Mass. House concurs with Senate amendment and passes House Bill 62 to extend COVID‑19 measures

The Massachusetts House of Representatives on a session day concurred with a Senate amendment and passed House Bill 62, described in the chamber as “an act extending certain COVID‑19 measures adopted during the state of emergency.”

The committee on bills in third reading reported that the Senate amendment to House Bill 62 was “correctly drawn,” and the House voted to concur with that amendment before moving to the constitutionally required separate vote on the bill’s emergency preamble. Monitors reported division counts of 0, 2, 0 and 1 across the four divisions, yielding three votes in the affirmative and zero in the negative; the chair announced the emergency preamble adopted. The House then completed final passage by voice vote; the clerk announced, “The ayes have it and the bill is passed to be enacted.”

The bill was presented to the chamber as an extension of measures the legislature previously adopted during the state of emergency for COVID‑19. The committee on bills in third reading recorded that the amendment was “correctly drawn.” No recorded roll‑call of individual members for the final passage appears in the transcript; the emergency preamble vote was recorded by division counts only.

Votes at a glance — other actions taken during the session included suspension of rules to consider and adopt several resolutions and the suspension of a joint rule to refer certain petitions to committees. Specifically: the House adopted resolutions filed by Representative Chan of Quincy reaffirming friendship with Taiwan and supporting increased U.S.–Taiwan bilateral trade and Taiwan’s international participation; the chamber also adopted resolutions filed by Representative Walsh of Peabody congratulating Owen Michael Adessa on achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. The House additionally suspended joint rule 12 to refer petitions including a petition by Danilo A. Sena regarding establishment of a sick leave bank and a petition by Rob Gonsalvo (with mayor and city council approval) relative to taxes in the city of Boston to the appropriate committees.

Most procedural motions in the transcript were decided by voice vote; where the transcript records counts, it reports the emergency preamble division totals (First division 0, Second division 2, Third division 0, Fourth division 1). Several motions to suspend the rules were moved and adopted during the session (the transcript records movers by seat/town as “Mister Wong of Sagas” and “Mister Gordon of Bedford”).

The House also took nonlegislative actions recorded in the session: members stood for a moment of silent tribute for longtime Marlborough City Councilor Donald Landers Sr., and the chamber received youth and school delegations as guests (including a Burlington Girl Scouts Brownie troop and the 2024 Longmeadow Girls Tennis Team). The House adopted an order that when it adjourned it would meet Monday next at 11 a.m., and it adopted a special adjournment in memory of John H. Stasic, a former member from Framingham.

The transcript does not include detailed language of the Senate amendment or the full text of House Bill 62; it records that the amendment was reported correctly drawn by the committee on bills in third reading and that the House concurred and passed the bill. The transcript likewise does not include individual member roll‑call votes for the final passage.

The House stood adjourned at the close of the session and will meet Monday next at 11 a.m., per the order adopted by the chamber.