Senate insists on amendment and appoints conference committee after House nonconcurrence on cannabis bill

The Massachusetts Senate moved Wednesday to insist on a Senate amendment to a House bill aimed at modernizing the state’s cannabis laws and appointed a committee of conference after the House nonconcurred on the amendment.

Clerk/Reader reported that "the house has non concurred on the Senate amendment" to House Bill No. 4206 and that the House had "struck out all after the enacting clause" and placed the text of H2749 in the bill. In response, Senator Char "moved that the senate insist upon its amendment and appoint a committee of conference," and the motion carried without objection.

The presiding officer announced the Senate conferees, naming Senator Gomez as chair and Senators Comerford and Durant as members. The Clerk also reported the House had appointed Donahue, Gonzales and SOTA as its representatives to the committee of conference.

No roll‑call vote on the conference appointment was recorded in the session transcript; the action was taken by voice vote and announced by the presiding officer.

What happens next: the conference committee will reconcile the differences between the two branches on the language of the cannabis bill. The transcript does not record a schedule for conferee meetings or further procedural steps.