Senate approves series of House bills, adopts emergency preamble for Wellesley land conveyance

The Senate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on an ordinary session day took up a set of House bills for third reading and final passage, adopting an emergency preamble for one conveyance measure and approving several municipal and commemorative items.

Several measures were taken out of the orders of the day for third reading and passed to be engrossed or enacted by voice vote. House No. 4556, "An act establishing the position of appointed town clerk in the town of Avon," was read a third time and passed to be engrossed. A bill affecting the charter of the town of Provincetown was also read a third time and passed to be engrossed (the transcript inconsistently lists the house number as 4716 and, in one line, 4176).

The Senate adopted an emergency preamble under the State Constitution for H.4363, "An act authorizing the commissioner of capital asset management and maintenance to convey a certain parcel of land in the town of Wellesley," following a standing count that the transcript records as two affirmative votes and no negatives; the emergency preamble was adopted and the bill later was passed to be enacted. The record contains an abbreviated count for the standing vote but does not include a full roll-call tally in the transcript.

In addition, the Senate passed several other House measures to be enacted: a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day (House number in the transcript: 3306), an act regulating appointment of the police chief in the city of Fall River (transcript lists a House number as 4214), an act amending the charter of the town of Seekonk (H.4459), and an act authorizing the town of Billerica to establish an age limit for original appointment to the position of police officer (H.4632). The presiding officer announced that the bills "have been passed to be enacted" and that they will be signed by the president and laid before the governor for her approbation.

The session included brief recesses and routine procedural motions to suspend rules (Senate Rule 36 and Joint Rule 12) to expedite consideration of petitions and references. Where the transcript records only voice votes, the article notes the outcome as recorded in the transcript; detailed roll-call tallies are "not specified" in the record for most items.

Actions noted in the transcript are limited to the voice and standing votes reported above; no amendments, detailed vote tallies, or recorded dissenting roll-call votes appear in the provided transcript.