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House suspends joint rule 12, refers petitions to committees and adopts May awareness resolutions
Summary
The House voted by voice to suspend joint rule 12 to permit consideration of several petitions and referred those petitions to specific committees; the chamber also adopted multiple resolutions recognizing May 2025 awareness observances and honoring Joseph J. Jacobs.
The House voted to suspend joint rule 12 and to refer several petitions to standing committees, and it adopted multiple ceremonial resolutions recognizing May 2025 awareness observances and honoring Joseph J. Jacobs.
The action to suspend joint rule 12 and the referrals were approved by voice vote after the committee on rules reported its recommendations. The House also adopted resolutions filed by members honoring Massachusetts Military Appreciation Day, promoting skin cancer awareness, recognizing May 2025 as asthma and allergy awareness month, and commending the National Brain Tumor Society’s recognition of May 2025 as Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
Why it matters: Suspending joint rule 12 clears procedural obstacles so petitions can be considered or referred quickly by the chamber; referring petitions assigns them to committees that will review and may hold hearings or sponsor legislation.
The committee on rules reported that it and the committees on rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, recommended suspending joint rule 12 for a set of petitions. The petitions and the committees to which the House referred them included: the petition of William F. MacGregor for legislation to regulate social media feeds, referred to the Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity; a petition from Representative Gary of Dracut relative to providing municipal notices to the public of hazardous waste sites, referred to the committee on environment and national resources; a petition from Amy Ma San Giolo relative to historic districts and commissions, referred to the Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government; and a petition described in the transcript as the petition of calling M. Gary relative to prohibiting "*** offenders" from entering public or private school property, referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The committee report listed these referrals as the items for which joint rule 12 was suspended.
Separately, the House adopted resolutions filed by Representative Hogan of Stowe congratulating Joseph J. Jacobs in recognition of Massachusetts Military Appreciation Day; by Representative Hogan promoting skin cancer awareness and prevention in Massachusetts in May 2025; by Representative Decker of Cambridge recognizing May 2025 as asthma and allergy awareness month; and by Representative Janina Rivera and other members commending the National Brain Tumor Society, Incorporated for its recognition of May 2025 as Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Those resolutions were adopted following the committee report and were approved by voice vote.
The House also adopted an order offered by Mr. Mariano Quincy that when the House adjourned it should adjourn to meet Wednesday next at 11:00 a.m.; the order was adopted by voice vote and the House stood adjourned.
There was no recorded roll-call or numerical tally in the transcript; outcomes are described as adopted by voice vote. The transcript shows no extended debate on these items; the proceedings recorded committee recommendations, the motions to suspend rules and to adopt the resolutions, and the adjournment order.
