Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 51 – Report No. 3
January 12 – 16, 2026
Copyright © 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of January 12-16. There were no roll calls in the House last week.
During the week of January 12-16, the House met for a total of 23 minutes and the Senate met for a total of six hours and 16 minutes.
OFFER TAX CREDIT TO COVER LARGE PROPERTY TAX INCREASES (S 2899)- Senate 37-1, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters said would give cities and towns the ability to shield their most vulnerable taxpayers from the “shock” of an extraordinarily high third and fourth quarter tax bill in a year when the community’s residential property tax levy rises by more than 10 per cent. Qualifying groups of taxpayers include people aged 65 and older who own and occupy the home; people enrolled in MassHealth; and people living with children under age 6 or under 18.
Under current law, the first and second quarter property tax bills for a given year are estimated based on the prior year’s tax levy and do not reflect any tax increase. As a result, the third and fourth quarter bills must cover the entire increase, so those two bills increase by twice the full-year percentage increase. The legislation would allow a municipality to use its own funds to give qualified persons a tax credit to cover the third and fourth quarter spike.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
INCREASE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TAX (S 2899)- Senate 5-33, rejected an amendment that would allow the city of Boston to shift more of its property tax burden onto commercial real estate in fiscal
years 2027 through 2029. The amendment is similar to the one that has been proposed and supported by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
The amendment would have allowed Boston to adjust its property tax classification if residential properties were set to bear a higher share of the total levy than in fiscal year 2025, with maximum shift levels capped at 181.5 percent in fiscal 2027, 180 percent in fiscal 2028 and 178 percent in fiscal 2029.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – No
INCREASE TAX RELIEF TO VETERANS (S 1948)- Senate 38-0, approved a bill that 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.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
CREATE TAX REBATE PROGRAMS (S 2900)- Senate 37-1, approved and sent to the House a bill that would give cities and towns the option to create tax rebate programs for residents who already benefit from a local residential exemption. This new rebate program would allow cities and towns to set income and asset thresholds, tailoring relief to local residents’ needs.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
MEANS TESTING (S 2902)- Senate 37-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would make it easier for communities to offer local property tax exemptions to seniors by allowing cities and towns to institute a means-tested senior citizen property tax exemption for income-eligible seniors who have lived in their community for at least 10 years.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
REQUIRE MORE PUBLIC DISCLOSURES OF FUNDRAISING AND SPENDING BY BALLOT QUESTION GROUPS (S 2898)- Senate 38-0, approved and sent to the House a bill requiring more frequent public reporting of fundraising and spending by groups supporting or opposing ballot questions. Under the bill, ballot question committees would be required to provide monthly reports on their finances. After September of that year,, campaigns would have to file biweekly reports until Election Day. The bill would hold ballot question campaigns to the same standard of disclosure already followed by candidates for office. Currently, ballot committees don’t have to report on their finances between Jan. 20 and September.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
SIGNATURE GATHERING FOR BALLOT QUESTIONS (S 2898)- Senate 34-3, approved an amendment that would require that when a ballot question group pays people or a company to gather signatures to qualify the question to be on the ballot, the petition must include a disclosure, in a manner to be determined by the secretary of state, which clearly informs potential signers that the petition is being distributed by a paid signature gatherer.
Another provision prohibits pay-per-signature arrangements in this signature gathering process and specifically prohibits any bonus pay or incentives, paid to the signature gatherer, which is contingent upon the number of signatures collected. A violation of this ban would be punishable by a fine of between $100 and $10,000 and each signature collected would be considered to be a separate offense.in violation of this section.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
BLUE STAR LICENSE PLATES (S 2903)- Senate 38-0, approved and sent to the House a proposal that would create a new special license plate to honor the memories of fallen law enforcement officers by offering a symbol of respect to their surviving spouses, parents and children. It would also create a Blue Star Family emblem for motorcycle plates.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
For more information and details on each bill, roll call attendance, and other relevant information, please visit the Wakefield Daily Item at www.localheadlinenews.com