House passes $61 billion conference report, funds schools, transit and housing

The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to approve a $61 billion conference committee report on the fiscal 2026 budget, advancing a package of appropriations that increases fair-share education spending and allocates new funds for transit, housing and immigration legal assistance.

Representative Michaelitz of Boston, the chamber member who presented the report, urged colleagues to adopt the measure and described the package as fiscally responsible. "This $61,000,000,000 budget ... represents a reduction of nearly $1,000,000,000 from House 1 and nearly $500,000,000 below either branch's original bottom line," he said, adding the conference committee increased total fair-share spending and shifted some Chapter 70 spending to surtax revenue.

The bill moves major sums to education and transportation. The conference report funds the fifth year of the Student Opportunity Act and sets Chapter 70 funding at $7.3 billion, while increasing…