Yesterday, the MA House voted to pass its FY 2026 budget proposal 151 to 6, with the only dissent from the most conservative Republicans.
In the preceding debate, state representatives filed 1,650 amendments to the budget. However, few of them received meaningful discussion or debate, let alone adoption.
The House uses a process known as “consolidation,” by which amendments in a subject area are gathered together, tossed aside, and replaced with a series of earmarks or other preferred text from Leadership. Only rarely are any of such amendments actually included in that package. 1,572 amendments were consolidated into a set of seven such amendments.
Of the remaining amendments, 54 amendments were withdrawn, 22 were rejected, and 2 were laid aside on a point of order.
Republicans demanded several recorded votes, and their harmful amendments were defeated in mostly party line votes. Of note among the recorded votes:
VOTED DOWN: 128 to 26 against a Republican effort to defund and undermine No Cost Calls (Roll Call 34, Amdt 616). Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) joined Republicans in voting for it.
VOTED DOWN: 129 to 26 against a Republican amendment to seek a ruling from the Supreme Judicial Court on the constitutionality of 40B (Roll Call 35, Amdt 1643). Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) joined Republicans in voting for it.
VOTED DOWN: 130 to 25 against a Republican effort to undermine public safety by enabling state and local law enforcement to conduct ICE detainers (Roll Call 36, Amdt 554).
VOTED DOWN: 129 to 27 against a Republican effort to impose xenophobic restrictions on emergency shelter access (Roll Call 37, Amdt 417). Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut) and Rep. Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury) joined Republicans.
VOTED DOWN: 128 to 27 against a Republican effort to undermine enforcement of the MBTA Communities Act (Roll Call 38, Amdt 606). Rep. Jenny Armini (D-Marblehead), Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), and Rep. Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury) joined Republicans.
VOTED DOWN: 126 to 30 against a Republican effort to delay the implementation of the MBTA Communities Act (Roll Call 39, Amdt 411). Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), Rep. Dennis Gallagher (D-Bridgewater), Rep. Steve Ouellette (D-Westport), Rep. Dave Robertson (D-Tewksbury), and Rep. Richard Wells (D-Milton) joined Republicans.
VOTED DOWN: 136 to 21 against a Republican amendment to make the state’s greenhouse gas emissions targets non-binding (Roll Call 45, Amdt 404). Rep. Kim Ferguson (R-Holden), Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading), Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury), and Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) joined Democrats.
