Malden Delegation Uses Fair Share Revenue to Fund Projects in Malden

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Paul Donato, Steven Ultrino, and Kate Lipper-Garabedian joined their colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to pass a $1.56 billion supplemental budget primarily using Fair Share revenue from the state’s wealthiest earners to ease pressure caused by strained local school budgets and invest in education and transportation projects across the state, alongside new policy to lower housing costs and support immigrants.

The Malden delegation was able to include $900,000 specifically allocated for the City of Malden:

• $300,000 for materials, equipment, and capital improvements for Malden Public Schools.
• $300,000 for Triangle Inc.’s School-to-Career program that connects students with disabilities to services designed to enhance their job and career opportunities.
• $200,000 for road and intersection improvements to enhance safety for pedestrians and other road users.
• $100,000 for traffic signal repairs and upgrades.

The legislation increases local reimbursements for special education services, sends significant funding to cities and towns to help with the costs of major winter storms, cuts taxes to jumpstart housing construction, and supports the operation of the MBTA, including the low-income fare relief program.

“This bill once again shows the amazing success of the Fair Share Amendment in action,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “The legislature is providing cities and towns with increased funding to support their local budgets, equipping the MBTA with critical funds, and sending Malden $900,000 for local projects.”

“We are very proud to be able to obtain this Fair Share Revenue funding for Malden,” said House Second Assistant Majority Leader Paul Donato. “This money will be critical to use in projects throughout the city and continuing to make much needed improvements for our residents.”

“Amid growing uncertainty surrounding federal support, I am pleased that the Malden delegation successfully secured $900,000 in local funding through the Fair Share Amendment,” said House Chair Steven Ultrino. “These critical investments will support essential upgrades to our public safety, infrastructure, and local schools.”

“This supplemental budget funded through Fair Share funds provides key investments in education and transportation, including targeted earmarks for Malden. This funding will support capital improvements, materials, and equipment across the Malden Public Schools, providing students with enhanced learning spaces. It also includes road and intersection improvements and traffic signal repairs and upgrades to continue to improve the safety and quality of our local streets and communities,” said House Chair Kate Lipper-Garabedian. “I’m further pleased to join the legislature in championing statewide investments for our education ecosystem and transportation, including meaningful funding for Early Education and Care, as well as the MBTA.”

State-wide highlights of the supplemental budget include:

• $595 million to the MBTA for operational funding, commuter rail improvements, and the low-income fare relief program.
• $152 million to municipalities to help with the cost of special education services.
• $150 million to support high-quality and accessible early education and care.
• $100 million to help towns and cities recover from an extraordinarily costly winter.
• $40 million for early literacy initiatives.
• $10 million to address Massachusetts’ shrinking primary care workforce through scholarships for UMass Chan Medical School students pursuing family medicine if they commit to remaining in Massachusetts and serving populations in need for five years after graduation.
• $10 million for the Tomorrow's Teachers program to encourage young educators to work in Massachusetts by investing in scholarships and loan forgiveness to educators who commit to teaching in Massachusetts public schools.
• $1 million to help public schools implement bell-to-bell cell-phone free school policies.
• $1 million for free legal defense services for immigrants (allocated from the state’s general funds), following the success of the legislature’s initial $5 million investment that created the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative.
• Incentivizing new affordable, moderate-income, and middle-income housing construction through a new targeted sales tax exemption for building materials in areas with the greatest need, designed to help offset rising costs driven by tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.
• Encouraging the use of sustainable aviation fuel through a new tax credit to help Massachusetts work toward its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

After passing in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, this legislation was signed into law on June 12, 2026 by Governor Maura Healey.