Healey Files Legislation to Suspend Gas Tax
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday filed legislation to lower costs at the gas pump, when buying concert and sports tickets, and on electric bills, while also making investments to strengthen health care, maternal health, food assistance and public safety.
The legislation includes Healey's proposal to suspend the state gas tax for two months. The war in Iran has driven up prices over 50 percent since February. It also includes her Great Divide Act, which caps ticket resale prices and fees and bans speculative tickets, as well as $2.25 million to strengthen postpartum care and mental health support for mothers and families across Massachusetts.
The bill includes changes to how utility companies purchase electricity for customers on basic service, which is estimated to save ratepayers $610 million, as well as $41.5 million for the Department of Transitional Assistance for caseworkers and technological upgrades to help people stay enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) despite President Donald Trump's cuts.
The legislation also provides critical funding for MassHealth, public safety and other state services. In total, it will enable the state to close Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) with a balanced budget by appropriating $2.24 billion in gross spending, at a net cost to the state of $1.46 billion after revenue offsets.
"While President Trump is driving up costs with his war and tariffs, in Massachusetts, we're doing everything we can to make life more affordable for people and businesses," said Healey in a statement. "This budget will lower costs at the gas pump, when buying concert and sports tickets, and on energy bills, while also making sure families can continue to access the health care, food assistance and services they rely on."
If passed, the legislation would suspend the state's 24-cent-per-gallon gas tax for two months, providing immediate relief for residents and truckers. The law will require gas stations to lower prices to reflect the suspended tax and ensure that drivers see the savings at the pump. The estimated $120 million in revenue will be replaced with a portion of unbudgeted, surplus fiscal year 2027 Fair Share surtax collections. For reference, in FY26 there was nearly $1 billion in Fair Share surplus funds available. This means that no ongoing or planned transportation projects financed through the Commonwealth Transportation Fund will be impacted. The Commonwealth will also remain compliant with its CTF bond obligations.
Great Divide Act
The Great Divide Act caps the resale price of concert tickets at 110 percent of the price of the face value of the original ticket. It also limits the service fees and charges that can be imposed by ticket resellers like StubHub and SeatGeek to no more than 10 percent of the total price of the ticket for resale. It prohibits the sale of speculative tickets, which are tickets that are not in the possession of the seller when they are listed for sale. Finally, it implements additional consumer protections measures, including prohibiting the use of deceptive websites by ticket resellers and misleading consumers about the availability of tickets.
Lowering Electricity Costs
Under the current process, electricity costs can fluctuate significantly because of seasonal demand and global conflict. Healey's proposal would give the Department of Public Utilities and electric utilities more flexibility over when they buy electricity and how far in advance they purchase it, helping to reduce price spikes and lower costs.
Protecting Access to Food Assistance
The legislation provides $41.5 million in resources to support the DTA's administration of SNAP and help ensure eligible residents can continue accessing their food benefits.
That includes $26.6 million to support DTA caseworkers, maintain the 78 additional caseworkers hired in the past year and hire 10 more. The proposal also includes an additional $14.9 million to support technology improvements and additional staff support to improve payment accuracy and help the department meet new federal requirements.
Strengthening Maternal Mental Health and Postpartum Care
The proposal provides $2 million to expand the Department of Public Health's Welcome Family optional home visiting program statewide and $250,000 to strengthen the Department of Mental Health's Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms, known as MCPAP for Moms.
Welcome Family is a free and voluntary program available to connect parents and caregivers with a maternal and child health nurse if they choose to access these services after a baby is born. Nurses can check on the health of the parent and baby, answer questions about newborn care and feeding, screen for mental health concerns and connect families with additional support. The expansion would make a Welcome Family visit available statewide while keeping participation voluntary.
The additional MCPAP for Moms funding would expand provider training and education, support data collection around postpartum psychosis and help healthcare providers recognize mental health concerns earlier and connect patients with care sooner.
Other Proposals and Closing Fiscal Year 2026
This legislation also addresses time-sensitive funding needs for public health hospitals, Department of Correction operations, public safety and other critical state services. It would establish a Health Care Stabilization Fund to help Massachusetts respond to emerging healthcare needs and federal policy changes, provide additional funding for fire service grants in New Bedford, and remove barriers for veterans seeking medical marijuana licenses.
The legislation also proposes updates to several laws governing how corporations are formed and operated in Massachusetts, helping to ensure the state remains a leading place to start and grow a business.
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