Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Both the House and Senate versions include funding for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program.
A House-Senate conference committee held its first meeting on July 8 to begin its work of reconciling differences between environmental bond bills passed by each chamber.
The borrowing bills include funding to strengthen infrastructure, invest in farms and local economies, protect water sources and the environment, reform permitting for housing and environmental initiatives, and support the western and central regions of the state.
Gov. Maura Healey initially introduced the bill, called the Mass Ready Act, in June of 2025.
The Senate passed its $3.94 billion version on April 15, and the House passed its $3.5 billion version on June 17.
Authorizations
The House version (H. 5518) includes $315 million for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, which is in line with the governor’s proposal, but below the $500 million in the Senate bill (S. 3064).
The House bill includes $385 million for water pollution abatement work, including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, while the Senate recommended $450 million. Both bills include $120 million for PFAS remediation projects.
The House’s $93.5 million authorization for inland flood and dam control projects is in line with the Senate’s figure, while the House proposed $50 million more than the Senate did for a coastal infrastructure authorization, bringing it to $250 million.
Policy provisions
Both bills include extended producer responsibility policy, a topic recently studied by the Extended Producer Responsibility Commission. The House included an EPR framework for statewide mattress recycling, while the Senate tackled paint recycling. All of Massachusetts’ neighboring states — other than from New Hampshire — have passed a paint EPR program, and both Connecticut and Rhode Island have mattress EPR programs.
The House incorporated two policies with impacts for municipal operations that the Senate did not tackle in its bill. One is a requirement that state and municipal governments purchase lighting fixtures that conform with certain guidelines and certifications to reduce light pollution. The other is a new series of planning, testing and reporting requirements for water bodies and waterways impacted by combined sewers.
Some notable policy priorities in the Senate’s bill, but missing from the House version, include a labeling requirement for non-flushable wipe products to help consumers avoid improper disposal, and updates to the public shade tree law — both strongly supported by the MMA.
The Senate also incorporated policies related to statewide drought management. Those provisions would allow the state to impose water conservation measures, including but not limited to nonessential outdoor watering restrictions, across drought regions or basins. Currently, the state can only impose such requirements during a Level 4: Emergency Drought. This provision would make municipalities responsible for expanded enforcement and oversight of conservation restrictions.
The Senate included a provision that would significantly impact prioritization of projects funded by the environmental bond bill. The language would require the Executive Office for Administration and Finance to help institute a “preference modifier” for municipalities that have zoning or land use policies that encourage the production of housing (such as as-of-right zoning for multifamily housing, elimination of parking minimums for residential use, elimination of lot size requirements, and wastewater and wetlands standards that do not exceed state health or environmental standards). This would apply to all discretionary or competitive grant programs authorized under the environmental bond bill.
Another provision in the Senate bill would exempt newly defined “priority housing projects” from local regulations or rules that go above and beyond the minimum state codes for wastewater and wetlands protection.
Both bills, as well as the governor’s initial proposal, include a new right of first refusal for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and Department of Conservation and Recreation for Chapter 61, 61A, and 61B lands, subsequent to the municipal process.