Massachusetts House Passes Local Bills on Retirement Age, Charters, and Land Transfers

BOSTON — May 14, 2026 — The Massachusetts House cleared eight local bills and advanced two new joint petitions in a brief informal session Wednesday. All votes were unanimous voice votes. Bills passed to enactment included Senate 2544 regulating Andover special town meeting petitions, House 4501 amending Plymouth's town charter, House 4817 granting Pembroke an additional package-store liquor license, and House 4754 expanding small property-tax abatements in Auburn; House 4224 (validating New Salem's annual town election) and House 5108 (Falmouth land transfer) were engrossed after third readings. The House also suspended joint rules to allow a petition by Representative Michael S. Day of Stoneham establishing quantum investment and tax incentive programs to advance to the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, and referred a crumbling-concrete homeowner relief petition by Senator Peter J. Durant and Representative Brian M. Ashe to Financial Services. Speaker Ronald Mariano adjourned the session to Monday, May 18, at 11 a.m.