Massachusetts House Passes Seven Bills, Creates Initiative Petition Panel at Brief Session

BOSTON — February 5, 2026 — The Massachusetts House passed or advanced eleven measures in a brief February 5 informal session, including final enactment of a Sharon town officer recall law and four Boston Police Department age-waiver bills. Speaker Ronald Mariano of Quincy established a 10-member special joint committee on initiative petitions under Article 48, with four House seats appointed by the Speaker and one by Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. Seven additional bills — covering home insurer tree-removal restrictions, pet-friendly rental housing, local public safety and housing measures in Stoneham, Chatham, and Provincetown, and individual pension and sick leave cases — were ordered to a third reading after Representative Susannah M. Whipps of Athol moved suspension of Rule 7A. The House also suspended Joint Rule 12 to refer petitions from Representatives Marjorie C. Decker, Tommy Vitolo, and Alice Hanlon Peisch to their respective committees, and stood in silent tribute to retired Judge Francis J. Larkin of Hopedale, who died January 16, 2026, at age 92.