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BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Massachusetts senators wrapped up their budget debate not long after midnight Friday morning.
Over three days, they added over $75 million in amendments--including money to pay providers in behavioral healthcare.
On the Senate's twitter account, Sen. Cindy Friedman talked about why that's important.
"If you are an outpatient provider, your rates are often so low that you end up working below minimum wage," she said.
The total budget passed by the Senate for the upcoming fiscal year is $41.5 billion.
A big priority is education funding. There's also money for regional transit authorities, emergency family shelters, and more.
The Senate budget is bigger than the one the House proposed, so the two houses will now attempt to resolve their differences and get a budget to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk sooner rather than later.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports