Massachusetts Senate passed $1.1M for birth centers and $220K for maternal mental health support!

Some good news! In May of 2025, the Massachusetts Senate passed $1.1M for birth centers and $220K for maternal mental health support! This is the first budget cycle since the 2024 Midwifery and Maternal Health Omnibus Law passed, and is a great opportunity for the legislature to fund the work needed to bring the benefits of the law to communities and families across the state in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget. Read on for details about what was passed, the advocacy, legislative champions and cosponsors, etc.

Here is the breakdown of what passed in the Massachusetts Senate budget this May:

  • Senator Liz Miranda secured a third consecutive year of funding for $1M for the statewide birth center grants program.

  • In addition, Worcester Community Midwifery received a dedicated $100K with the adoption of a budget amendment championed by Senator Robyn Kennedy.

  • Senator Miranda also secured $220K, the first infusion of funding for the Moms Matter Act mental health grants program that passed in the 2024 Maternal Health Omnibus Law, making it a real program not just a framework on paper.

Advocacy

We were proud to advocate for these alongside the Mind the Gap Coalition, Mass PPD Fund, Neighborhood Birth Center, Worcester Community Midwifery, Chamber of Mothers Boston Chapter, Sacred Birthing Village, MA Mom Advocates, and so many of you who called and wrote your legislators to advocate for these life-saving investments. With over 1,600 amendments filed in the House budget, and over 1,000 amendments filed in the Senate budget, we have to raise our voices to make sure that maternal health is prioritized. Amongst us, we mobilize hundreds of emails and visited nearly every House and Senate office at the Massachusetts State House.

What’s next

What’s next? The Senate and House will now confer to reconcile their two different versions of the state budget, and we hope to see these maternal health investments retained in the final fiscal-year-26 budget that will be sent to the Governor. We will keep you posted.

SPONSORS AND COSPONSORS

The Senators and Representatives who sponsor and cosponsor our priorities are our champions and advocates within the state legislature!

Birth Center Grant Program was not an amendment, but part of the proposed budget from the Senate Ways and Means Committee. INCLUDED for $1M.

  • Sen. Liz Miranda (lead sponsor when the program was launched in the FY24 budget)

  • Sen. Michael Rodrigues (Senate Ways and Means Chair)

  • Sen. Jo Comerford (Senate Ways and Means Vice-Chair)

Amendments that passed:

Worcester Community Midwifery (Central Mass) to fund Worcester’s first birth center. ADOPTED in the Senate budget for $100K.

  • Sen. Robyn Kennedy (lead sponsor of Senate Budget Amendment #492)

  • Rep. David LeBoeuf (lead sponsor of House Budget Amendment #1029)

  • 7 Senate cosponsors: Senators Nick Collins, James Eldridge, Dylan Fernandes, Michael Moore, Patrick O'Connor, Pavel Payano, Rebecca Rausch

  • 29 House cosponsors: Representatives James Arena-DeRosa, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Kate Donaghue, Daniel Donahue, Patricia Duffy, Kimberly Ferguson, Paul Frost, Carmine Gentile, Natalie Higgins, Russell Holmes, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, Hannah Kane, Mary Keefe, Meghan Kilcoyne, John Marsi, Samantha Montaño, Brian Murray, James O'Day, Lindsay Sabadosa, Margaret Scarsdale, Michael Soter, Chynah Tyler, Erika Uyterhoeven, Susannah Whipps

  • Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators endorsed as a Senate budget priority

  • Special appreciation for Ways and Means Vice Chair, Senator Jo Comerford, a champion for birth centers and midwifery as long as she has been in office. Senator Comerford made powerful remarks on the Senate floor during the budget debate in support of Worcester Community Midwifery, and for birth centers in general, calling on insurers to reimburse birth centers equitably. This is critically necessary for birth centers to be sustainable and accessible!

Community-Based Perinatal Support Program Grants to fund mental health support programs for new parents established in the 2024 maternal health omnibus law. ADOPTED for $220K.

  • Sen. Liz Miranda (lead sponsor of Senate Budget Amendment #413)

  • Rep. Brandy Fluker Reid (lead sponsor of House Budget Amendment #1049)

  • 16 Senate cosponsors: Senators Nick Collins, Julian Cyr, Lydia Edwards, James Eldridge, Dylan Fernandes, Adam Gomez, John Keenan, Robyn Kennedy, Joan Lovely, Paul Mark, Mark Montigny, Michael Moore, Patrick O'Connor, Pavel Payano, Rebecca Rausch, Bruce Tarr

  • 52 House cosponsors: Representatives James Arena-DeRosa, Jennifer Balinsky Armini, Bruce Ayers, Michelle Badger, Christine Barber, Antonio Cabral, Daniel Cahill, Simon Cataldo, Tackey Chan, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Rob Consalvo, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Mindy Domb, Kate Donaghue, Patricia Duffy, William Galvin, Sean Garballey, Colleen Garry, Natalie Higgins, Russell Holmes, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, Kristin Kassner, Sally Kerans, Meghan Kilcoyne, David LeBoeuf, Jack Lewis, David Linsky, Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Bill MacGregor, Adrian Madaro, Joseph McGonagle, Paul McMurtry, Samantha Montaño, John Moran, Tram Nguyen, James O'Day, Adrianne Ramos, David Rogers, Lindsay Sabadosa, Amy Sangiolo, Margaret Scarsdale, Danillo Sena, Priscila Sousa, Thomas Stanley, Erika Uyterhoeven, Andy Vargas, Tommy Vitolo, Bud Williams

  • Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators endorsed as a House and Senate budget priority

Amendments that were not passed:

While the following amendments were not ultimately passed, we are grateful to the lead sponsors and cosponsors who supported them. No advocacy is wasted, and we know that the support for our issues gains momentum over time.

Neighborhood Birth Center (Eastern Mass) proposed to provide $300-500K funding for new birth centers in Boston and the North Shore. Not adopted.

  • Sen. Joan Lovely (lead sponsor of Senate Budget Amendment #535)

  • Rep. Chris Worrell (lead sponsor of House Budget Amendment #1014)

  • 16 Senate cosponsors: Senators Nick Collins, Brendan Crighton, Lydia Edwards, James Eldridge, Dylan Fernandes, Adam Gomez, Robyn Kennedy, Jason Lewis, Paul Mark, Liz Miranda, Michael Moore, Patrick O'Connor, Pavel Payano, Rebecca Rausch, Michael Rush, Bruce Tarr

  • 26 House cosponsors: Representatives Jennifer Balinsky Armini, Christine Barber, Simon Cataldo, Tackey Chan, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Rob Consalvo, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Brandy Fluker-Reid, Sean Garballey, Russell Holmes, Kevin Honan, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, Sally Kerans, David LeBoeuf, Bill MacGregor, Samantha Montaño, John Moran, Tram Nguyen, Sean Reid, Lindsay Sabadosa, Erika Uyterhoeven, Bud Williams

  • Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators endorsed as a Senate budget priority

Seven Sisters Midwifery and Birth Center, filed by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, proposed to provide $350K funding to sustain the state’s only birth center currently operating, in Northampton, serving Western Massachusetts. Not adopted.

  • Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (lead sponsor of House Budget Amendment #1457)

  • 16 House cosponsors: Representatives Christine Barber, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Mindy Domb, Patricia Duffy, Russell Holmes, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, Meghan Kilcoyne, David LeBoeuf, Samantha Montaño, Amy Sangiolo, Erika Uyterhoeven

  • Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators endorsed as a House budget priority

Implementation of the Maternal Health Law proposed to provide $2.96M funding for new Department of Public Health programs created by the new maternal health law, including universal postpartum home visiting, pregnancy loss awareness, and midwifery integration. Not adopted.

  • Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (lead sponsor of House Budget Amendment #1573)

  • 31 House cosponsors: Representatives James Arciero, James Arena-DeRosa, Jennifer Balinsky Armini, Bruce Ayers, Michelle Badger, Daniel Cahill, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Rob Consalvo, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Natalie Higgins, Russell Holmes, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, Kristin Kassner, Sally Kerans, David LeBoeuf, Bill MacGregor, Samantha Montaño, Tram Nguyen, Sean Reid, Amy Sangiolo, Aaron Saunders, Margaret Scarsdale, Danillo Sena, Priscila Sousa, Erika Uyterhoeven, Andy Vargas, Tommy Vitolo

Honor Roll

The following eight Senators and eleven Representatives cosponsored or sponsored all our priority maternal health budget amendments.

  • Senators Nick Collins, James Eldridge, Dylan Fernandes, Robyn Kennedy, Michael Moore, Patrick O'Connor, Pavel Payano, Rebecca Rausch cosponsored or sponsored every one of our slate of three Senate budget priorities: Neighborhood Birth Center, Worcester Community Midwifery, and Perinatal Mental Health Grants.

  • Representatives Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Manny Cruz, Marjorie Decker, Russell Holmes, Tara Hong, Vanna Howard, David LeBoeuf, Samantha Montaño, Lindsay Sabadosa, Erika Uyterhoeven cosponsored our slate of five House budget priorities: Neighborhood Birth Center, Worcester Community Midwifery, Seven Sisters Midwifery, Perinatal Mental Health Grants, and Implementation of the Maternal Health Law.

Emily Anestanews, budget, birth centers, mental health