"On the penultimate day of its session, the state Legislature adjourned early — before 6 p.m. — leaving massive and high-priority pieces of legislation for eleventh-hour votes before the formal session ends Sunday.However, lawmakers were continuing to negotiate compromise bills that will need to be voted on by Sunday. Legislative rules require conference committees to file their reports before 8 p.m. in order for the proposals to be considered the following day.But Senator William N. Brownsberger said the rules have been suspended before, and that it could happen again. He said he “expects to go late” into Sunday night as members iron out differences in priority bills.“We got as much business as we could get done today, and hopefully we’ll get the rest done tomorrow,” the Belmont Democrat told reporters as he left the Senate chamber for the night. “There’s no reason to stay late two nights in a row. It isn’t needed, and it doesn’t help . . . we do have a lot of work to do.”"
"WITH THE LEGISLATIVE session expected to end on Sunday night and a large backlog of bills in the pipeline, the House and Senate accomplished relatively little on Saturday.
House Democrats roundly rejected a Gov. Charlie Baker plan to overhaul how criminal defendants can be deemed dangerous and detained, spiking his last-minute effort to attach the measure to one of their criminal justice reform priorities.
The Senate passed its version of a measure bringing the state’s gun laws into compliance with a recent Supreme Court decision. Behind the scenes, House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on an $11.3 billion infrastructure bill and Baker returned a bill to lawmakers revamping governance of the Holyoke and Chelsea Soldiers’ Homes with an amendment to delay the effective date. There was little movement on a heavily rewritten climate change bill Baker returned to the Legislature on Friday and no action on sports betting, cannabis reform, mental health, or a host of other legislation."
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| The Massachusetts State House JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF |
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