Statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka, House Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues and House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz
"Today (6/15/21), the House and Senate agreed to report out a conference committee bill, in-part, that temporarily extends and reinstates a slate of measures instituted in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 State of Emergency.
This partial report addresses issues common to both the Senate and House bills and is necessary to ensure that critical policies - including those relating to municipalities' meetings, restaurants, tenants facing eviction, health care and child care - are available as expeditiously as possible.
These temporary provisions have been helpful to businesses, municipalities, health care providers, residents and communities during this extraordinary time. We will continue working together to resolve items in the near-term that were not included in today's Conference report, which deserve further consideration.
We look forward to the Governor's prompt review of this report."
Conference Committee Report: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S2475
From the Boston Globe:
State lawmakers on Tuesday night struck a deal and shipped Governor Charlie Baker legislation to restore the lapsed authorization for remote public meetings, to-go cocktail sales, and town meeting flexibilities, while leaving the future of other pandemic-era policy adaptations for later negotiations.
Baker’s COVID-19 state of emergency ended at 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, without a law passed to prevent the expiration of certain orders and legislation linked to the declaration.
After the Senate passed a post-emergency bill last week, the House approved an amended version on a 146-14 vote Tuesday afternoon, and both branches held their sessions open for the rest of the day to work out a deal.
