Sen. Paul Mark

By Mr. Mark, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2694) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Paul W. Mark, Joanne M. Comerford and Joan B. Lovely for legislation to promote fair tax treatment for zero-emission vehicles. Revenue.

By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 551) of Cynthia Stone Creem, Joanne M. Comerford, Michael O. Moore, Jason M. Lewis and other members of the General Court for legislation to prohibit the sale of newly farmed fur products. Environment and Natural Resources.

By Mr. Mark, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2172) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to increase the threshold for requiring formal bidding processes for governmental bodies, including municipalities and regional school districts. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

By Mr. Mark, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2861) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Paul W. Mark and Lindsay N. Sabadosa for legislation to create a special commission to examine school bus safety. Public Safety and Homeland Security.

By Ms. Rausch, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1244) of Rebecca L. Rausch, Sally P. Kerans, Manny Cruz, Susannah M. Whipps and other members of the General Court for legislation to enhance access to abortion care. The Judiciary.

By Mr. Collins, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1646) of Nick Collins for legislation to develop a database to collect data on written notices of code violations and fines relative to hot work processes. Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits gas and electric companies regulated by the department from charging customers (ratepayers) for specific non-essential expenses. It bans recovery of costs related to promotional advertising (like encouraging service use), political advertising, lobbying, charitable contributions, executive perks (travel, gifts), and certain other activities. Companies must annually report all prohibited expenses to the department and cannot recover the cost of preparing these reports. Violations trigger non-recoverable penalties, refunds to customers, and potential rebates for ratepayers. The bill directly affects regulated utilities and aims to prevent customer funds from subsidizing activities unrelated to core service delivery.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the town of Monterey to extend the employment of police officer Jennifer O. Brown beyond age 65 until she reaches age 70, provided she remains mentally and physically capable of performing her duties. It ensures she will not have retirement deductions withheld after age 65 and guarantees her a retirement benefit equal to what she would have received at age 65 upon retirement. The town may require her to undergo a medical examination by the Berkshire County Retirement System to verify her capability for continued service. The bill directly affects only Officer Brown and her specific employment terms with the Monterey police department.

By Ms. Comerford, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 3055) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Joanne M. Comerford, Susannah M. Whipps and Paul W. Mark for legislation to clarify the operation of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Municipalities and Regional Government.

Maddy summaryHD 5091 eliminates party caucuses for nominating town officers in Conway, requiring candidates to file nomination papers instead. It also removes all political party designations from ballots and candidate names in Conway's town elections. The bill applies specifically to Conway's local elections for town offices and takes effect immediately upon passage. This changes how candidates are nominated and how ballots are printed, focusing on nonpartisan local elections.