By Representative Donahue of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2505) of Daniel M. Donahue and others relative to public employee retiree benefits. Public Service.
Maddy summaryHD 4164 would authorize the town of Amherst to impose a real estate transfer fee on property sales within its boundaries. This fee would be collected at the time of property ownership transfer, affecting both buyers and sellers during real estate transactions. The bill does not specify a fee amount or calculation method but grants the town legal authority to establish the fee through local ordinances. The town of Amherst has already approved this measure locally, as noted in the bill's abstract.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows Massachusetts cities and towns to voluntarily implement a fee on real estate transfers to generate revenue specifically for affordable housing. Under the new provisions, settlement agents would collect this fee based on the sale price of a property and remit the funds to local or regional affordable housing commissions. The collected money must be used exclusively for adaptive reuse, production, or preservation of affordable housing projects that serve low- and moderate-income households. Local communities that choose to adopt this option would gain a dedicated funding source to support their specific housing needs without state mandates.
By Representative Montaño of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2893) of Samantha Montaño and others relative to freezing of the rate and valuation of taxes on real income to protect elder housing. Revenue.
By Representative Montaño of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2894) of Samantha Montaño and others for legislation to increase the deeds excise to fund emergency assistance needs of certain low income tenants and homeowners. Revenue.
By Representative Livingstone of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2876) of Jay D. Livingstone and others relative to the community investment tax credit. Revenue.
By Representatives Livingstone of Boston and Khan of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2371) of Jay D. Livingstone, Kay Khan and others for legislation to provide reproductive health care to incarcerated individuals. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to expand access to medical parole for incarcerated individuals by updating the definitions of permanent incapacitation and terminal illness. It requires correctional facilities to consider parole requests from prisoners, attorneys, family members, or medical providers, with a strict timeline for reviewing these petitions. The legislation also mandates that the Department of Correction identify cognitively incapacitated prisoners through annual standardized assessments and allows them to choose a surrogate decision-maker to advocate on their behalf. Additionally, the bill ensures that risk assessments for violent recidivism account for a prisoner's medical condition and considers whether community-based treatment could reduce that risk.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires emergency services, hospitals, law enforcement, and other specified agencies to record and report details about fatal and nonfatal opiate overdoses to the state department. Reporting entities must submit this information within 24 hours of the incident or receipt of a toxicology report, whichever occurs later. The department will use the collected data to create a public map of overdose locations while strictly protecting individual privacy by excluding personally identifiable information. The law also mandates that the department issue regular reports on overdose incidents across the state and establish specific rules for data collection and release.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows Massachusetts cities and towns to choose whether to implement rent control and eviction protections for residents in their communities. If a municipality opts in, it must pass local rules that cap how much landlords can raise rents each year and ensure evictions only happen for specific, justified reasons like non-payment or lease violations. The protections apply to most rental units but exclude small owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, properties already regulated by other agencies, college dorms, and elderly care facilities. Local governments would have the option to adopt these measures through various methods, including ordinances or binding votes by their residents.
