The Massachusetts state Senate added $26.5 million to its version of the state budget this week, including $25,000 for Haverhill Inner City Boxing Club.
The amount was set aside to help the Lafayette Square club provide support for underprivileged youth. The club in 2024 was serving more than 150 members from Haverhill, the lower Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. The nonprofit organization said at the time it served more than 900 members, ages from 10 to 25, since its founding in 2013.
The Senate additions also include $125,000 for Lawrence High School to create a career pathway partnership with Merrimack Health, which operates hospitals in Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill.
In total, the Senate added $26.5 million to the budget bottom line Wednesday for the budget for the year that begins July 1.
Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues said, “The amendments that we did to help support Head Start, the citizenship project to help immigrants become citizens of the United States, additional money for nonprofit security grants and the fact that it was pretty much nonstop discussion and activity on the Senate floor. I like that. I don’t like any long periods of lulls. We had a few, you know, there always has to be some.”
On the policy side of things, senators supported amendments that include repealing a policy dating back to 1995 that strips low-income families of their transitional aid to families with dependent children benefits if there is a student in the household who has too many unexcused absences from school.
State House News Service contributed to this report.