mean any non-state-owned public hospital in the commonwealth as
674 determined by the secretary; and (ix) non-acute hospitals which, for the purposes of this section
675 shall mean any nonpublic hospital licensed by the department of public health under said section
676 51 of said chapter 111; provided, however, that non-acute hospital shall not include an acute care
677 hospital under section 25B of said chapter 111 or a nonpublic hospital licensed as an inpatient
678 facility by the department of mental health under section 19 of chapter 19 and regulations
679 promulgated thereunder but not categorized as a class VII licensee under the regulations.
680(e) Each of the groups described in subsection (d) shall be subject to the following
681 assessment rates: (i) large group 1 safety net hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 16.510per cent
682 for inpatient services and 8.000 per cent for outpatient services; (ii) small group 1 safety net
683 hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 14.500 per cent for inpatient services and 5.500 per cent for
684 outpatient services; (iii) large group 2 safety net hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 8.100 per
685 cent for inpatient services and 16.200 per cent for outpatient services; (iv) small group 2 safety
686 net hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 16.450 per cent for inpatient services and 9.100 per cent
687 for outpatient services; (v) freestanding pediatric acute hospitals shall be subject to a rate of
688 3.300 per cent for inpatient services and 2.600 per cent for outpatient services; (vi) academic,
689 teaching and specialty hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 4.675 per cent for inpatient services
690 and 1.290 per cent for outpatient services; (vii) private acute hospitals shall be subject to a rate of
691 8.299 per cent for inpatient services and 0.720 per cent for outpatient services; (viii) non-state
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692 public hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 1.250 per cent for inpatient services and 1.250 per
693 cent for outpatient services; and (ix) non-acute hospitals shall be subject to a rate of 3.300 per
694 cent for inpatient services and 3.300 per cent for outpatient services; provided, however, that the
695 office shall increase each such rate by the amount necessary to generate 50 per cent of the
696 estimated cost as determined by the secretary of administration and finance, of administering the
697 health safety net and related assessments in accordance with sections 65 to 69, inclusive. If
698 hospital closures or hospital changes in status to a different type of provider would result in a
699 reduction of total hospital assessment amount, the secretary may, by regulation, adjust the
700 assessment rates to ensure the total hospital assessment amount is not reduced by more than
701 $10,000,000 on an annual basis; provided, however, that any such adjustments to the rates shall
702 ensure the rates remain in the same proportion to each other as established herein. If the total
703 hospital assessment amount collected for the hospital assessment year exceeds the amount
704 necessary to support the non-federal share of amounts transferred pursuant to paragraphs (A),
705 (B), (C), (D) or (K) of subsection (b) of section 66, the secretary shall, by regulation, adjust the
706 assessment rates for the subsequent hospital assessment year to ensure the total hospital
707 assessment amount does not exceed the amount necessary to support such expenditures;
708 provided, however, that any such adjustments shall ensure the rates remain in the same
709 proportion to each other as established herein and provided that any such adjustment does not
710 jeopardize federal financial participation. In order to adjust the assessment rates by regulation as
711 described in this subsection, the secretary of health and human services shall seek all required
712 federal approvals the secretary deems necessary.
713(f) The assessment rates described in subsection (e) shall be applied to each hospital’s
714 fiscal year 2023 assessed charges for inpatient and outpatient services as determined by the
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715 secretary of health and human services; provided, however, that the term “assessed charges”
716 shall have the meaning ascribed to it in section 64. The total of the resulting products shall equal
717 a hospital’s annual assessment liability.
718(g) Subject to receipt of all required federal approvals, the executive office shall
719 implement the assessment structure described in this section and shall promulgate regulations,
720 after consultation with Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, Inc., necessary to support
721 implementation of said assessment structure. In promulgating such regulations, and in
722 consultation with Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, Inc., the executive office shall,
723 at a minimum: (i) specify an appropriate mechanism for determination and payment of an acute
724 hospital's liability to the fund; (ii) identify the hospitals that belong to each group identified in
725 subsection (d); (iii) specify an appropriate mechanism for the determination of a hospital’s
726 liability in cases of merger or transfer of ownership; and (iv) specify an appropriate mechanism
727 by which any amounts paid by a hospital in excess of a hospital’s total annual assessment
728 liability may be refunded or otherwise credited to the hospital. The executive office shall also
729 publish or otherwise make available to Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, Inc. the
730 data and methodology used in setting the tax rates and group classification prior to the
731 promulgation of any such regulations.
732(h) The secretary of health and human services may enforce the payment of required
733 assessments under this section: (i) for hospitals licensed by the department of health, by
734 notifying the department of the unpaid assessments and such information shall be considered by
735 the department in determining suitability in accordance with section 51 of chapter 111 for the
736 hospital or its affiliate provider entities; (ii) by offsetting payments from the office of Medicaid
737 against the claims for payment by the delinquent hospital, against other hospitals or MassHealth-
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738 contracted entities under common ownership as the delinquent hospital or against any successor
739 in interest to the hospital or such provider entities under common ownership, in the amount of
740 the delinquent fees owed, including any interest, penalties and reasonable attorneys’ fees, and by
741 transferring such funds into the fund; or (iii) creating, after demand for payment, a lien in favor
742 of the commonwealth in an amount not to exceed the delinquent fees owed, including any
743 interest, penalties and reasonable attorneys’ fees, encumbering the building in which the
744 delinquent hospital is located, encumbering the real property upon which the delinquent hospital
745 is located, including fixtures, equipment or goods used in the operation of the delinquent
746 hospital, or encumbering any real property in which the delinquent hospital holds an interest.
747SECTION 29. Section 74 of said chapter 118E, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
748 striking out subsection (k) and inserting in place thereof the following 2 subsections:-
749(k) The council may contract with a provider of a pooled employer plan, as defined in 29
750 U.S.C. § 1002(43), on behalf of consumers and their personal care attendants.
751(l) The council may perform other acts necessary or convenient to execute the powers
752 expressly granted to it.
753SECTION 30. Section 36 of chapter 123 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
754 amended by inserting after the second sentence the following 3 sentences:- There shall be a
755 rebuttable presumption that disclosure of patient records more than 50 years after the death of the
756 patient is in the best interest of the patient; provided, however, that: (i) the records are facility
757 records; and (ii) the requestor is a close relative or engaged in academic research. The
758 department shall make best efforts to redact any personal identifying information of living
759 individuals in such patient records in order to avoid undue invasion of privacy. The department
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760 shall promulgate regulations in collaboration with the department of developmental services to
761 implement this rule.
762SECTION 31. Section 17 of chapter 123B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
763 hereby amended by inserting after the second sentence the following 3 sentences:- There shall be
764 a rebuttable presumption that disclosure of patient records more than 50 years after the death of
765 the patient is in the best interest of the patient; provided, that the: (i) records are facility records;
766 and (ii) requestor is a close relative or engaged in academic research. The department shall make
767 best efforts to redact any personal identifying information of living individuals in such patient
768 records in order to avoid undue invasions of privacy. The department shall promulgate
769 regulations in collaboration with the department of mental health to implement this rule.
770SECTION 32. Said section 17 of said chapter 123B, as so appearing, is hereby further
771 amended by adding the following 3 sentences:- Each facility, subject to this chapter and section 7
772 of chapter 19B, shall maintain resident records for not less than 20 years after the closing of the
773 record due to discharge, death or last date of service. A facility shall not destroy such records
774 until after the retention period has elapsed and only upon notifying the department of public
775 health that the records will be destroyed; provided, however, that the department shall
776 promulgate regulations further defining an appropriate notification process. Each notice of
777 privacy practices by a facility shall include, but not be limited to: (i) information concerning the
778 provisions of this section; and (ii) the facility’s records termination policy.
779SECTION 33. Section 2 of chapter 130 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
780 amended by inserting after the word “chapter”, in line 39, the following words:- or any rule or
781 regulation made under authority of this chapter.
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782SECTION 34. The second paragraph of section 21 of said chapter 130, as so appearing, is
783 hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- The refusal or failure to submit a statistical
784 report, or the knowing submission of a false statistical report, shall constitute a violation of this
785 chapter.
786SECTION 35. The first paragraph of section 80 of said chapter 130, as so appearing, is
787 hereby amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentence:- No person shall fish
788 for or take fish for commercial purposes in the coastal waters, or land raw fish, whether frozen or
789 unfrozen, in the commonwealth, for the purpose of sale, in violation of a commercial fisherman
790 permit.
791SECTION 36. Section 12 of chapter 159A1/2 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
792 hereby amended by inserting after the word “protection”, in line 66, the following words:- , the
793 department of energy resources, the Massachusetts clean energy technology center
794SECTION 37. Section 69O1/2 of chapter 164 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
795 hereby amended by striking out, in line 8, the word “62H” and inserting in place thereof the
796 following word:- 62L.
797SECTION 38. Section 69T of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
798 striking out, in line 7, the words “petition to construct such” and inserting in place thereof the
799 following words:- application for a consolidated permit for the clean energy infrastructure
800SECTION 39. Section 69U of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
801 striking out, in line 28, the word “(d)” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- (e).
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802SECTION 40. Section 69V of said chapter 164, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
803 striking out, in line 21, the word “(g)” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- (h).
804SECTION 41. Chapter 210 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out
805 section 13, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
806Section 13. (a) The court shall, before decreeing a change of name, request a report from
807 the commissioner of probation on the person filing the petition, and, upon entry of a decree, the
808 name as established thereby shall be the legal name of the petitioner. The register may issue a
809 certificate, under the seal of the court, of the name as so established. The court may, for good
810 cause shown, require public notice of the petition to be given and any person to be heard thereon.
811No decree shall be entered, however, until there has been filed in the court a copy of the
812 birth record of the person whose name is sought to be changed, and, in case such person's name
813 has previously been changed by decree of court or at marriage pursuant to section 1D of chapter
814 46, either a copy of: (i) the record of such person’s birth amended to conform to the previous
815 decree changing the person’s name; (ii) such decree; or (iii) the record of marriage; provided,
816 however, that the filing of any such copy may be dispensed with if the judge is satisfied that it
817 cannot be obtained.
818(b) The petition for name change, all pleadings, papers or documents filed in connection
819 therewith and docket entries in the permanent docket and record books, online and otherwise,
820 shall not be available for inspection unless the court, for good cause shown, otherwise orders or
821 unless requested by the petitioner. The petition, reports, pleadings, papers, documents and
822 permanent docket and record books shall be segregated.
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823SECTION 42. Section 33 of chapter 268 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
824 amended by inserting after the word “revenue”, in line 10, the following words:- or an officer or
825 employee acting under the authority of the United States or any department, agency or officer
826 thereof.
827SECTION 43. Said section 33 of said chapter 268, as so appearing, is hereby further
828 amended by striking out, in lines 11 to 13, inclusive, the words “shall be punished by a fine of
829 not more than four hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year” and inserting
830 in place thereof the following words:- shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by
831 imprisonment for not more than 2 1/2 years.
832SECTION 44. The fifth sentence of subsection (b) of section 83C of chapter 169 of the
833 acts of 2008, as appearing in section 61 of chapter 179 of the acts of 2022, is hereby amended by
834 striking out the following words:- and shall specify that any subsequent solicitation shall occur
835 within 24 months of a previous solicitation.
836SECTION 45. Chapter 209 of the acts of 2018, as most recently amended by chapter 364
837 of the acts of 2024, is hereby further amended by striking out section 89 and inserting in place
838 thereof the following section:-
839Section 89. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
840 separate, non-budgeted special revenue fund called the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest
841 Massachusetts Fund, which shall be administered by the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest
842 Massachusetts Board established pursuant to section 91. Amounts credited to the fund shall be
843 expended without further appropriation. There shall be credited into the fund revenues or other
844 financing sources directed to the fund by appropriation or other monies authorized by the general
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845 court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund, any income derived from the
846 investment of amounts credited to the fund and monies from the repayment of loans from the
847 fund, funds from public or private sources, including, but not limited to, gifts, federal, state or
848 private grants, donations, rebates and settlements received by the commonwealth that are
849 specifically designated to be credited to the fund and all other amounts credited or transferred
850 into the fund from any other source. Amounts credited to said fund shall be used solely for
851 implementing the purposes and administration of the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest
852 Massachusetts established pursuant to section 91. The unexpended balance in the fund at the end
853 of a fiscal year shall remain available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years. No expenditure
854 from the fund shall cause the fund to be in deficit at any point.
855SECTION 46. Chapter 4 of the acts of 2021 is hereby amended by striking out section 9
856 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
857Section 9. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the bonds that the
858 state treasurer may issue pursuant to section 34 of chapter 383 of the acts of 2020 shall be issued
859 for a term not to exceed 30 years. All such bonds shall be payable not later than June 30, 2065,
860 as recommended by the governor in a message to the general court dated August 14, 2025 under
861 section 3 of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution.
862SECTION 47. Item 7010-1192 of section 2 of chapter 126 of the acts of 2022 is hereby
863 amended by striking out the figure “2025”, inserted by section 41 of chapter 248 of the acts of
864 2024, and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2026.
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865SECTION 48. Item 2810-0122 of section 2 of chapter 28 of the acts of 2023 is hereby
866 amended by striking out the figure “2025”, inserted by section 76 of chapter 248 of the acts of
867 2024, and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2026.
868SECTION 49. Item 4000-0300 of said section 2 of said chapter 28 is hereby further
869 amended by striking out the figure “2025”, inserted by section 79 of chapter 248 of the acts of
870 2024, and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2026.
871SECTION 50. Item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 28 is hereby amended by
872 striking out the figure “2025”, inserted by section 101 of chapter 248 of the acts of 2024, and
873 inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2026.
874SECTION 51. Item 1233-2401 of section 2 of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024 is hereby
875 amended by adding the following words:- ; provided, that notwithstanding any general or special
876 law to the contrary, a city or town that received funding under this item in fiscal year 2024 and
877 that remains eligible in fiscal year 2025 shall receive not less than the amount of funding that
878 such city or town received under this item in fiscal year 2024.
879SECTION 52. Said item 1233-2401 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby further
880 amended by striking out the figure “$750,000” and inserting in place thereof the following
881 figure:- $1,185,432.
882SECTION 53. Item 1599-0026 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
883 by inserting after the word “Sharon” the following words:- and such funds shall be made
884 available until June 30, 2026.
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885SECTION 54. Said item 1599-0026 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby further
886 amended by inserting after the word “improvements”, the third time it appears, the following
887 words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
888SECTION 55. Item 2810-0122 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
889 by inserting after the word “playground”, the second time it appears, the following words:- and
890 such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
891SECTION 56. Item 3000-4060 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
892 by adding the following words:-
893General Fund…83.94%
894High-Quality Early Education & Care Affordability Fund…16.06%
895SECTION 57. Item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as amended by
896 section 65 of chapter 14 of the acts of 2025, is hereby further amended by inserting after the
897 word “Sharon” the following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
898SECTION 58. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
899 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “Lynn”, the second time it appears, the
900 following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
901SECTION 59. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
902 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “projects”, the fifth time it appears, the
903 following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
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904SECTION 60. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
905 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “hospitals” the following words:- and such
906 funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
907SECTION 61. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
908 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “families”, the third time it appears, the
909 following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
910SECTION 62. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
911 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “prevention”, the second time it appears,
912 the following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
913SECTION 63. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
914 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “programming”, the twenty-first time it
915 appears, the following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
916SECTION 64. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
917 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “resources”, the third time it appears, the
918 following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
919SECTION 65. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
920 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “services”, the fifteenth time it appears, the
921 following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
922SECTION 66. Said item 7008-1116 of said section 2 of said chapter 140, as so amended,
923 is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “Boston, Inc.”, the third time it appears,
924 the following words:- and such funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
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925SECTION 67. Item 7010-1192 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
926 by inserting after the word “Harwich” the following words:- and such funds shall be made
927 available until June 30, 2026.
928SECTION 68. 8000-0313 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended by
929 inserting after the word “Millbury”, the second time it appears, the following words:- and such
930 funds shall be made available until June 30, 2026.
931SECTION 69. Item 8100-0102 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
932 by striking out the figure “$49,000,000”, each time it appears, and inserting in place thereof, in
933 each instance, the following figure:- $55,000,000.
934SECTION 70. Item 8324-0050 of said section 2 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended
935 by inserting after the word “Hanover” the following words:- and such funds shall be made
936 available until June 30, 2026.
937SECTION 71. Section 127 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended by striking out the
938 words “managed care organization reinvestment” and inserting in place thereof the following
939 words:- Medicaid managed care organization.
940SECTION 72. Said section 127 of said chapter 140 is hereby further amended by striking
941 out the words “total managed care organization services assessment” and inserting in place
942 thereof the following words:- non-Medicaid managed care organization revenue.
943SECTION 73. Section 198 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended by striking out the
944 figure “2025” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 2026.
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945SECTION 74. Section 222 of said chapter 140 is hereby amended by striking out
946 subsection (a).
947SECTION 75. Said chapter 140 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 253
948 the following section:-
949Section 253A. Section 19 of said chapter 15D, as inserted by section 36, shall take effect
950 on July 1, 2023.
951SECTION 76. Item 1599-2625 of section 2A of chapter 1 of the acts of 2025 is hereby
952 amended by adding the following words:- ; and provided further, that the comptroller shall
953 transfer $5,995,058 from this item to the General Federal Grants Fund for the purposes of item
954 4000-0004 in the Massachusetts management accounting and reporting system.
955SECTION 77. Section 1 of chapter 7 of the acts of 2025 is hereby amended by adding the
956 following sentence:- These sums shall be made available through the fiscal year ending June 30,
957 2026.
958SECTION 78. Item 4200-0100 of section 2 of chapter 9 of the acts of 2025 is hereby
959 amended by striking out the words “the Connecticut Valley YouthBuild program” and inserting
960 in place thereof the following words:- New North Citizens Council, Inc. Youth Services.
961SECTION 79. Item 4403-2000 of said section 2 of said chapter 9 is hereby further
962 amended by striking out the words “prior appropriation continued”.
963SECTION 80. Item 4408-1000 of said section 2 of said chapter 9 is hereby further
964 amended by striking out the words “prior appropriation continued”.
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965SECTION 81. Item 4510-0110 of said section 2 of said chapter 9 is hereby amended by
966 striking out the words “a state primary care association qualified under section 330A(f)(1) of the
967 Public Health Service Act, as codified at 42 U.S.C. section 254c(f)(1)” and inserting in place
968 thereof the following words:- a state primary care association qualified under section 42 U.S.C.
969 254b(l).
970SECTION 82. Item 0321-1510 of said section 2 of said chapter 9, as amended by section
971 81 of chapter 14 of the acts of 2025, is hereby further amended by striking out the figure
972 “$2,000,000” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $3,000,000.
973SECTION 83. Item 0910-0200 of said section 2 of said chapter 9, as amended by sections
974 82 and 83 of chapter 14 of the acts of 2025, is hereby further amended adding the following
975 words:- ; provided further, that not later than June 30, 2026, the inspector general shall conduct
976 an investigation and submit a report to the house and senate clerks, the joint committee on public
977 safety and homeland security and the house and senate committees on ways and means that shall
978 include, but shall not be limited to: (i) a detailed accounting of expenditures made by the
979 sheriffs’ offices in fiscal year 2025; (ii) an analysis of sheriffs’ offices’ compliance with chapter
980 29 of the General Laws in fiscal year 2025; (iii) a review of spending by sheriffs’ offices on
981 activities not specifically required by statute, case law or court order and how such spending has
982 changed over time; (iv) an analysis of compensation levels and changes over the preceding 3
983 fiscal years, including comparisons among sheriffs’ offices and to the department of correction;
984 and (v) recommendations to ensure compliance with said chapter 29, if necessary, among
985 sheriffs’ offices; provided further, that each sheriff’s office shall comply with all requests from
986 the office of the inspector general for any information deemed necessary to conducting said
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987 investigation and submitting said report, including, but not limited to, requests for the production
988 of records.
989SECTION 84. Said item 0910-0200 of said section 2 of said chapter 9, as so amended, is
990 hereby further amended by striking out the figure “$6,256,039” and inserting in place thereof the
991 following figure:- $6,756,039.
992SECTION 85. Section 97 of chapter 14 of the acts of 2025 is hereby amended by striking
993 out the word “January” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- September.
994SECTION 86. (a) There shall be within the executive office of public safety and security
995 a sheriff fiscal oversight council.
996(b) The council shall consist of the secretary of public safety and security, who shall
997 serve as co-chair; the secretary of administration and finance, who shall serve as co-chair; and 3
998 members to be appointed by the governor, not less than 2 of whom shall have experience in the
999 operation of correctional facilities and 1 of whom shall have experience in state government
1000   finance. The oversight council shall meet and hire staff as they deem necessary to ensure proper
1001   oversight of sheriff operations and finances.
1002  (c) The council, in carrying out this section, shall have access to all records, documents,
1003   accounts, correspondence and any other data and material that is maintained by the sheriffs’
1004   offices or other state agencies that the council deems necessary. Not less than monthly, each
1005   sheriff shall provide the council with information on the status of the revenues and expenses for
1006   their office’s operating budget and on the status of revenues, contracting, procurement and
1007   authorized and actual spending for any capital projects. Such reports shall provide itemized year-
1008   to-date expenditures and detailed projections for anticipated expenses for the remainder of the
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1009   fiscal year and be in a form prescribed by the council. The council shall submit such monthly
1010   reports to the secretary of public safety and security, the secretary of administration and finance,
1011   the inspector general, the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the chairs of the
1012   senate and house committees on ways and means and the chairs of the joint committee on public
1013   safety and homeland security.
1014  (d) The council may set financial management metrics to ensure the fiscal and
1015   operational integrity of sheriff operations. The council may formulate and recommend a plan for
1016   a sheriff’s office to stabilize and strengthen its finances, management, operations and asset
1017   conditions with a focus on maintaining activities specifically required by statute, case law or
1018   court order while limiting cost growth year over year and ensuring total annual expenditures do
1019   not exceed annual state appropriations.
1020  (e) If a sheriff’s office fails to meet any financial management metrics or any a
1021   recommended plan prescribed under subsection (d), as determined by the council, the council
1022   shall take action to ensure the fiscal and operational integrity of such sheriff’s office, which may
1023   include, but shall not be limited to, the authority to: (i) appoint a receiver to take operational and
1024   managerial control of the applicable sheriff’s office; provided that such receiver shall have
1025   experience in the operation of correctional facilities; (ii) direct the comptroller not to certify any
1026   amounts for payment from a sheriff’s office; and (iii) prohibit a sheriff’s office from incurring
1027   any new expenditures or obligations without prior approval of the council for a period of time to
1028   be determined by the council.
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1029  (f) The council shall dissolve on January 1, 2028; provided, however, that by majority
1030   vote of the council, the council may continue in existence to a date or in increments as
1031   determined by the council beyond January 1, 2028.
1032  SECTION 87. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in fiscal year
1033   2025, the comptroller shall transfer $200,000,000 from income surtax revenue, as defined by
1034   subsection (a) of section 2BBBBBB of chapter 29 of the General Laws, to the Student
1035   Opportunity Act Investment Fund established in section 35RRR of chapter 10 of the General
1036   Laws.
1037  SECTION 88. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the
1038   comptroller shall, after making the required transfer under section 229 of chapter 140 of the acts
1039   of 2024, transfer the fiscal year 2025 consolidated net surplus pursuant to section 5C of chapter
1040   29 of the General Laws to the Deficiency Reserve Fund established in section 2MMMMMM of
1041   chapter 29 of the General Laws.
1042  SECTION 89. Notwithstanding section 68 of chapter 118E of the General Laws or any
1043   other general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of health and human services shall
1044   implement the health care-related assessment on managed care organization services, established
1045   under said section 68 of said chapter 118E, as a broad-based and uniform assessment, in
1046   accordance with 42 C.F.R. 433.68(b), with the managed care organization services assessment
1047   rate, as such term is defined in section 64 of said chapter 118E, implemented as the single broad-
1048   based and uniform rate applicable to all managed care organization services subject to
1049   assessment, as such term is defined in said section 64 of said chapter 118E. Upon converting the
1050   health care related assessment on managed care organization services to a broad-based and
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1051   uniform assessment applicable to all managed care services subject to assessment, as such term
1052   is defined in said section 64 of said chapter 118E, the initial managed care organization services
1053   assessment rate shall be equal to the rate that had been applicable to the tax group containing
1054   commercial managed care services immediately preceding the implementation of the broad-
1055   based and uniform application of the assessment. The managed care organization services
1056   assessment rate for each calendar year, beginning the first January 1 following the conversion of
1057   the health care related assessment on managed care organization services to a broad-based and
1058   uniform assessment, shall be broad-based and uniform across all managed care services subject
1059   to assessment and shall continue to be implemented in a manner consistent with 42 CFR 433.68.
1060  SECTION 90. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, section 18 of
1061   chapter 28 of the acts of 2023 shall not be in effect for the purposes of establishing the annual
1062   spending threshold set pursuant to subsection (f) of section 2BBBBBB of chapter 29 of the
1063   General Laws for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.
1064  SECTION 91. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, to the extent
1065   that immunization recommendations and requirements established in the commonwealth are
1066   conditioned upon alignment with the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on
1067   Immunization Practices of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
1068   commissioner of public health shall review said recommendations and requirements established
1069   in the commonwealth and shall, in consultation with the vaccine program advisory council
1070   established in section 24N of chapter 111 of the General Laws, establish alternative standards as
1071   the commissioner may deem necessary to assure the maintenance of public health and the
1072   prevention of disease in the commonwealth.
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1073  SECTION 92. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a
1074   moratorium on the destruction of hospital records pursuant to section 36 of chapter 123 of the
1075   General Laws until such time as the department of mental health promulgates regulations
1076   defining a public notice process for the destruction of such records, as required under said
1077   section 36 of said chapter 123.
1078  SECTION 93. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a
1079   moratorium on the destruction of hospital records pursuant to section 17 of chapter 123B of the
1080   General Laws until such time as the department of developmental services promulgates
1081   regulations defining a public notice process for the destruction of such records, as required under
1082   said section 17 of said chapter 123B.
1083  SECTION 94. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, at the direction
1084   of the secretary of administration and finance, the comptroller shall make tax revenue collected
1085   from capital gains income above the threshold established in section 5G of chapter 29 of the
1086   General Laws in fiscal year 2025 available to the General Fund in the amount necessary to
1087   eliminate any deficits in the budgetary funds pursuant to section 5C of said chapter 29. After
1088   satisfying the previous provision, the comptroller shall transfer any remaining excess capital
1089   gains income as follows: (i) 85 per cent to the Deficiency Reserve Fund established in section
1090   2MMMMMM of chapter 29 of the General Laws; (ii) 5 per cent to the Commonwealth’s Pension
1091   Liability Fund established in paragraph (e) of subdivision (8) of section 22 of chapter 32 of the
1092   General Laws; (iii) 5 per cent to the State Retiree Benefits Trust Fund established in section 24
1093   of chapter 32A of the General Laws; and (iv) 5 per cent to the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund
1094   established in section 2H of chapter 29 of the General Laws..
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1095  SECTION 95. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in fiscal year
1096   2025, the comptroller shall transfer $10,000,000 from the General Fund to the Massachusetts
1097   Life Sciences Center established in section 3 of chapter 23I of the General Laws for
1098   programming and operations that advance efforts related to life sciences and spur economic
1099   growth in the commonwealth.
1100  SECTION 96. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in fiscal year
1101   2025, the comptroller shall transfer $100,000,000 from income surtax revenue, as defined by
1102   subsection (a) of section 2BBBBBB of chapter 29 of the General Laws, to the Public Higher
1103   Education Student Support Fund established in section 2NNNNNN of chapter 29 of the General
1104   Laws.
1105  SECTION 97. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary
1106   of health and human services shall seek all required federal approvals the secretary deems
1107   necessary to implement sections 7, 8, 9, 23, 26, 27 and 28, including any required waivers under
1108   42 C.F.R. 433.68 necessary to implement the updates to the hospital assessment described in
1109   section 67 of chapter 118E of the General Laws. If, after having received any required federal
1110   approval necessary to implement said sections 7, 8, 9, 23, 26, 27 and 28, such approval is
1111   withdrawn or is otherwise not in effect or if the secretary determines that a change in federal law
1112   or regulations or the administration of any such federal law or regulation requires a modification
1113   to the hospital assessment described in said section 67 of said chapter 118E or to the
1114   implementation of the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 66 of said chapter
1115   118E, the Non-Acute Care Hospital Reimbursement Trust Fund established in section 2WWWW
1116   of chapter 29 of the General Laws, the Safety Net Provider Trust Fund established in section
1117   2AAAAA of said chapter 29, the Hospital Investment and Performance Trust Fund established in
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1118   section 2TTTTT of said chapter 29 or the Population Health Investment Trust Fund established
1119   in section 2UUUUU of said chapter 29, the secretary shall provide written notification to the
1120   joint committee on health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and
1121   means and shall collaborate with Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, Inc. to develop
1122   and consult on the implementation of alternatives.
1123  Not later than February 15, 2026, and annually thereafter, the secretary shall report to the
1124   joint committee on health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and
1125   means: (i) the amount of the assessment made and collected from each hospital pursuant to said
1126   section 67 of said chapter 118E; and (ii) the amounts transferred to, deposited in, expended from
1127   and transferred from the Hospital Investment and Performance Trust Fund established in said
1128   section 2TTTTT of said chapter 29 and the Population Health Investment Trust Fund established
1129   in said section 2UUUUU of said chapter 29.
1130  SECTION 98. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the
1131   comptroller, at the direction of the secretary of administration and finance, shall transfer in both
1132   fiscal year 2026 and 2027 $50,000,000 each such fiscal year from the Commonwealth Care Trust
1133   Fund established in section 2OOO of chapter 29 of the General Laws to the Health Safety Net
1134   Trust Fund established in section 66 of chapter 118E of the General Laws; provided, however,
1135   that such transfers shall be in addition to any other transfers from said Commonwealth Care
1136   Trust Fund to said Health Safety Net Trust Fund required in fiscal years 2026 or 2027; provided
1137   further, that such funds must be used first to reduce the shortfall, as described in subsection (b)
1138   of section 69 of said chapter 118E, for health safety net fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and that any
1139   remaining funds may be used to reduce the shortfall in any other open health safety net fiscal
1140   year; and provided further, that the amount equal to any federal financial participation revenues
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1141   claimed and received by the commonwealth for eligible expenditures made from said Health
1142   Safety Net Trust Fund with these funds transferred from said Commonwealth Care Trust Fund
1143   shall be credited to said Health Safety Net Trust Fund.
1144  SECTION 99. On or before November 30, 2025, the secretary of administration and
1145   finance, in consultation with the executive office of health and human services, shall estimate the
1146   amount of federal reimbursements claimed or anticipated to be claimed but not yet received in
1147   connection with costs incurred or balances designated in fiscal year 2025 from chapter 33 of the
1148   acts of 2025. For the purposes of certifying the amount of the consolidated net surplus in the
1149   budgetary funds at the close of fiscal year 2025 pursuant to section 5C of chapter 29 of the
1150   General Laws, the comptroller shall record the estimates for each budgetary fund made pursuant
1151   to this section as statutory receivables in fiscal year 2025.
1152  SECTION 100. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, for fiscal year
1153   2025, all abandoned property net revenue, as defined by section 5H of chapter 29 of the General
1154   Laws, shall remain in the General Fund.
1155  SECTION 101. (a) Notwithstanding sections 32 to 37, inclusive, of chapter 7C of the
1156   General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the commissioner of capital
1157   asset management and maintenance, in consultation with the court administrator of the trial court
1158   of the commonwealth, may convey certain adjacent parcels of land in the city of Framingham
1159   acquired for the purpose of erecting a building for the first district court of southern Middlesex
1160   for nominal consideration to the city of Framingham; provided, however, that the commissioner
1161   shall not convey said parcels until: (i) the completion of a regional justice center at 121 Union
1162   avenue in the city of Framingham; and (ii) a determination by the commissioner, in consultation
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1163   with the court administrator, that the parcels are surplus to the needs of the trial court. The
1164   parcels are located at 600 and 602 Concord street in the city of Framingham and are further
1165   described in deeds recorded in the Middlesex southern district registry of deeds in book 7816,
1166   page 107 and book 9859, page 328. The parcels shall be conveyed by deed without warranties or
1167   representations by the commonwealth and without restrictions on use or future conveyance by
1168   the city. The conveyance shall be subject to such additional conditions and restrictions as the
1169   commissioner, in consultation with the court administrator, may determine. The commissioner
1170   may, in consultation with the court administrator, determine the exact boundaries of the parcels
1171   prior to conveyance.
1172  (b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the city of Framingham
1173   shall be responsible for all costs and expenses of any transaction authorized by this section as
1174   determined by the commissioner of capital asset management and maintenance, including, but
1175   not limited to, the costs of any engineering, surveys, appraisals, title examinations, recording fees
1176   and deed preparation.
1177  SECTION 102. The salary adjustments and other economic benefits authorized by the
1178   following collective bargaining agreements shall be effective for the purposes of section 7 of
1179   chapter 150E of the General Laws:
1180  (1) the agreement between the University of Massachusetts and the Clerical/Technical
1181   Unit (CTU), MTA, Unit L92, effective from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027;
1182  (2) the agreement between the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) and the
1183   Barnstable County Captain Union, National Correctional Employees Union (NCEU), Unit L152,
1184   effective from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027;
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1185  (3) the agreement between the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) and the
1186   National Correctional Employees Union, Unit SB1, effective from July 1, 2024 through June 30,
1187   2027;
1188  (4) the agreement between the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office and the National
1189   Correctional Employees Union Local 150, Unit S10, effective from July 1, 2024 through June
1190   30, 2027;
1191  (5) the agreement between the Dukes County Sheriff's Office and the Massachusetts
1192   Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU), Unit SD1, effective from July 1, 2025 to June
1193   30, 2028;
1194  (6) the agreement between the University of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts
1195   Teachers Association/Department Chairs (DCU), Boston Campus, Unit B50, effective from July
1196   1, 2024 through June 30, 2027; and
1197  (7) the agreement between the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office and the New England
1198   Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) Local 193, Unit SP5, effective from July 1, 2024
1199   through June 30, 2027.
1200  SECTION 103. Sections 10, 24, 25, 71, 72 and 89 shall take effect on the later of: (i) the
1201   effective date of amendments to 42 CFR 433.68 disallowing the higher taxation of Medicaid
1202   taxable units as compared to non-Medicaid taxable units; or (ii) the end of any federally
1203   established or approved transition period applicable to the health care related assessment on
1204   managed care organization services, established under section 68 of chapter 118E of the General
1205   Laws, as amended by section 130 of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024. The executive office of
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1206   health and human services shall notify the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate
1207   not later than 10 days after the effective date pursuant to this section.
1208  SECTION 104. Sections 7, 8, 9, 23, 26, 27, 28 and 97, shall take effect upon the later of:
1209   (i) the date on which the secretary receives all federal approvals deemed necessary to implement
1210   said sections; or (ii) October 1, 2025.
1211  SECTION 105. Section 98 shall take effect October 1, 2025.
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