Mass. bill would create commission to study ties to Chinese state-owned companies

A bill filed Jan. 14 in the Massachusetts House would create a special commission to study financial relationships between Massachusetts entities and companies owned by the Chinese government, sponsor Representative Bradley H. Jones Jr. (20th Middlesex) filed with the clerk’s office.

The bill, House Docket No. 1415 and House Bill No. 487, defines “Massachusetts entity” to include corporations, businesses, limited liability companies, associations, partnerships, ventures, state agencies, K‑12 schools and institutes of higher learning operating in the commonwealth, and defines “Chinese state‑owned company” as an entity owned fully or in part by, or affiliated with, the government of China.

Under the measure, a special commission would be charged to identify Massachusetts‑based assets held by Chinese state‑owned companies, ascertain the extent to which business operations by those companies affect local industries, and assess any corresponding dangers to the commonwealth’s economic wellbeing and sovereignty.

The commission’s membership would include the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, who would serve as co‑chairs; the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Export Development; the speaker of the House or a designee; the president of the Senate or a designee; the minority leaders of both chambers or designees; the chair of the House Asian Caucus or a designee; state executive officers or designees (including the secretary of the commonwealth; the secretary of housing and economic development; the secretary of labor and workforce development; the treasurer of the commonwealth; and the state auditor); the president of the University of Massachusetts system or a designee; and one member appointed by each of five named industry organizations: the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Bankers Association and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

The bill sets a deadline for the commission’s report: file findings and recommendations with the clerks of the House and Senate no later than Dec. 31, 2027. The text also states the commission shall "identify Massachusetts‑based assets held by Chinese state‑owned companies" and "assess the corresponding dangers posed to the commonwealth’s economic wellbeing and sovereignty." The bill cites no specific enforcement mechanism or funding in the filing.

The bill filing notes similar matter was filed in the previous legislative session as House No. 413 (2023–2024). The bill was referred at filing to the committee listed in the caption: Economic Development and Emerging Technologies; no committee action or hearing is recorded in the filing.

If enacted, the commission would be an investigatory body whose work could affect universities, K‑12 institutions, state agencies and private businesses identified under the bill’s definitions. The filing does not specify a budget, staffing, or whether the commission would have subpoena power.

Next steps: the bill remains a proposal at filing and must proceed through committee consideration, potential hearings and votes in the General Court before becoming law.