Most of this website is devoted to issues of immediate local concern and to a few issues of larger statewide concern — education, government reform, fiscal responsibility, economic development, clean energy. Those are the same issues that the media devote most attention to.
Is this typical coverage neglecting major categories of issues before the legislature? The answer appears to be no. A review of the last session’s activity yields the following breakdown statistics:
- Approximately 8,000 bills were filed in the session according to the legislative information system
- The legislature actually passed 680 bills — 204 in 2009 and 476 in 2010. This raw volume is typical — over the last seven biennial sessions available online, the first year has tended to yield about 200 bills and the second year closer to 500.
- The 680 bills enacted break down roughly as follows:
- Roughly 400 were local administrative bills, mostly home rule petitions (an average of a little more than one per community)
- charter changes (Belmont had 2)
- liquor licensing (Belmont had 1)
- smoothing over of local technical legal issues (Belmont had 2)
- local financial accounting changes (Belmont had 1)
- land conveyances requiring legislative approval
- special pension bills (there were a total of six statewide passed by local request)
- Another roughly 150 were state administrative bills
- 75 sick leave bank bills
- 33 bills naming roads or facilities
- 16 appropriations bills (annual, supplemental or deficiency)
- Assorted other organizational and financial bills
- The other roughly 120 bills include the ones that make headlines and a number of bills of smaller regulatory significance
- Roughly 400 were local administrative bills, mostly home rule petitions (an average of a little more than one per community)
Below appears a list of the 120 enacted bills (“session laws”) that are not basically state and local administrative bills. For access to the full text of session laws, click here.
2009 Session Laws by Number
9 Insurance premium surcharges under managed competition
21 Pension reform
25 Transportation reform
28 Ethics reform
29 Uniform prudent management of institutional funds
30 Economic Development
33 Broadband initiatives
43 CORI checks for climbing wall instructors
44 Federal secure and fair enforcement for mortgage licensing
58 Prohibiting health care facilities for charging for infection fixes
60 Regionalization advisory commission
70 Reimbursement for hygienists by Medicaid
71 Disability history month
92 Kennedy election
101 Oil spills in buzzards bay — pilotage
132 Veterans benefits bill
133 Public utilities companies
158 Renewable energy trust changes “clean energy”
159 Preservation of publicly-assisted affordable housing
161 Saltwater fishing licenses
166 “Fiscal Stability Measures” — tax credits, misc., including disability pension tweak
167 Extending simulcasting
169 Mixed martial arts
183 Extending deadline for mailing quarterly tax bills
184 Board of registration of social workers.
2010 Session Laws by Number
12 Ed Reform
22 Regulation of CPA’s
23 Harassment prevention orders
26 Unpaid fines
34 Unemployment insurance rates
74 Assaults on correctional officers
82 Devocalization of dogs and cats
92 Bullying
145 Transportation of telephone polls
151 Assault and battery on health care providers
154 Floor finishing products
155 Mobile phones while driving
160 Regulation of explosives
165 An act further regulating public charities
166 Head injury rules for school athletic programs
168 Bittering agents in anti-freeze
176 Savings Bank Life Insurance, gender
179 Sale of antique barometers
183 Condominium common areas
184 Minimum age for identification cards
188 Municipal relief act
189 State universities
190 Organ donor fund
191 Registration of nurse anaesthetists
197 An act relative to school nutrition
198 An act protecting nursing home residents
202 Off-highway and recreational vehicles
203 Extension of simulcasting
207 Autism insurance coverage
229 National Popular Vote
232 Divestment from Iran
234 Banking laws
235 Qualified financial contracts
236 Disabled firefighters
237 Exemptions in Massachusetts Automobile Insurance Plans
239 Eliminating the word “retardation”
251 Health plan licensing
255 Certain types of dual alcohol licensure
256 CORI Reform
258 Mortgage Foreclosures
259 Operation of motor cycles by minors
265 Temporary registrations, volunteer dentistry
267 Child abuse penalties
273 Deposits in trust for other persons
275 Maximum charges on vehicles towed
276 An act prohibiting the use of novelty lighters
277 Food Policy Council
278 LICSW can pink slip
282 Discharge of Mortgages
283 Monitoring of controlled substances
284 Credit Union Shares and Deposits
285 Workers compensation insurance
288 Health insurance regulation
292 Inhalant abuse
293 Fairness in private construction contracts
295 Disposition of museum property
296 Warrantless arrrest for operation of MV causing injury or death
298 Deed Registry recording proceduresx
299 Alternative communication opportunities for children
300 Silver alert response system
307 Real Estate Brokerage licensing requirements
308 Flea market vendor regulations
309 Abandoned vessels
310 Funeral processions
311 Inspections of street rods
313 Post-partum depression
315 Sale of wine at auctions
321 Reprecincting
322 Certification of community health workers
327 Security of vital records
350 An act relative time-share ownership
358 Regulation of hoisting machinery
374 Water company meters
393 An act clarifying the term warehouser
395 Homestead
399 An act providing equity for school principals
423 Flag purchases
424 Designer liens
426 Alcohol sales tax repeal (referendum)
430 Trusts for the care of animals
431 Regulation of debt collection
433 Pilotage rate board
447 Real estate appraisers
449 Utility tree-trimming
454 Corrective changes (non-substantive???)
461 Issuance of Uniform Police Identification cards
462 Fire insurance policies
466 Firearms identification cards for military
468 Apprentice training
469 Home service contracts
471 Group health insurance — newspaper boys
472 Dental hygienists practicing in public health settings
473 Life insurance reserve
474 Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative