Beacon Hill Roll Call

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Volume 51 - Report No. 41

October 5-9, 2026

Copyright © 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.

By Bob Katzen

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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.

On November 3, or prior to that for voters who take advantage of early voting between October 17-30, all voters will have the opportunity to vote on nine ballot questions that will become law if approved by the majority of voters.

To get on the ballot, the groups backing each ballot question were required to collect and submit at least 74,574 signatures last fall. The Legislature had until May 5, 2026 to act on the proposed law. The Legislature did not act on any of the proposals by the May 5 deadline. At which point supporters were required to collect another 12,429 signatures by July 1, in order to get their question on the ballot. All nine groups gathered sufficient signatures to get their question on the 2026 ballot.

Although neither the House nor Senate voted on any of the nine proposals, the Committee on Initiative Petitions did hold public hearings on the questions. The committee eventually issued a majority report recommending that the Legislature take no action on each proposal. The Legislature never acted on the reports which were simply “placed on file,” where they died.

Secretary of State Bill Galvin has issued an 88-page book via the U.S. mail and online with details about each question. If you would rather not read the entire 88-page book, Beacon Hill Roll Call continues its look at each ballot question over the next several weeks prior to the election. This week’s report includes Questions 4, 5 and 6.

BALLOT QUESTION 4 – Here is a look at Question 4:

QUESTION 4: THIS PROPOSED LAW WOULD PERMIT ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS TO REGISTER TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY.

This question asks voters if they approve of allowing an eligible individual to register to vote on Election Day by going to their polling place and presenting proof of residency and signing a written oath. Proof of residency could be a valid photo identification, or documentation showing the individual's name and the address where the individual resides, including a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, residential lease, wireless telephone statement, paycheck, current student fee statement or other document from a post-secondary school, or another government document or correspondence. The written oath would require the individual to certify that they are a citizen of the United States, are at least 18 years old, are not legally prohibited from voting, and have not and will not vote in the same election at another location. The oath would require the individual to acknowledge that providing false information is a felony punishable by not more than 5 years imprisonment or a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

WHAT SUPPORTERS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

Norma Shulman, a spokesperson for “Yes on Election Day Registration” did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her why voters should vote “Yes” on Question 4; why opponents are wrong and are they distorting the truth in their arguments; and how is the campaign for Question 4 going?

Shulman did respond to Secretary of State Bill Galvin and her response was included in Gavin’s 88-page book.

“A vote for Election Day Registration ensures our democracy is truly representative, secure and modern,” wrote Shulman. “Allowing voters to register at the polls will give thousands of citizens the chance to participate in important national elections. This policy especially helps those who move frequently, like young people and renters. This law provides maximum voter access with rigorous security safeguards. It is a common-sense reform that guarantees every eligible voice is heard.”

WHAT OPPONENTS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

Amy Carnevale, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Republican party, did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her why voters should vote “No” on Question 4; why supporters are wrong and are they distorting the truth in their arguments; and how is the campaign for Question 4 going?

Carnevale did respond to Secretary of State Bill Galvin and her response was included in Gavin’s 88-page book.

“The public welfare demands that elections be protected from fraud,” wrote Carnevale. “Same-day voter registration prejudices that welfare by eliminating the advance period during which election officials can examine a registrant's identity, residence, eligibility or duplicate registration before a ballot is issued. Instead, officials would be required to make those determinations at the polling place, under substantial time pressure and amid the extraordinary demands of Election Day. Errors, false statements or conflicting records that escape detection may not be discovered until after the ballot has been cast and commingled with all others, when it can no longer be identified or withdrawn.

WHAT YOUR VOTE DOES:

A “Yes” vote would allow Election Day voter registration.

A “No” vote would make no changes to the laws governing voter registration.

BALLOT QUESTION 5 – Here is a look at Question 5:

QUESTION 5: THIS PROPOSED LAW WOULD LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE THE STATE CAN COLLECT EACH YEAR AND PROVIDE THAT THE EXCESS AMOUNT, ABOVE THAT LIMIT, BE REFUNDED TO TAXPAYERS.

This question asks voters if they approve of limiting state revenue in a given year to the net amount of state revenue from the prior year, increased by a rate equal to the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the most recent three years. If revenue collected by the state exceeds the limit, the excess amount would be refunded to taxpayers the following year.

WHAT SUPPORTERS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

“Massachusetts families are facing a real affordability challenge,” said Chris Keohane, a spokesperson for Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts. “Housing, food, childcare, energy and other everyday costs continue to put pressure on household budgets. At the same time, state tax revenues have grown dramatically. Since 2010 our state budget has grown more than two times the rate of wage increases and 2.5 times the rate of inflation. This is unsustainable -- particularly with stagnant job growth and a resident leaving our state every 11 minutes and 38 seconds. At a time when people are struggling, now is the time to put money directly back in people’s pockets.”

Keohane continued, “Opponents insist this is a budget cut which it clearly is not. This simply limits how much we can grow revenue year to year. Furthermore, their position that this benefits the wealthy is patently false. Under a 2023 change in Massachusetts law, refunds are required to be distributed equally among eligible taxpayers. The proposed ballot measure does not change that. We are excited with the direction of the campaign. Every public poll has shown us with a significant lead and the interactions we have with voters reflects it. We have been doing dozens of regional forums, interviews and meetings. In each one, the response has been phenomenal because people want money back in their pockets.”

WHAT OPPONENTS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

"As voters learn about the negative consequences Question 5 would have for Massachusetts, they're increasingly seeing through the spin from the anti-government multi-millionaires who paid to put Question 5 on the ballot,” said Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for Protect Massachusetts’ Future. “Question 5's reckless revenue limit would force repeated cuts to state and local public services, leading to layoffs for teachers, nurses and firefighters.”

Farnitano continued, “Occasional tax rebates won't make up for the fact that Question 5 would make healthcare, childcare and housing more expensive for Massachusetts families. Question 5 would give repeated tax rebates to the rich while the rest of us suffer the pain of budget cuts, and it would severely limit the state’s ability to recover from recessions. Question 5 is great for multi-millionaires who don't rely on public services, but it would be terrible for the rest of us."

WHAT YOUR VOTE DOES:

A “Yes” vote would limit state revenue to the net amount of state revenue from the prior year, increased by a rate equal to the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the most recent three years and return the excess amount to taxpayers.

A “No” vote would make no changes to the laws governing the amount of revenue the state can collect.

BALLOT QUESTION 6 – Here is a look at Question 6:

QUESTION 6: THIS PROPOSED LAW WOULD ESTABLISH A “NATURE FOR ALL FUND” THAT WOULD RECEIVE 50% OF STATE TAXES COLLECTED FROM THE SALE AND USE OF SPORTING GOODS, RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AND GOLF COURSES FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF ITS OPERATION AND 100 PERCENT IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS.

This question asks voters if they approve of establishing a “Nature for All Fund” that, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, would receive 50% of state taxes collected from the sale and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses for the first year of its operation and 100% in subsequent years. The proposed law would allow the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to spend the money in the fund for natural resource conservation and would also allow public and private donations to the fund.

Natural resource conservation would include the conservation or restoration of land to protect drinking water, streams, rivers, lakes, coasts, farms, forests, connectivity between open spaces and lands and natural resources of indigenous cultural significance, as well as the creation, improvement and management of parks, trails, greenspaces and outdoor recreation access.

WHAT SUPPORTERS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

"Mass Audubon, the Trustees, the Conservation Law Foundation and more than 125 organizations across Massachusetts support Question 6 because we see an urgent need to protect clean drinking water, preserve forests and wildlife habitats, build more trails and parks, and increase access to the outdoors and nature for everyone in the commonwealth,” said Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for Mass Audubon. “Question 6 would dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax we already pay on sporting goods like camping gear, golf clubs, and fishing equipment to a new “Nature for All Fund,” without raising taxes one cent. That means as much as $100 million each year — just 0.16% of the overall state budget — for permanently protecting and conserving water and nature.”

Farnitano continued, “And Question 6 comes with real accountability: a public oversight board that approves all spending and strict annual reporting requirements so the public can see how every dollar is spent. A “Yes” on 6 will permanently protect the places we love by conserving forests, farms and wildlife habitats, reducing pollution in our rivers and streams and creating and improving local parks. I'll also note that there is no organized opposition to Question 6.”

WHAT OPPONENTS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL

There is no organized group urging a “No” vote on this question so Beacon Hill Roll Call could not reach out to such a group.

Opponents in general said that the law would create an unstable fiscal framework by permanently earmarking 100% of state sales tax revenues from sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses. They noted that currently that revenue goes to existing ongoing programs and that redirecting it would require the reallocation or reduction of funds presently directed toward these other state initiatives, raising questions of opportunity costs and the potential displacement of existing infrastructure and environmental funding priorities.

WHAT YOUR VOTE DOES:

A “Yes” vote would create a fund that would be utilized for natural resource conservation.

A “No” vote would make no changes to the laws governing natural resources conservation.

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

RENAME COLUMBUS DAY (S 2113/H 3292) – A bill sponsored by Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) would designate the second Monday in October, now known as Columbus Day, as Indigenous Peoples Day and recommend appropriate exercises in schools to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous people. Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville) filed the same bill in the House. Both bills are tired up in committee and have yet to reach the House or Senate floor for debate and a vote. The measure met the same fate in the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 Legislature.

“Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas,” said Comerford. “That long-perpetuated myth — rooted in racism and violence — credits a European man with ‘discovering’ a land already home to thriving societies, cultures, governments, language and economies. Our commonwealth is home to sovereign tribal nations and Indigenous communities whose knowledge, leadership, stewardship, art, scholarship and advocacy shape Massachusetts today. They have protected this land, preserved its stories and insisted that we confront a history that has too often been erased or sanitized.”

Comerford continued, “We must listen to them. We must learn from them. And we must honor them. We cannot do that while continuing to honor Christopher Columbus.”

This year, Columbus Day is on October 13 so any name change, if approved, would have to wait until 2027 to take effect.

$403,500 TO PROMOTE SPECIALTY CROPS – The Healey Administration announced grants of $403,500 to six Massachusetts agricultural organizations to promote specialty crops to help local farms and producers bring more fresh fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture, to market. The measure is designed to help these local farms reach new customers and grow their businesses across the state.

“Specialty crops set Massachusetts apart and are essential to the state’s agricultural identity,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These grants are aimed at helping our specialty crop producers compete in a crowded marketplace – by funding projects that improve quality, expand marketing and create new opportunities for local businesses.”

“Specialty crops represent an enormous and essential part of our agricultural economy, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is committed to providing the resources necessary to scale their production and increase marketplace visibility,” said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. “Through this critical federal-state partnership, we are equipping our growers and commodity associations with the tools needed to drive consumer sales, strengthen supply chains and secure the long-term economic sustainability of Massachusetts agriculture.”

CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION (CCC) CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF ADULT USE OF CANNABIS – The CCC kicked off a multimedia initiative to mark ten years of adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts. The commission offers insights into how the industry has become an economic force with hundreds of businesses that employ tens of thousands and has generated nearly $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. The initiative will include a dedicated webpage featuring economic data and a video capturing the highlights of the industry over the last decade. The public will also be able to view initiative materials via the agency’s Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and X pages.

“After ten years, cannabis businesses are familiar, becoming part of everyday life in hundreds of communities across the state,” Commissioner Anthony Wilson said. “As a commissioner, I’m looking forward to shaping the next decade of the industry by working to improve and update our policies to support the growth of the industry and to protect health and safety, including the safety of workers in the industry and the safety of products available in the marketplace.”

The initiative is launching just a few weeks before Bay State voters will vote on November 3 on a ballot question asking them if they favor repealing the law making recreational use of marijuana by adults legal. Some supporters of repealing the law say that the timing of the initiative is not coincidental and is designed to use state revenues, which fund the commission, to help defeat the ballot question.

ELIMINATE THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE – A new poll shows 84 percent of Massachusetts voters support eliminating the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, and that 67 percent say this should be a high priority for legislators. The poll was conducted for and released by the Bay State-based organization Enough Abuse, the nation’s oldest citizen-based child advocacy organization.

The poll comes on the heels of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s report detailing the findings of her office’s investigation into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester. The investigation found evidence that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children at the three dioceses.

The House and Senate in July approved two different versions of a primary care and health care affordability bill. The House version includes a provision that would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. The Senate version does not include that provision. A House-Senate conference committee is working on hammering out a compromise version of the two bills.

Under current law, effective for abuse that took place after June 26, 2014, survivors must sue within 35 years of the abuse, or within seven years of discovering that the abuse caused them psychological harm. However, the clock does not start ticking until the survivor turns 18. In practice, that caps most claims around age 53 and leaves survivors whose window has already closed with no path back into court.

“We are grateful to Speaker Mariano for his leadership in support of healing for survivors and stopping future crimes, and we are gratified to see such strong support among voters for getting this effort over the finish line,” said Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse. “We urge Senate colleagues to stand with the House and keep these provisions in the final bill.”

INTEREST RATE ON UNPAID PROPERTY TAXES (H 3238) – The House in February gave initial approval to, without a roll call vote, a proposal that would allow the city council, town meeting or other equivalent city or town legislative body to change the interest rate on unpaid real estate property or personal property tax bills from the current 14 percent to “up to 14 percent.” The measure also allows the local tax collector or treasurer to waive interest fees on late payments and to set up a payment plan with the person who owes the unpaid balances.

Supporters said the bill would give local officials more flexibility on these outstanding balances and would get rid of the cookie cutter/one size fits all current law.

The bill has been tied up in committee since its approval in February.

INCREASE TAX RELIEF TO VETERANS (S 1948) – Another bill tied up in committee would allow cities and towns to hike from the current $1,500 to $2,000, the property tax break for veterans and spouses of deceased or disabled veterans in exchange for their providing volunteer services to their municipality. In February, the House, on a voice vote without a roll call, gave initial approval to this bill that has already been approved by the Senate.

Supporters say that veteran and senior work-off programs were originally designed to operate in parallel but while the Legislature recently raised the senior cap to reflect rising costs of living, the veteran cap was not updated, creating an unintended disparity.

“Our veterans have already given so much in service to our nation, and they deserve to be able to remain in the communities they call home,” said the bill’s sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Provincetown). “For many veterans on Cape Cod, the Islands and across Massachusetts, rising property taxes are putting undue pressure on household budgets that are already razor thin. This bill gives communities a meaningful property tax relief tool while recognizing the service veterans have already given so they may live with the dignity they have earned.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES

“To be successful in their mission, a cultural organization needs an effective space to do their work. Through these investments, we are helping organizations address real facility needs, welcome more people through their doors and ensure that communities across Massachusetts continue to have places to gather, create, learn and connect.”

--- David Slatery, Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council, announcing that four nonprofit cultural facilities will receive a combined total of $706,000 to help them remain in a state of good repair.

“Taxpayers deserve to have plain language that details the tax and spending measures that will be on their ballots for this year’s general election. We’re pleased to provide this resource for taxpayers across the country.”

---Vice President of Federal Affairs at the National Taxpayers Union Tommy Aiello releasing a report that 24 states, including Massachusetts, will consider ballot measures in this year’s general election that directly impact taxpayer dollars, including income, property, sales and wealth taxes, along with billions in government borrowing.

“We’re proud that Massachusetts is ranked number one in the country for the health of women and children. It reflects the incredible work happening every day to support families and make sure they have access to high-quality health care. But we also know there is more work to do, particularly to close disparities and make sure everyone can get the care and support they need. That’s why I’m working every day to increase access to primary, mental health and maternal health care, while also finding ways to lower costs for patients.”

---Gov. Maura Healey reacting to Massachusetts being ranked the number one state in the nation for the health of women and children, according to the America’s Health Rankings 2026 Health of Women and Children Report.

“Energy costs are putting real pressure on family budgets, and this plan gets relief directly to those who need it. We’re helping middle class families heat their homes, increasing support for our lowest-income residents and taking charges off electric bills this winter. This is about meeting the moment and lowering costs for people across Massachusetts.”

---Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on Gov. Healey declaring a State of Energy Emergency and, through an Executive Order, is expanding eligibility for home heating assistance and removing charges from electric bills.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts.

Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of October 5-9, the House met for a total of 21 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 23 minutes.

Mon. Oct. 5 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:07 a.m.

Senate 11:19 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tues. Oct. 6 No House session.

No Senate session

Wed. Oct. 7 No House session.

No Senate session

Thurs. Oct. 8 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:14 a.m.

Senate 11:12 a.m. to 11:24 a.m.

Fri. Oct.9 No House session.

No Senate session.

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com

Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.m electric bills.