Massachusetts House Passes Local Bills, Adjourns in Memory of Benjamin Swan

BOSTON — June 1, 2026 — The Massachusetts House passed a slate of local home-rule and municipal bills in a brief session June 1, adjourning in honor of former Springfield Representative Benjamin Swan. Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan presided as the chamber unanimously adopted four ceremonial resolutions, sponsored by Majority Leader Michael J. Moran, Alice Hanlon Peisch, Kate Hogan, and Kimberly N. Ferguson, before advancing two local bills — House Bill 5334 authorizing Franklin to raise its hotel excise tax ceiling and House Bill 5365 creating a Falmouth Licensing Commission — to third reading. Three engrossed bills passed to enactment, including Senate Bill 1446 modifying the Tewksbury Town Manager residency requirement and two Haverhill bills exempting Nick Santos and Anthony Morales from police officer age limits. Member Bud L. Williams of Springfield moved the special adjournment honoring Benjamin Swan, who served in the House from 1994 to 2016.