Massachusetts House Engrosses Dozen Local Bills in Swift Informal Session

BOSTON — April 30, 2026 — The Massachusetts House advanced more than a dozen local and special bills in a brief April 30 informal session, passing all measures by unanimous voice vote with no debate. Representative Paul J. Donato of Medford moved suspension of Rule 7A to fast-track seven bills to third reading, covering topics from Topsfield liquor license conversions to Andover town-meeting voter thresholds and additional all-alcoholic beverage licenses for South Hadley. Representative Thomas P. Walsh of Peabody served as floor manager for a series of bills released from the Committee on Bills in Third Reading, offering full-bill substitutions for House Bill 2939, a disability pension measure for Masal Rodriguez under the Springfield Retirement Board, and House Bill 4526, a means-tested senior property tax exemption for North Attleboro. The House also enacted the Middleton charter amendment and passed to be engrossed measures authorizing Falmouth to fund low-pressure sewer pump installations on private property and allowing North Adams to hire retired officers for paid police details. Speaker Ronald Mariano of Quincy closed the session with an order adjourning to Monday, May 4 at 11 a.m.