Legislature sends COVID bill with meeting provisions to governor

The Legislature passed a $101 million bill Thursday afternoon that would supplement certain fiscal 2022 appropriations in response to the current phase of the COVID-19 public health emergency and extend certain authorizations related to public meetings.

The bill (H. 4345), which is now before the governor, includes $50 million for the expansion of COVID testing and $25 million to procure high-quality masks for students and faculty in elementary and secondary public school districts, early childhood centers, congregate care facilities, and home health care workers.

The Legislature this week added $26 million to the bottom line of the bill: $25 million for the COVID-19 Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave Fund and $1 million for a public awareness campaign regarding unemployment benefit overpayments.

The bill includes the following pandemic-related provisions and authorizations related to public board and town meetings, all of which were MMA priorities for early this year:
• Remote option for public bodies: The bill would extend through July 15 previous authorization for remote public meetings, first enacted at the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020 and currently set to expire on April 1.
• Open town meeting quorums: The bill would allow select boards, in consultation with their town moderator, to lower quorum requirements for open town meetings to not less than 10% of the existing quorum level. The quorum provision includes a seven-day notification requirement before any select board vote.
• Remote representative town meetings: The bill would permit representative town meetings to once again have the option to meet remotely, if approved by the select board and town moderator, as well as the town meeting when it meets.

The provisions related to open and representative town meetings would be available through July 15, 2022.

The bill also sets the state primary date for Sept. 6, 2022.