The Massachusetts House of Representatives convened for a routine session in which members recited the Pledge of Allegiance, the Rules Committee reported, and the chamber suspended rules to consider several petitions and local bills.

Clerk read a Rules Committee recommendation to adopt an order filed by Representatives Chan (Quincy) and Keefe (Worcester) to extend until Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the time within which the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure may report on the House document cited as order number 47 (see House number 4771). The presiding officer recognized a motion to suspend the rules; members voted "aye," and the order was adopted.

The clerk reported petitions received from the Senate and referred under suspension of Joint Rule 12, including petitions from Rebecca L. Rausch concerning candidate safety and a separate petition regarding officer training on stage suicides. The House concurred with the referrals. Separately, the House agreed—after a motion by Miss Garcia of Chelsea—to suspend Joint Rule 12 on a petition from Lindsey and Sabadosa about the rights of individuals experiencing homelessness and referred that petition to the Committee on the Judiciary.

The Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling reported several local bills for consideration, including a Senate bill amending the Rockland charter (Senate no. 2716), a House bill defining podiatry (House no. 2407), a House bill authorizing retired police officers to serve as special police in Brookline (House no. 2992), a Bridgewater Town Charter amendment (House no. 4579), and a Revere noise-ordinance penalties bill (House no. 4603). The House moved to suspend Rule 7A and ordered multiple bills for third reading.

On individual measures, the chamber took roll calls by voice and recorded the usual 'ayes' without a roll-call tally on the record: the bill concerning the continued employment of Steven Hillager as a firefighter in the town of Lancaster was called and "passed to be enacted." House bill 4171 (an act relative to vacancies among town meeting members in Milford) was released for third reading and passed to be engrossed.

Mr. Walsh of Peabody moved to amend House bill 4134 (establishing the City of Cambridge Employment and Job Training Trust) by substitution with a bill bearing the same title (House no. 4774); the House adopted the amendment and passed the bill to be engrossed as amended. Mr. Walsh also offered and passed an amendment to House bill 4234 (authorizing appointment of retired police officers as special police officers in the town of Fair Haven) adding a section providing that the act take effect upon its passage; that bill was also passed to be engrossed as amended.

The presiding officer welcomed guests from Pioneer Charter School introduced by Representative McGonigal of Everett and Representative Garcia of Chelsea; the school superintendent, Bashar Ashen, and principal, Mohammed Belling, were recognized in the visitors’ gallery.

Before adjourning, the House adopted an order (offered by Mr. Mariano Quincy) that when it adjourned today it should reconvene Monday next at 11:00 a.m. Mister Wong of Saugus moved that the House stand adjourned; members voted "aye," and the presiding officer announced the House adjourned to meet Monday at 11:00 a.m. in an informal session.

Votes on the day's procedural motions and bill actions were taken by voice; the transcript records the presiding officer announcing "the ayes have it" or similar procedural confirmations but does not include recorded individual member vote tallies on these items.