Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 51 – Report No. 14
March 30 – April 3, 2026
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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of March 30-April 3. There were no roll calls in the House last week.
During the week of March 30-April 3, the House met for a total of 20 minutes and the Senate met for a total of three hours and 46 minutes.
THE FARM BILL (S 3029)- Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill titled “Fostering Agricultural Resilience in Massachusetts,” nicknamed the FARM bill, that proponents said will support Massachusetts’ 7,000 farms; make it easier for families to buy fresh and nutritious food; protect the state’s food supply for the future; and continue the state’s response to federal actions that threaten food access.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis- Yes
TAX EXEMPTIONS (S 3029)- Senate 38-0, approved an amendment that would allow cities and towns to give temporary property tax breaks to farmers for building new buildings and/or renovating structures that are essential to farming – including barns, storage facilities, worker housing structures and structures used as indoor arenas for training and exercising horses that are used to help on the farm. The tax exemption applies only to the added value from new or rebuilt buildings and is valid for five years. If the building is used for non-agricultural purposes prior to the 5-year period, the owner would be required to pay back the taxes that were exempt.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.)
Sen. Jason Lewis- Yes
STUDY OPENING MORE AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS (S 3029)- Senate 37-0, approved an amendment that would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with the Department of Agricultural Resources, to conduct a study and make recommendations on the feasibility of establishing additional county agricultural schools in the Bay State. The bill requires that at least four public hearings be held on the matter and that an initial draft of the results be finished by December 31, 2016; and then following another public hearing on the draft, the final version with recommendations must be filed with the House of Representatives by July 1, 2027.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.)
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