Part ofWater Resources →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

S 662MASSACHUSETTSSession 194thState Billin committee

High Impact

Massachusetts creates drought management task force and authorizes mandatory water conservation rules

Original title: An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management

Last action · July 3, 2025: Accompanied S586Sponsors: Bruce Tarr and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Massachusetts establishes a permanent Drought Management Task Force to assess conditions, coordinate responses, and recommend drought levels, while granting the energy and environmental secretary authority to order uniform water conservation limits across affected regions.

Why it matters

Local water users face mandatory state-enforced restrictions on during droughts, and municipalities are required to enforce these state orders regardless of local ordinances.

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.

Directly affected

water users

Water users in drought regions are subject to mandatory state-ordered conservation measures and limits on nonessential outdoor water use.

Directly affected

cities and towns

Municipalities must enforce state-issued water conservation restrictions to the fullest extent permitted by law, regardless of local rules.

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

Who serves on the new drought management task force?

The task force includes officials from state agencies and professional organizations responsible for drought-affected areas, data-provider agencies, public health and safety and environmental professionals, and optionally federal agency officials, appointed jointly by the secretary and the director of the Massachusetts emergency management agency.

Are local municipalities required to enforce the state's water restrictions?

Yes, cities and towns must enforce water conservation restrictions issued by the secretary to the fullest extent permitted by law, notwithstanding any local ordinance, by-law, rule, or regulation.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

4 actions

Jul 3, 2025Senate
Accompanied S586
May 21, 2025Joint
Hearing scheduled for 06/03/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1
Feb 27, 2025House
House concurred
Feb 27, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to the committee on Environment and Natural Resources

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.

Connected Entities

Massachusetts

locationMassachusetts“Jurisdiction establishing the drought management task force”Map →

Sources

Open source document

malegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools