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Senate approves multiple local acts and a commemorative resolution; Ways and Means schedules FY2026 appropriation for second reading

Massachusetts Senate · April 2, 2026

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Summary

By voice vote the Senate passed several house acts to be enacted, adopted a resolution honoring St. Paul's Church's 150th anniversary, referred a house petition on the state crustacean to committee, and the Ways and Means committee placed the FY2026 supplemental appropriations bill (House No. 5280) on the order of second reading for 04/09/2026.

The Senate took several procedural and legislative steps during a short session. The presiding officer read a set of house acts presented for final passage and called a voice vote; the ayes prevailed and the presiding officer stated the bills were passed to be enacted and would be signed by the president and laid before the governor for approbation.

Bills read into the record included measures identified by house file numbers cited by the clerk (examples listed in the chamber: H 2985, H 2986, H 2987, H 2988, H 4374, H 4524, H 4542) addressing local appointment age exemptions, a veterans memorial overpass designation, a town board name change and charter gender‑neutralization for a city. The chamber used a voice vote for passage; no roll‑call tallies or individual votes were recorded in the transcript.

The clerk read and the Senate adopted a resolution celebrating the 150th anniversary of St. Paul's Church of Palmer. The clerk also read a house petition proposing designation of the American lobster as the Commonwealth’s official crustacean; the petition was received from the House under suspension of joint rule 12 and referred to the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

The Committee on Ways and Means reported on the House bill making appropriations for fiscal year 2026 (House No. 5280), recommended striking all after the enacting clause and replacing the text with senate document 3041, and placed the new text on the order's day for second reading on Thursday, April 9, 2026, with amendments to be treated as second‑reading amendments. A senator moved to suspend rules to consider the matter forthwith; no objection was heard and the order was adopted.

The Senate concluded the short session by adopting an order directing the clerk to print a calendar and adjourning to meet Monday next at 11:00 a.m.