Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 51 – Report No. 15
April 6 – 10, 2026
Copyright © 2026 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of April 6-10.
During the week of April 6-10, the House met for a total of ten hours and nine minutes and the Senate met for a total of six hours and 44 minutes.
CANNABIS REGULATION CHANGES (H 5350)- House 155-0, Senate 33-6, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a conference committee version of a bill that would restructure the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) — dissolving it and downsizing its membership from five members to three. It also gives all the power to the governor to make the three appointments, replacing the current law which gives that power to the governor, the attorney general and treasurer. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the measure and a conference committee was appointed in December 2025 and took more than three months to hammer out this compromise version.
Other provisions include making it clear that the CCC chair is responsible for personnel and administrative matters and the executive director reports directly to the chair; an increase from one ounce to two ounces in the amount of marijuana that an adult can purchase or possess for recreational use; increasing from three to six the number of licenses a business owner can hold; allowing medical marijuana operators to specialize in cultivation, manufacturing or retail sales by eliminating current costly requirements; directing the CCC to study and make recommendations for the regulation of intoxicating hemp, which has grown in prevalence over recent years and will effectively be banned under federal law this fall unless the U.S. Congress takes action; and giving the CCC the ability to allow retailers to advertise sales, discounts and customer loyalty programs inside the store and via opt-in email, both of which are currently not permitted.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Yes
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
KIDS AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND CELL PHONES (H 5349)- House 129-25, approved a bill that would prohibit the use of cell phones by students from the time they arrive in school until dismissal. School districts would be required to notify parents of this policy and ensure that parents still have the ability to contact their children during the school day and vice versa.
Other provisions require the secure storage of personal electronic devices; allow the use of technology that renders personal electronic devices inoperable; require school districts to make accommodations and exceptions as necessary for documented medical needs, language access and translation needs for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or disabilities that require the use of personal electronic devices; and in cases of an emergency.
The bill also restricts the use of social media by children. Provisions include requiring social media companies to implement an age verification system based on the best technology available in order to reasonably and accurately identify a current or prospective user’s age; banning minors under the age of 14 from social media platforms, by requiring platforms to terminate users under that age and delete associated personal information effective October 1, 2026; requiring social media platforms to acquire verifiable parental consent for 14- and 15-year-old users of their platforms; prohibiting social media platforms from sharing information about a minor’s LGBTQ+ status or other characteristics protected under state law; and fining platforms which violate any of these provisions.
The Senate has already approved a different version of the cell phone ban without the social media restrictions. A House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Yes
Rep. Donald Wong – No
NO UNFUNDED MANDATES (H 5349)- House 27-136 rejected an amendment that would exempt any school district from paying any additional costs for implementing the provisions of the social media/cell phone legislation approved by the House. The amendment would allow the districts to pay for the additional cost only if they want to do so.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – No
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
$1.57 BILLION FISCAL 2026 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET (S 3041)- Senate 35-4, approved a $1.57 billion fiscal 2026 budget. Some of the funding will come from the $1.3 billion generated by the 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment, known by supporters as the Millionaire’s Tax and the Fair Share Amendment, which imposes a surtax of an additional 4 percent income tax, in addition to the current flat 5 percent one, on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually. Language in the constitutional amendment requires that “subject to appropriation, the revenue will go to fund quality public education, affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.”
Provisions include $1 million in legal defense services for immigrants; $10 million for full-tuition scholarships for UMass Chan Medical School students pursuing family medicine if they commit to remaining in Massachusetts and serving populations in need for five years after graduation; $100 million to ensure that Massachusetts’ public universities are able to withstand reductions in federal research funding; a new $32 million investment to provide immediate relief for strained municipal budgets by increasing special education reimbursement rates; $150 million for high-quality and accessible early education and care; $40 million for early literacy initiatives; $18.3 million to expand financial assistance offered to Massachusetts students enrolled at state universities and UMass campuses; $2.5 million to boost school-based mental health support; and $1 million to help public schools pay for costs incurred to implement the ban on cell phones use by students during school hours.
Other provisions include a new targeted sales tax exemption for building materials to incentivize the construction of new affordable, moderate-income and middle-income housing units for certain housing projects; $535 million in direct support for the MBTA for operational funding, commuter rail support and the low-income fare relief program; and $535 million for the MBTA for operational funding, commuter rail support and the low-income fare relief program; $20 million for the Home Energy Assistance Program to assist eligible low-income elders, working families and other households with assistance paying a portion of winter heating bills; and $1 million to help public schools pay for costs incurred by cities and towns to implement the ban on cell phones use by students during school hours.
(A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.)
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.