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Senate sets amendment deadlines and schedules multiple bills for Ways and Means review
Summary
The Massachusetts Senate adopted a series of orders to report several bills to the Committee on Ways and Means with recommended new drafts, set second-reading dates (Jan. 8 and Jan. 15, 2026) and specified electronic amendment filing deadlines (3:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2026).
The Massachusetts Senate used suspension of the rules to place several bills on the floor schedule with Ways and Means recommended new drafts and uniform amendment deadlines. Senators approved orders scheduling, among others, the following items:
- A campaign finance reporting bill for state ballot question committees (originally Senate No. 507), to be reported with a Ways and Means recommended new draft (Senate No. 2898) and placed for a second reading on Jan. 8, 2026; the order set an amendment filing deadline of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
- A bill described in the chamber as aimed at preventing property tax "bill sharks" (Senate No. 1933), to be reported with a recommended new draft (Senate No. 2899) and placed for second reading on Jan. 15, 2026; amendment procedures and deadlines were specified in the order.
- A municipal tax relief measure (Senate amendment 1935) to be reported with a recommended new draft (Senate amendment 2900) and set for second reading on Jan. 15, 2026.
- A senior property tax deferral proposal (Senate No. 2713) and a means-tested senior citizen property tax exemption (Senate No. 2036) were both scheduled for Ways and Means review with recommended new drafts (Senate Nos. 2901 and 2902, respectively) and placed for second reading on Jan. 15, 2026 with identical amendment-filing requirements.
- A recognition bill honoring Blue Star Families (Senate No. 2903) was ordered to be reported by Ways and Means and placed for further consideration.
Across the orders the clerk and proponents directed that all amendments be filed electronically in the office of the clerk of the Senate by 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026; some items were placed for second reading on Jan. 8, 2026 and others on Jan. 15, 2026, depending on the order. Most of the orders were adopted after senators voted to suspend the rules and consider the matters forthwith. The transcript records the scheduling and procedural mechanics; it does not include committee debate on the substantive merits of the listed bills.
