Senate approves age-waiver for a Boston officer and enacts employee-related bill; several measures advanced

The Massachusetts Senate met in a brief session that included passage of two measures and the advancement of a House bill. The presiding officer secured unanimous consent to take a matter from the orders of the day and the body moved two bills forward before adjourning.

The Senate passed, on its third reading, "an act directing the City of Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age requirement for police officers for Antonio" (identified in the transcript with inconsistent last-name spellings but cited as "senate number 27"). The clerk read the bill title for third reading and the presiding officer announced, "The ayes have it, and the bill is passed to be engrossed." The action as recorded in the transcript was passage to be engrossed; no roll-call tally or recorded individual votes were read aloud.

Separately, the Senate voted that "an act establishing a cleave bank for Marie Lontondre Lontondre, an employee of the Department of Transitional Assistance" be passed to be enacted. The presiding officer stated that the bill "will be signed by the president and laid before the governor for her approbation." The transcript contains unusual phrasing for the measure's description (see audit notes); the body took final passage as announced from the floor.

Also before the Senate, the clerk read a House bill (House No. 4814) authorizing the town of Westwood to reissue certain licenses for the sale of wine and malt beverages and to grant licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises. Senator Tarr asked unanimous consent to suspend the rules, the Senate heard no objection, and the bill was ordered to a third reading.

No recorded roll-call vote totals were announced from the floor for the measures taken; the transcript records only the presiding officer's announcements that "the ayes have it." The session concluded after the Senate honored two retiring dispatchers and then adjourned to meet Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

Votes at a glance

- An act directing the City of Boston Police Department to waive the maximum age requirement for a named officer (cited as "senate 27"): Passed to be engrossed (floor announcement). Surname inconsistent in the transcript (appears as both Perez and Pierce). No roll-call tally provided.

- An act concerning Marie Lontondre Lontondre (described as establishing a "cleave bank" and identifying her as an employee of the Department of Transitional Assistance): Passed to be enacted (floor announcement). Text and phraseology in the transcript appear garbled; the bill will be signed by the president and presented to the governor according to the presiding officer.

- House No. 4814 (Town of Westwood licensing): Ordered to a third reading after rules were suspended by unanimous consent.

The Senate did not record individual yea-or-nay votes on the floor for these items in the provided transcript; outcomes were announced by the presiding officer as "the ayes have it."