Massachusetts lawmakers have 12 House-Senate conference committees still negotiating and more than 40 significant policy choices to settle before the legislative term ends Jan. 5, 2027, CommonWealth Beacon reported. None of the panels had produced an agreement by Election Day, the outlet reported. Any bill left unfinished will expire when the term ends.
Related: AP Calls Question 7: Mass. Voters Narrowly Reject Starter-Home Lot Sizes.
What is still on the table
The open questions range from whether to allow duplex development statewide to whether to ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores, CommonWealth Beacon reported. The list also includes a late spending proposal needed to close the state’s financial books.
Lawmakers could also rewrite a public records ballot question that voters approved on Nov. 3, the outlet reported.
Who decides
Almost all of the remaining business now sits with conference committees, CommonWealth Beacon reported. Each panel works out differences between House and Senate bills. The full Legislature can then only vote the final compromise up or down, usually with a day or two of notice.
House Speaker Ron Mariano said Friday, Nov. 6, that negotiators were “making progress and working hard.” He said in a statement that the content of a final bill “is far more important than reaching an agreement quickly.”
Why so much is left this late
For decades, legislative rules barred formal sessions after July 31 of the term’s second year, the outlet reported. Lawmakers adopted that rule after a 1994 lame-duck session in which they approved a 55% pay raise for themselves.
This term, lawmakers changed the rule after chaotic end-of-session sprints in 2022 and 2024, CommonWealth Beacon reported. Major bills still needed initial approval in both chambers by July 31. Conference committee deals can now return for a formal vote any time before the term ends.
Unfinished bills would have to start over after lawmakers are sworn in for the 2027-2028 session.
More coverage is in our Massachusetts politics section.
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