Massachusetts House Enacts Local Bills on Liquor Licenses, Sick Leave, and Town Government

BOSTON — May 7, 2026 — The Massachusetts House passed a slate of local-interest bills Wednesday with no recorded opposition, including measures affecting alcohol licensing in Westford and Westfield, municipal governance in Hopedale, and a senior property tax exemption in Sudbury. House 5245, establishing a sick leave bank for Courtney Cochran, an employee of the Department of Children and Families, required a rare constitutional division vote, clearing three to zero. Senate 2652 authorizing Taunton to set a separate water billing rate for manufactured housing communities and House 4784 providing for a town administrator in Hopedale were both enacted by voice vote. Senate 2544, regulating the number of voters needed to petition for a special town meeting in Andover, was amended by Representative Walsh of Peabody to take effect immediately upon passage before being engrossed. The session, which opened with East Brookfield Elementary third-graders leading the Pledge of Allegiance, closed with a moment of silence for South Boston educator Phyllis Simon before the House adjourned to an informal session Monday at 11 a.m.