The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts bill excludes farmland, cemeteries, and utility land from municipal subsidized housing land area calculations
Last action · April 13, 2026: Accompanied a study order, see H5352 (under House Rule 27)Sponsor: Joe McKenna
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What This Bill Would Do
Legislation amends Chapter 40B to exclude specific categories of land—including agricultural, recreational, conservation, cemetery, and utility lands—when cities and towns calculate the 1.5% general land area minimum for exemptions.
Alters how municipalities calculate housing inventory thresholds that provide local zoning boards protection from comprehensive permit appeals.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Cities and towns must recalculate their total land area exclusions when determining subsidized housing inventory thresholds.
Property owners of agricultural and recreational land
Land enrolled under chapters 61A and 61B is excluded from the denominator when calculating municipal housing land percentages.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What land categories are removed from the municipal land area calculation?
Which state law does this bill amend?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
6 actions- Apr 13, 2026HouseAccompanied a study order, see H5352 (under House Rule 27)
- Sep 17, 2025JointHearing rescheduled to 09/17/2025 from 09:00 AM-11:30 AM in B-1 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span>
- Sep 16, 2025JointHearing rescheduled to 09/17/2025 from 09:00 AM-01:00 PM in B-1 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing location changed</span>
- Sep 4, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 09/17/2025 from 09:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-2
- Feb 27, 2025SenateSenate concurred
- Feb 27, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the committee on Housing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Refinement of Chapter 40B Land Base
The bill systematically removes non-developable or specially protected land categories from the denominator used to calculate the 1.5% general land area minimum.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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