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S 2186MASSACHUSETTSSession 194thState Billin committee

Massachusetts Bill S.2186 Requires 30-Day Decision Deadlines for Extra Public Construction Work

Original title: An Act relative to timely public payments for work not included in original construction contracts

Last action · November 24, 2025: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and MeansSponsor: Mike Moore

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
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What This Bill Would Do

Massachusetts bill S.2186 requires public construction contracts and subcontracts to approve or reject written price increase requests within 30 days, or else treat them as automatically approved. Any rejection must be put in writing with a factual and contractual explanation certified in good faith.

Why it matters

Changes how quickly contractors and subcontractors receive decisions or payment for extra work on public projects by imposing strict 30-day deadlines and preventing contract clauses that delay dispute resolution beyond 60 days.

Background
  • Michael O. Moore is a member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Worcester district. context
  • Chapter 30 and Chapter 149 of the Massachusetts General Laws govern state and municipal public building construction contracts and procurement procedures. context

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

contractors

Must receive formal written and certified rejections within 30 days or benefit from automatic approval of their price increase requests.

Directly affected

subcontractors

Gain tiered timeline extensions and enforceable 30-day review windows for price increase requests on public construction projects.

Directly affected

project owners

Must review and respond to price increase requests within strict statutory deadlines or face automatic approval of the requested amounts.

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 happens if a contractor's request for extra payment is ignored?
If a written request for a price increase is neither approved nor rejected within the 30-day window, it is automatically deemed approved and can be submitted for payment in the next progress payment.
Can a public project owner reject a price increase request without explanation?
No. Rejections must be in writing, include a factual and contractual explanation, and carry a certification that they were made in good faith.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

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

Procedural history

6 actions
  1. Nov 24, 2025SenateCommittee
    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means
  2. Oct 8, 2025Joint
    Hearing rescheduled to 10/08/2025 from 01:00 PM-01:55 PM in 222 and Virtual<br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span>
  3. Sep 25, 2025Joint
    Hearing rescheduled to 10/08/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in 222 and Virtual<br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing location changed</span>
  4. Sep 24, 2025Joint
    Hearing scheduled for 10/01/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-1
  5. Feb 27, 2025House
    House concurred
  6. Feb 27, 2025SenateCommittee
    Referred to the committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

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

Mike MooreSenate · District Second WorcesterDemocraticPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Establishment of Deemed Approval for Public Contracts

The legislation introduces an automatic approval mechanism for unaddressed price increase requests in public construction contracts after 30 days.

Connected Entities

Senate Ways and Means, State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, Mike Moore
OrganizationSenate Ways and Means“Committee to which the bill was referred”Map →
OrganizationState Administration and Regulatory Oversight“Committee reviewing the petition”Map →
PersonMike Moore“Lead sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2186”Map →

Sources

Open source document

malegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance50
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy15
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

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