Massachusetts Senate passes $189 million supplemental to pay childcare providers

The Massachusetts Senate voted Thursday to pass S.2521, a supplemental appropriations bill that includes approximately $189 million intended to cover a shortfall in payments to early education and childcare providers.

The supplemental bill passed on a roll-call vote with 39 senators recorded in the affirmative and none opposed after the Senate adopted the bill's emergency preamble. The Senate clerk recorded multiple members voting "yes," and the measure was described on the floor as time-sensitive to ensure providers receive scheduled June payments.

Why it matters: Senate leaders said the supplemental is needed to make providers whole before the end of the fiscal year on June 30. The chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means described the measure as a time-sensitive appropriation and urged members to approve it so childcare providers would be paid on schedule. The chair also said the spending came originally in a supplemental filed by the governor in April.

Discussion on the floor focused on why the shortfall occurred and broader fiscal context. A senator identified the funding gap and asked the chair for an explanation of the amount and whether steps are being taken to avoid similar late shortfalls in the future. The chair of Ways and Means told members the bill provides about $189,000,000 and characterized the measure as a partial report-out intended to ensure immediate payments; the remainder of supplemental spending would be considered later.

The chair also addressed the Senate on overall revenue collections for fiscal year 2025, saying the Commonwealth stood about $1.1 billion above the benchmark but with important caveats: much of that excess is from the "fair share" (millionaire) tax and excess capital gains revenue, which carry restrictions or traditional deposits into the stabilization fund and are therefore not fully available for general operational spending.

Procedural actions related to the day's business included the appointment of a committee of conference on the House general appropriations bill and referrals of other petitions and measures to standing committees; several resolutions recognizing sister-state relationships and scholarship recipients were adopted without recorded opposition.

Votes at a glance - S.2521, "An act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplemental certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects": Passed to be enacted; roll call recorded 39 ayes, 0 nays. Emergency preamble adopted. The measure will be sent to the governor for consideration. - Multiple resolutions (sister-state recognitions, scholarship recognitions): Adopted (ayes have it). - Committee appointments and referrals (e.g., committee of conference on House bill H.4001): Adopted (procedural actions taken).

The Senate president ordered the bill to be sent to the governor after passage. Sponsors and floor managers said they intend to continue work on remaining supplemental items in the coming weeks, while prioritizing immediate payments to childcare providers.

(Reporting details: the floor discussion identifying the childcare payment deficiency and the amount of the supplemental took place during consideration of S.2521. The roll-call that finalized passage recorded 39 affirmative votes.)