Massachusetts Senate Engrosses Hoisting Safety Bill Rooted in 2013 Firefighter Deaths

BOSTON — March 23, 2026 — Massachusetts Senate passes hoisting machinery safety bill linked to 2013 Back Bay firefighter deaths. The chamber voted unanimously to engross Senate No. 1646 at a brief March 23 session, advancing legislation shaped by the Walsh-Kennedy Commission formed after the deaths of Boston firefighter Kenneth Kileen and Lieutenant Edward Walsh. Senator Nick Collins of Suffolk, who said he co-chaired the commission, told colleagues the bill would "codify" existing local and state building code advances and bring "badly needed transparency to hold those not following the laws and the rules accountable." The Senate also rejected an amendment by Senator Michael O. Moore that would have created a new Board of Hoisting Machinery Regulations, and set a March 25 amendment deadline for the Fostering Agricultural Resilience in Massachusetts bill ahead of an April 1 floor debate. Collins separately called on the Senate to eventually adopt a criminal negligence statute similar to laws in Texas and New York, a step the Walsh-Kennedy Commission report recommended that has not yet been acted upon.