Steering committee schedules local bills for consideration; several ordered to third reading

The Massachusetts House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported that it recommends scheduling several House bills for consideration, and the House ordered the listed bills to a third reading.

The committee report listed the following measures for House scheduling: an act relative to local journalism (House No. 2323); an act relative to assessor certificates (House No. 2336); an act designating Machado-Joseph disease awareness day (House No. 3298); an act amending the charter of the town of Seekonk (House No. 3913) (local approval received); an act authorizing Dartmouth Fire District No. 1 to appoint the position of treasurer (House No. 3952); and an act authorizing the town to establish a Millennium Fund for the Whalen Free Public Library (House No. 4137) (local approval received).

After the committee report was read, the House suspended Rule 7A to take the measures on second reading, and the presiding officer put the question to order the bills to a third reading. The House voice vote recorded as “the ayes have it” ordered the bills to a third reading; the transcript does not include substantive floor debate on the bills themselves within the recorded segment.

Committee scheduling is an early procedural step; each bill will follow the legislative path of committee consideration (if applicable), subsequent readings, and potential final passage. The transcript does not contain the bills’ full texts, fiscal notes, or committee hearing dates.