H 4542 Massachusetts House · 194th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relative to making the charter of the city of Chicopee gender neutral

This bill (H 4542) updates Chicopee's city charter to remove gendered language, such as replacing "mayor" with gender-neutral terms like "city manager" or "chief executive." It directly affects Chicopee's municipal governance documents and procedures. The key mechanism is amending the existing charter text to ensure all titles and references are inclusive of all genders. This is a procedural change to the city's foundational document, not a new policy.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2025
Committee Review
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Sep 18, 2025 Signed Apr 10, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
5
Committee
0
Apr 10, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor, Chapter 56 of the Acts of 2026
executive
Apr 2, 2026
Upper · Passed
Enacted and laid before the Governor
upper
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Enacted
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed
upper
Sep 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to be engrossed
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors