# Massachusetts H 4701: An Act authorizing the town of Orange to increase the membership of the Board of Selectmen

Massachusetts H 4701, An Act authorizing the town of Orange to increase the membership of the Board of Selectmen, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Susannah M. Whipps (Independent); status signed, last action 2026-03-05 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 35 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4701-194
- 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 4701
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act authorizing the town of Orange to increase the membership of the Board of Selectmen
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-11-03
- Last action: 2026-03-05, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 35 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsors: Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Susannah M. Whipps (Independent)
- 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: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Orange now has five selectmen: benefit, low. The law gives Orange a five-member Board of Selectmen. Each member serves a three-year term, staggered so at least one seat opens each year. The board serves as the town’s chief executive and keeps the usual powers under state law. Any prior town vote to expand the board is ratified and treated as…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Senate
- Sponsor: Susannah M. Whipps (Independent), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-11-25 | committee | Committee Favorable: Ought to pass | pass | 11 | 0 |   |

## Actions (14)

- 2026-03-05: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 35 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-02-26: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: Enacted (House)
- 2026-02-25: Read second, ordered to a third reading, read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-02-05: Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2025-12-22: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2025-12-22: Rules suspended (House)
- 2025-12-22: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House)
- 2025-12-08: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2025-11-17: Hearing scheduled for 11/17/2025 from 10:00 AM-05:00 PM in Written Testimony Only (legislature)
- 2025-11-06: Senate concurred (Senate)
- 2025-11-03: Referred to the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (House)

## Bill text

- Chapter 35 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-03-05: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4701.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 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the town of Sudbury (signed)
- 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)

## Sources
- [Chapter 35 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4701.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 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the t…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4755-194)
- [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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4701-194 (as of 2026-11-01).