Overview
- House and Senate budget writers pulled most of the $162 million reimbursement from the FY25 closeout bill and conditioned any release on an Inspector General investigation.
- The Inspector General would assess sheriffs’ expenditures and compliance with state finance law, with a report due by Feb. 27, 2026.
- Targeted funding remains in place, including $14 million for substance-use treatment and $12.5 million to continue no-cost prison and jail phone calls.
- Sheriffs cite payroll costs, treatment programs, and the no-cost calls policy as drivers of the deficit, and their association says it welcomes the review.
- The funding pause follows high-profile cases involving Suffolk, Norfolk, and Hampden county sheriffs, and the House scheduled a Wednesday vote on the closeout spending bill.