Mass. House enacts MDOT land conveyance, approves Natick charter amendment and passes sick-leave bill as amended

The Massachusetts House of Representatives approved several bills during its session, passing an engrossed conveyance of land by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and adopting an amendment to a sick-leave bank bill for a corrections employee.

The chair presented House Bill 4,643, an act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to convey a parcel of land in the town listed in the record as "Stonem." The House separately voted on an emergency preamble required under the Constitution; division counts were recorded and the emergency preamble was adopted. Later in the session the bill was passed to be enacted.

On a separate measure, members considered House Bill 4,962, establishing a sick-leave bank for a Department of Correction employee. Mr. Walsh of Peabody moved to amend the bill by striking section 2 and inserting an emergency preamble; the clerk dispensed with reading and the House adopted the amendment by voice vote. The bill, as amended, was passed to be engrossed.

The House also passed House Bill 3,898, an act amending the charter of the town of Natick, by voice vote.

Votes at a glance:
- House 4,643 (MDOT conveyance): emergency preamble adopted; bill later passed to be enacted (voice vote recorded; specific affirmative/negative tallies for final passage were not recorded in the transcript beyond the chair’s announcement that "the ayes have it").
- House 4,962 (sick-leave bank): amendment (striking section 2 and inserting an emergency preamble) moved by Mr. Walsh and adopted by voice vote; bill passed to be engrossed as amended.
- House 3,898 (Natick charter amendment): passed to be enacted by voice vote.

The session record does not include roll-call tallies for the final passage of the enacted bills beyond the recorded divisions on the emergency preamble for House 4,643. The chair confirmed the House would reconvene at 11 a.m. Thursday.