Spilka calls new budget 'transformational' for Massachusetts

One of the big headlines in the roughly $58 billion state budget proposal hammered out by Beacon Hill negotiators is free community college for all state residents. State Senate President Karen Spilka called the line item a "transformational program for Massachusetts higher ed. and Massachusetts in general."

"It's hard to overstate how a very big deal this actually is," Spilka told WBUR's Radio Boston. 

The House and Senate finally agreed on a version of the budget Thursday night after missing their June deadline.

Other items in the fiscal 2025 budget include free regional transit and extended COVID-era grants to childcare providers. It will also allow the state to sell lottery tickets online — a move some critics like Attorney General Andrea Campbell have warned against.