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Reported by us | New Bedford

Legislator Watch: House's $2.35 billion budget names no new money for South Coast towns

Of seven requests South Coast representatives filed for their communities, the House kept only more time to spend $25,000 already set aside for a Fall River sign. The Senate committee's version, sent to the full Senate Oct. 29, carries none of the seven.

By the SC360 Town Hall Desk | Published Oct. 30, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 30, 2026, 3:24 p.m. ET

NEW BEDFORD The $2.35 billion spending bill the Massachusetts House passed Wednesday, Oct. 21, names no new money for any South Coast city or town. South Coast representatives filed seven amendments for their own communities, and the House's final text carries one of them: more time to spend $25,000 a 2025 budget law already set aside for replacing the "welcome to Fall River" sign on Route 24.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee sent its own $2.48 billion version to the full Senate on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Senate is scheduled to take up the bill Thursday, Nov. 5, and the two chambers then have to agree on one text before it goes to the governor.

What South Coast representatives asked for

Five of the 13 representatives whose districts take in South Coast communities filed amendments for those communities. Each was listed under consolidated amendment B, a package that let the House settle more than 130 amendments with one vote. Being listed there did not add an amendment's words to the bill; only what the package's own text spelled out became part of it.

Reps. Antonio Cabral (D-13th Bristol), Lisa Field (D-3rd Bristol), John Gaskey (R-2nd Plymouth), Christopher Hendricks (D-11th Bristol), Christopher Markey (D-9th Bristol), Norman Orrall (R-12th Bristol), Alan Silvia (D-7th Bristol) and Justin Thurber (R-5th Bristol) filed no amendments of their own.

Package B added $4 million in spending: $1 million for the state's Fair Housing Fund, $1 million for a community schools program run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and $2 million more for a line item in a budget law passed earlier in 2026, raising it from $3 million to $5 million. Most of the rest of its text gave towns and groups around the state more time to spend money from earlier budgets, the Fall River sign among them. The Senate committee's version carries none of the seven South Coast requests, the Fall River extension included. New Bedford Guide reported Friday that the Westport and Fairhaven requests were left out.

Sheriffs' reserves and Engine 9

The House left out the two reserves Gov. Maura Healey asked for in her Sept. 23 bill to cover county sheriffs' costs, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee put both back in its Oct. 29 version. Our story on the Senate committee's sheriffs' reserves has the details.

Both versions also keep a $2 million reserve "to support public safety in the commonwealth" that New Bedford's lawmakers say will carry $1.3 million for Fire Station 9 and Engine 9, though neither version names the city. Our Oct. 29 story has the details.

How South Coast representatives voted

The House took five roll calls on the bill Oct. 21. On final passage, roll call No. 275, the bill passed 152 to 0, with 12 of the 13 South Coast members voting yes. Markey is recorded as not voting on all five roll calls. On package B, roll call No. 274, adopted 143 to 8, 10 South Coast members voted yes, while Howitt and Orrall voted no.

The table adds Field, Orrall and Gallagher, whose districts take in Taunton, Berkley, Lakeville and Raynham, to the 10 members in our first Legislator Watch on the bill, which explains each amendment. Field voted no on the gas tax holiday and on striking the offshore wind transfer and yes on the other three. Orrall voted yes on the gas tax holiday, striking the transfer, package A and passage, and no on package B. Gallagher voted yes on the gas tax holiday, no on striking the transfer and yes on both packages and passage.

South Coast House votes on the supplemental budget, Wednesday, Oct. 21
RepresentativeNo. 271 gas tax holidayNo. 272 strike offshore wind transferNo. 273 package ANo. 274 package BNo. 275 House passage
Antonio Cabral (D-13th Bristol)NoNoYesYesYes
Lisa Field (D-3rd Bristol)NoNoYesYesYes
Carole Fiola (D-6th Bristol)NoNoYesYesYes
Dennis Gallagher (D-8th Plymouth)YesNoYesYesYes
John Gaskey (R-2nd Plymouth)YesYesNoYesYes
Christopher Hendricks (D-11th Bristol)NoNoYesYesYes
Steven Howitt (R-4th Bristol)YesYesNoNoYes
Christopher Markey (D-9th Bristol)Not votingNot votingNot votingNot votingNot voting
Norman Orrall (R-12th Bristol)YesYesYesNoYes
Steven Ouellette (D-8th Bristol)YesNoYesYesYes
Alan Silvia (D-7th Bristol)YesNoYesYesYes
Mark Sylvia (D-10th Bristol)NoNoYesYesYes
Justin Thurber (R-5th Bristol)YesYesNoYesYes

Who represents the South Coast in the House

Several communities are split among districts, so a resident's representative depends on the precinct. The South Coast communities in each district:

What happens next

The full Senate takes up its version Thursday, Nov. 5. As of Friday afternoon, the only Senate amendment on file was the committee's own text, and senators can still file floor amendments, local requests included. After the Senate votes, the House and Senate have to settle one bill, including whether the Fall River sign extension stays in, before it goes to Healey.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact about the bill comes from the Legislature's own records: the House-passed H.5700 text and bill history, the Senate Ways and Means text S.3290 and its summary, the governor's H.5679, the House Ways and Means report on H.5699, consolidated amendment B, the seven South Coast amendments and the withdrawn Amendment 126, the House amendment list and the Senate amendment list. We searched the House and Senate texts for every South Coast community by name and for each amendment's own words. Votes come from the House Yea and Nay sheets, Nos. 271 to 275. Districts and parties come from each member's page on malegislature.gov. We read them on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, 2026. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (37)

  1. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5700, the supplemental budget as passed to be engrossed by the House, Oct. 21, 2026 (text filed Oct. 22)Section 81I: item 7008-1116 of chapter 9 of the acts of 2025 amended after the words "route 24" so the funds are available until June 30, 2027. No sheriffs' reserve items 1599-8910 or 1599-8925. No South Coast city or town named. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  2. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5700 bill historyOct. 21, 2026: passed to be engrossed 152 YEAS to 0 NAYS (Yea and Nay No. 275). Oct. 26: referred to Senate Ways and Means. Oct. 29: committee recommended the text of S3290; placed in the Orders of the Day for Thursday, November 5, 2026. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  3. Massachusetts Legislature: Senate amendments to H.5700Displaying 1 Senate amendment: S.3290, Ways and Means. Read Oct. 30, 2026, early afternoon.
  4. Massachusetts Legislature: S.3290, Senate Ways and Means text (Oct. 29, 2026)Direct appropriations $2,476,841,267.00; signed for the committee by Michael J. Rodrigues. Sheriffs' reserve items 1599-8910 and 1599-8925 restored. Item 1599-0911, "For a reserve to support public safety in the commonwealth", $2,000,000. None of the seven South Coast requests; no "route 24" extension. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  5. Massachusetts Legislature: committee summary posted with S.3290Summary of the committee's changes, the sheriffs' reserves among them. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  6. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5679, Gov. Maura Healey's supplemental budget bill (filed Sept. 23, 2026)Filed Sept. 23, 2026; sheriffs' reserve items 1599-8910 and 1599-8925. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  7. Massachusetts Legislature: H.5699, House Ways and Means report (Oct. 20, 2026)Total Appropriation $2,347,185,299.00. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  8. H.5699 Consolidated Amendment B (full text)Fiscal note $4,000,000; lists Amendments 73, 104, 130, 155, 156, 157 and 159 among those consolidated; $1,000,000 Fair Housing Fund; $1,000,000 community schools program; Section 81I ("route 24" extension to June 30, 2027); Section 84B raises item 7002-0025 of chapter 137 of the acts of 2026 from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  9. H.5699 Amendment 155, Fall River Museum of Arts and Culture (Fiola)Not less than $30,000 to the Fall River Museum of Arts and Culture; cosponsor Steven J. Ouellette. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  10. H.5699 Amendment 156, Freetown Economic Development Study (Fiola)Not less than $70,000 to the town of Freetown for a comprehensive evaluation to assist in economic development planning; cosponsor Ouellette. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  11. H.5699 Amendment 157, City of Fall River Signage PAC (Fiola)Extends the $25,000 for the city of Fall River for replacement of the welcome to Fall River sign on state highway route 24 to June 30, 2027; cosponsor Ouellette. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  12. H.5699 Amendment 73, Westport Fire replacement of the EMA vehicle (Ouellette)Up to $70,000 for the replacement of the Westport Fire Department's Emergency Management Division's 20 year-old vehicle. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  13. H.5699 Amendment 159, Town of Fairhaven real-time odor monitoring (Sylvia)Not less than $30,000 to the Fairhaven board of public works for a real-time hydrogen sulfide notification sensor near the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  14. H.5699 Amendment 126 (withdrawn), Town of Fairhaven real-time odor monitoring (Sylvia)Earlier version, $30,000 within item 1599-0911; withdrawn. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  15. H.5699 Amendment 104, Seekonk HVAC PAC (Howitt)Extends item 8000-0313 of chapter 9 of the acts of 2025 after the word Seekonk to June 30, 2027. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  16. H.5699 Amendment 130, Raynham Public Safety Building (Gallagher)Not less than $50,000 to the town of Raynham to support construction of the new public safety building. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  17. Massachusetts House: H.5699 amendment listSponsors and status of every amendment; Amendments 73, 104, 130, 155 to 157 and 159 "Consolidated B"; 126 withdrawn; 137 amendments marked "Consolidated B"; no amendments sponsored by Cabral, Field, Gaskey, Hendricks, Markey, Orrall, Silvia or Thurber. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  18. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 271 (amendment 160, gas tax holiday)30 yeas, 122 nays. South Coast: Gallagher, Gaskey, Howitt, Orrall, Ouellette, Silvia, Thurber Y; Cabral, Field, Fiola, Hendricks, Sylvia N; Markey not voting. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  19. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 272 (amendment 183, strike the offshore wind transfer)25 yeas, 127 nays. South Coast: Gaskey, Howitt, Orrall, Thurber Y; Cabral, Field, Fiola, Gallagher, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia N; Markey not voting. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  20. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 273 (consolidated amendment A)132 yeas, 19 nays. South Coast: Cabral, Field, Fiola, Gallagher, Hendricks, Orrall, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia Y; Gaskey, Howitt, Thurber N; Markey not voting. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  21. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 274 (consolidated amendment B)143 yeas, 8 nays. South Coast: Cabral, Field, Fiola, Gallagher, Gaskey, Hendricks, Ouellette, Silvia, Sylvia, Thurber Y; Howitt, Orrall N; Markey not voting. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  22. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 275 (passing to be engrossed)152 yeas, 0 nays. South Coast: all Y except Markey, not voting. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  23. Rep. Antonio F. D. Cabral, 13th Bristol: districtWards and precincts of New Bedford only. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  24. Rep. Carole A. Fiola, 6th Bristol: districtParts of Fall River and Precinct 1 of Freetown. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  25. Rep. John R. Gaskey, 2nd Plymouth: districtCarver, part of Middleborough and the town of Wareham. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  26. Rep. Christopher Hendricks, 11th Bristol: districtWards and precincts of New Bedford only. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  27. Rep. Christopher M. Markey, 9th Bristol: districtDartmouth and Ward 1 Precincts D, E and F of New Bedford. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  28. Rep. Steven J. Ouellette, 8th Bristol: districtParts of Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown and New Bedford, and the town of Westport. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  29. Rep. Alan Silvia, 7th Bristol: districtWards and precincts of Fall River only. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  30. Rep. Mark D. Sylvia, 10th Bristol: districtPart of Acushnet, Fairhaven, part of New Bedford, Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  31. Rep. Lisa Field, 3rd Bristol: districtParts of Easton and wards and precincts of Taunton. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  32. Rep. Norman Orrall, 12th Bristol: districtBerkley, Ward 3 and Ward 4 precincts of Taunton, Lakeville and part of Middleborough. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  33. Rep. Dennis Gallagher, 8th Plymouth: districtRaynham and Bridgewater. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  34. Rep. Justin Thurber, 5th Bristol: districtDighton, Somerset, Precincts 1 to 3 of Swansea and parts of Taunton. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  35. Rep. Steven Howitt, 4th Bristol: districtPart of Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Precincts 4 and 5 of Swansea. Read Oct. 30, 2026.
  36. Massachusetts House: member listDistrict and party for each representative named. Read Oct. 23, 2026; rechecked Oct. 30, 2026.
  37. New Bedford Guide (Oct. 30): New Bedford-area reps back House amendments to $2.35 billion spending billFirst reported that the Westport and Fairhaven requests were not in the adopted package. Every fact in this story was checked against the Legislature's own records. Read Oct. 30, 2026.

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