About $1 million in funding has been included for regional organizations, school districts and first responders across Hampshire County and the city of Holyoke by members of the Massachusetts State Senate representing the region in the chamber’s version of next year’s budget.

The Senate’s $61.4 billion state budget for fiscal year 2026, approved on May 26, includes numerous local appropriations, also known as earmarks, within the districts of Sens. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, John Velis, D-Westfield, and Jake Oliveira, D-Ludlow. Those senators combined represent most of Hampshire County and Holyoke.

An additional supplemental budget includes local appropriations raised via the Fair Share Amendment, a tax surcharge on state residents with incomes exceeding $1 million that goes toward local education and transportation.

Between the budget and the Fair Share earmarks, the three senators secured a total of $4 million for their districts that also include portions of Hampden and Franklin counties. Of that total, $1 million would go to communities in Hampshire County and Holoke.

“This year — with federal cuts endangering the well-being of Commonwealth residents — the Senate weighed every dollar with a new level of urgency,” Comerford wrote in a newsletter to constituents put out on Tuesday. “I am proud of this budget and the investments it makes in our people and our communities.”

Comerford’s earmarks in Hampshire County include a combined $80,000 to the Amherst and Northampton Chambers of Commerce, as well as $110,000 to Lifepath to support local “villages” or volunteer groups to help senior citizens in Northampton, Amherst and Shutesbury.

“We are thankful for the Villages and partner with them to help to fill gaps in essential needs like transportation and home repair, allowing individuals to remain in their homes and communities,” said Lifepath Executive Director Gary Yuhas in a statement. “This earmark is an acknowledgment of their important work and an investment in the future of the Villages and the communities they serve”

Comerford’s Fair Share earmarks include $75,000 to Hatfield Public Schools.

She also secured $75,000 for the ValleyBike Share program that serves 10 cities and towns across western Massachusetts.

Oliveira’s local earmarks include $25,000 for the Belchertown Central Rail Trail, allowing for an expansion of the trail, and $50,000 for the South Hadley Fire District, to go toward upgrading radio and communications equipment for first responders.

With the Fair Share funding, Oliveira has also earmarked $75,000 to Granby Public Schools to expand its Information Technology Pathway program and $80,000 to South Hadley Public Schools for gym improvements across the district.

“As a former School Committee member and a proud product of public education, I know firsthand the immense benefits to individuals and the region when we have the same access to opportunity as other areas of the Commonwealth,” said Oliveira in a statement regarding the Fair Share funding. “That means delivering both the funding and the infrastructure that our local schools and communities need.”

With Velis, the local earmarks include several contributions to the city of Holyoke, with $45,000 for police gym equipment and safety equipment for traffic police, along with $70,000 to the Saint Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke. Velis also earmarked $25,000 for the Southampton Council on Aging.

The Fair Share appropriations secured by Velis include $130,000 to Easthampton Public Schools, $120,000 to Holyoke Public Schools and $25,000 to Holyoke Community College.

In the coming weeks, the House and Senate will appoint three members each to a conference committee to reconcile the differences in each body’s budget proposal, which will result in a compromise version of the bill coming before the House and Senate for a final vote. All earmarks are subject to the final budget vote. Within the Senate’s approved budget are 493 earmark amendments totaling $81.1 million.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.