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Moore files bill to require public-employee inspections for state, federally funded transportation projects
Summary
Sen. Michael O. Moore filed Senate Bill 2181 on Jan. 8, 2025, to add Section 80 to Chapter 6C of the Massachusetts General Laws, requiring public employees to perform inspection functions on surface transportation projects that receive state or federal funding to improve safety, efficiency and accountability.
Sen. Michael O. Moore filed legislation Jan. 8, 2025, that would require public employees to carry out inspections on surface transportation projects that receive state or federal funding. The bill, filed as Senate No. 2181, proposes adding Section 80 to Chapter 6C of the Massachusetts General Laws.
The bill’s stated purpose is “to promote safety, efficiency and accountability in transportation projects through public inspections.” It defines “inspection functions” to include construction inspections, bridge inspections, contract administration, quality control inspection, material testing and resident engineer functions, and defines “public employee” as an employee of a federal, state or local government.
Under the proposed language, “notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary,” public employees would be required to carry out those inspection functions for all surface transportation projects receiving state or federal funding. The text in the filing does not specify implementation details such as which state agency would oversee the requirement, timelines for compliance, or whether contractors or third-party inspectors could be retained under public supervision.
The filing notes related legislation from the prior session (Senate No. 2035 of 2023-2024) but the document provided contains only the petition and proposed statutory language; it does not record committee referrals, hearings, votes, or fiscal estimates. As filed, the bill awaits the Legislature’s standard committee assignment and review process.
If advanced, the proposal would alter Chapter 6C of the General Laws by inserting a new Section 80 that explicitly assigns inspection responsibilities to public employees for covered projects. The bill text applies only to “surface transportation projects receiving State or Federal funding,” as stated in the filing.
The filing itself provides no budgetary figures, enforcement mechanisms, or transition rules for existing contracts. Those details would normally be addressed in committee hearings or later-stage amendments.
Senate No. 2181 is part of an ongoing legislative conversation: the filing references similar matter from the 2023–2024 session, indicating the subject has been raised previously but no final legislative action is recorded in this document.
