# Massachusetts H 4501: An Act amending the town charter of the town of Plymouth Massachusetts H 4501, An Act amending the town charter of the town of Plymouth, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Kathleen R. LaNatra (Democratic), Michelle L. Badger (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-05-21 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4501-194 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Massachusetts H 4501 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act amending the town charter of the town of Plymouth - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-09-11 - Last action: 2026-05-21, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2026 - Sponsors: Kathleen R. LaNatra (Democratic), Michelle L. Badger (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Municipalities and Regional Government, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 1 (11 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Budget oversight and year-end cap: benefit, medium. Town Meeting meets at least twice each year; the spring session (March–April) focuses on funding and the annual budget. A 15‑member Advisory and Finance Committee (AFC) reviews budgets, holds public hearings, and issues a report posted online and mailed to members at least 14 days before Town Meeti… - Voter petitions and referendums: benefit, medium. Ten registered voters can place an article on an annual Town Meeting warrant; 100 are needed for a special Town Meeting. Most Town Meeting votes take effect after 10 days, giving time for a referendum petition. Exceptions that take effect right away are adjournment, payments on bonds and notes, tem… - Local election and ballot rules: benefit, low. The annual town election is on the third Saturday in May. All town elections are nonpartisan; ballots show no party labels. The Town Clerk runs a public lottery for candidate order with at least 48 hours’ notice, and “Candidate for Re‑election” appears next to incumbents. Elected officers take offi… - New land use advisory board: benefit, low. A seven‑member Land Use and Acquisition Committee advises the Select Board on buying, selling, and managing town land. Members serve three‑year overlapping terms and are appointed by several town boards. The committee also advises on actions under Chapters 61, 61A, and 61B, and on other matters the… - Accountability for boards and staff: mixed, low. All boards and committees must organize within 30 days after the annual election, set quorum rules, adopt procedures, and file approved minutes with the Town Clerk for public inspection. An appointed member who attends less than 30% of meetings in 12 months may be deemed to have resigned by a major… - Open meetings and public records: mixed, low. Town Meeting sessions are open to the public. Secret ballots are not allowed and all motions use roll-call votes. A two‑thirds quorum is required, and changing article order needs a two‑thirds vote. The Town Clerk must post meeting notices in public places, online, and try to post on social media,… - Recall rules for town officials: mixed, low. Voters can recall a townwide official with an initial petition of 250 voters, then a completed petition signed by at least 15% of registered voters within 30 days. Registrars certify within 7 business days. The Select Board sets a special election 64–80 days after its vote or aligns it with another… - Stronger conflict of interest rules: mixed, low. A Town Meeting member cannot vote on any article where they, an immediate family member, or an organization they serve has a financial interest. The member must tell the Town Clerk in writing before the session. Town employees who are members cannot vote on articles where they or their department h… - Who serves in Town Meeting: mixed, low. Each precinct elects nine Town Meeting members to three-year staggered terms, with three elected each year. Any registered voter can run. Members serve without pay and cannot hold another elected town office at the same time. If sworn into county, state, or federal office, the town seat ends that d… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Kathleen R. LaNatra (Democratic), House - Sponsor: Michelle L. Badger (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-10-02 | committee | Committee Favorable with Changes: ought to pass as changed | pass | 11 | 0 | | ## Actions (15) - 2026-05-21: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2026 - 2026-05-14: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Enacted (House) - 2026-05-11: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate) - 2026-05-11: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate) - 2026-02-02: Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate) - 2026-01-28: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House) - 2025-11-10: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House) - 2025-11-10: Rules suspended (House) - 2025-11-10: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House) - 2025-10-14: Bill reported favorably by committee as changed and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2025-09-23: Hearing scheduled for 09/23/2025 from 02:00 PM-02:00 PM in Written Testimony Only (legislature) - 2025-09-15: Senate concurred (Senate) - 2025-09-11: Referred to the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (House) ## Bill text - Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-05-21: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4501.pdf) ## Related bills - H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed) - H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate) - H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house) - H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions (signed) - H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading) - H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed) ## Sources - [Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4501.pdf) ## Related - [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194) - [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194) - [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194) - [H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H3909-194) - [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194) - [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4501-194 (as of 2026-11-01).