Executive Office of Public Safety seeks funding amid DOC staffing, training and election-security costs

Secretary Terrence Reedy, head of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, presented the Healy-Driscoll administration’s FY26 House 1 (H1) budget for the secretariat and its agencies, saying the package “reaffirms a deep commitment to delivering essential public safety services” while also highlighting budgetary pressures. The secretariat’s total was presented as $1,700,000,000, described in testimony as a 7% increase over FY25; House 1 includes specific reductions that the secretary said will force prioritization and follow‑up requests. Reedy told committee members the written testimony contains agency‑by‑agency detail and pledged follow‑up where questions could not be answered at the hearing.

Why it matters: The secretariat funds state police, the Department of Correction (DOC), emergency management, and public‑safety training. Committee members pressed agency heads on corrections staffing, training costs for municipal departments, the state’s role in immigration enforcement actions, and large event planning such as FIFA World Cup security — all items that could require additional state or federal resources.

Corrections and staffing: Commissioner Sean Jenkins of the Department of Correction described operational changes at MCI Souza (Souza Baranowski), the state’s maximum‑security facility, and said his priorities include reducing population at that facility, installing a new management team focused on security operations, removing items that could be manufactured for misuse, strengthening roll‑call communications, and keeping rapid‑response teams ready. Jenkins said the department has “worked really hard” on screening, protective procedures and a rapid response team in the wake of past incidents. He also emphasized recruiting and wellness: “It is recruiting new correctional officers and leadership, and keeping them,” Jenkins said, adding that the stress on staff and families is a central challenge.

ICE, federal law and one Supreme Judicial Court decision: Multiple members asked whether state resources had been used in recent immigration enforcement actions. Reedy responded that the Massachusetts State Police and other state agencies were not involved in the operation described by members, and stressed state statutory limits on civil immigration enforcement. On a related point, Reedy told the committee the state’s biggest lever for addressing some federal‑state friction may be the Supreme Judicial Court’s Lund decision and urged legislative consideration: “That decision which could, potentially alleviate some of the stressor in the pressure that seems to be building between not just Massachusetts and the federal government … we need to have a discussion and a debate,” he said.

Police training costs and municipal budgets: Representatives and senators pressed officials about municipal training costs. Amy Joy Maffei, the secretariat’s chief strategy / CFO in testimony, said the state rebalanced tuition at the Massachusetts Police Training Council (MPTC) to reflect the full cost of instruction; she told the committee that the cost shift to municipalities to cover tuition equates to about $2,800,000 in savings that the commission sought through a cost‑share change. MPTC executive staff explained the increase is intended to fund more regionally distributed training and reduce travel and overtime burdens for small towns, but municipal leaders expressed concern about the immediate impact on volunteer and part‑time departments.

Large events and federal funding: Committee members asked about security funding for FIFA World Cup matches scheduled in the Commonwealth. Reedy said those event costs are not included in H1 and that the state is relying on federal assurances for much of the incremental security funding: “The short answer is it’s not contained in this budget. The funding primarily should be coming from the federal government,” he said, adding that if federal funding is not forthcoming the state will face “a significant, significant issue.”

What’s next: Reedy and agency heads offered to follow up with written responses and agency heads committed to supply additional details on contracts, personnel costs and capital needs. Reedy also asked members to consider the uncertain federal fiscal outlook and the potential need for rapid responses should federal funding or priorities change.

Sources: Testimony by Terrence Reedy, Secretary, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security; testimony by Sean Jenkins, Commissioner, Department of Correction; Amy Joy Maffei, CFO/strategy; and agency heads present at the Ways and Means hearing in Clinton.