Massachusetts Senate approves Hanson conservation restriction amendment, sick-leave bank and Scituate liquor licenses; several measures referred to committee

The Massachusetts Senate met and moved multiple measures forward on third reading, adopting amendments and ordering bills to be engrossed while referring several petitions to joint committees.

The chamber took up an act to further regulate amendments to a conservation restriction in the town of Hanson (Senate No. 1425). A senator from the 2nd Plymouth and Norfolk presented an amendment; a colleague moved to substitute a new draft (Senate No. 2895). The Senate adopted the amendment by voice vote and then passed the bill to be engrossed.

The Senate then considered a House bill to establish a sick-leave bank for Marie Latandra, an employee of the Department of Transitional Assistance (House No. 4565). The bill was read a third time and passed to be engrossed by voice vote.

A House bill authorizing the prudential committee of Fire District No. 1 to appoint a treasurer (House No. reported in the transcript as 3942/3952) was reported by the committee on rules. The Senate suspended its rules to consider the matter forthwith, ordered the bill to a third reading and passed it to be engrossed.

Lawmakers also addressed a House bill authorizing the town of Scituate to issue four additional licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consumed on the premises (House No. 4657). The Senate suspended the rules, considered the bill, adopted an amendment to subsection E that struck paragraph 2 (moved by a senator identified in the transcript as Mr. O'Connor), ordered the bill as amended to a third reading and passed it to be engrossed.

The committee on rules reported a joint petition urging legislation to include inflammatory breast cancer awareness and nursing education. The Senate suspended joint rules and referred the petition to the Joint Committee on Public Health for consideration.

A House paper regarding the appointment of the police chief in the city of Fall River (House No. 4214) was received from the House and, by unanimous consent to suspend rules, was ordered to a third reading.

A petition filed on behalf of Carol A. Viola concerning survivors and holders of abuse or harassment prevention orders was considered under suspension of joint rule 12 and referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

Procedural motions in the session were handled largely by voice vote. The presiding officer repeatedly announced results with standard wording such as, “The ayes have it,” after which measures were recorded as passed to be engrossed. The Senate adopted an order to adjourn and will meet again Wednesday next at 11:00 a.m.

The session transcript contains several short, unclear utterances recorded without context; where names or bill numbers appear inconsistent in the transcript, the article follows the wording provided on the Senate floor and notes when the transcript lists multiple or differing identifiers.