The first-term Democrat approved the compromise plan presented by the Democrat-controlled State House and Senate chambers without any vetoes. State Senator Paul Mark, a fellow Democrat from the Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District, says he interprets the uncommon occurrence as a reaction to the ongoing impact of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and the cuts in federal funding it is expected to bring to Massachusetts.

“I think it’s a reflection of both the uncertainty we’re all facing, and the ability and willingness within Massachusetts of everybody to try to work together, to not do the political posturing as much as possible, and to get a budget that is going to give as much stability to our residents, to our communities, to our school districts as possible,” he told WAMC.

Within the budget – which is up around 4% over the previous year’s spending – Mark says there is a nod to Berkshire County’s history with police responses to mental health crises.

“An earmark I was able to get for $250,000 is going to create a mental health alternative response task force, which means people that will actually be able to come out and respond to these situations,” said the state senator. “It’s going to be a collaboration between Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, the Brien Center, and the sheriff’s department.”

The full article is available on WAMC.