The administration told the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources that the Mass Ready Act would authorize $3,000,000,000 in bond spending to “protect our state's future and improve our residents' quality of life.” Lieutenant Governor (speaker, unnamed in transcript) introduced the package, framing it as investments in climate resiliency, parks and recreational assets, water systems, and streamlined permitting.

Why it matters: administration witnesses said the bill combines authorizations for ongoing programs with new tools — a resiliency revolving loan fund, more permissive permitting pathways for priority housing and nature‑based projects, and dedicated money for parks and drinking‑water upgrades — to reduce future disaster costs and speed construction of housing and restoration projects.

Details the administration highlighted include authorizations to repair culverts and remove old dams, $764,000,000 for Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) core infrastructure, $385,000,000 for drinking and wastewater system upgrades, $120,000,000 for PFAS remediation and private well assistance, and $340,000,000 for open‑space and land conservation. Offices listed as responsible for program design included the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), DCR, and the Clean Water Trust.

Administration officials repeatedly emphasized that bond authorizations do not obligate spending immediately and that actual borrowing must fit within the state’s debt‑affordability framework. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew Gorkowitz explained authorizations expand capacity but do not equal immediate appropriations, noting the state programs already in the five‑year SIP and the role of the Debt Affordability Committee.

The package pairs funding with regulatory changes. EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper and other witnesses described steps to accelerate environmental permits for restoration and “priority housing” while retaining guardrails. They also proposed flood disclosure requirements so buyers and renters know if a property has flooded previously. The administration said permitting and grant reforms would help towns leverage scarce local budgets and federal funding that administration witnesses said are increasingly uncertain.

Next steps: The committee took extensive testimony from conservation groups, municipal officials, housing and developer advocates, and environmental justice and public‑health organizations. Testimony ranged from requesting larger authorizations for specific programs — notably the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program and DCR parks funding — to asking for statutory protections or clarifications on topics such as salt‑marsh restoration permitting, forest reserves, and water infrastructure eligibility. Committee members signaled further questions and amendments ahead of committee votes.