# Massachusetts H 4702: An Act exempting the positions of police lieutenant and police sergeant in the city of Leominster from the civil service law

Massachusetts H 4702, An Act exempting the positions of police lieutenant and police sergeant in the city of Leominster from the civil service law, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by John J. Cronin (Democratic), Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-07-31 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 156 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4702-194
- 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 4702
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act exempting the positions of police lieutenant and police sergeant in the city of Leominster from the civil service law
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-11-03
- Last action: 2026-07-31, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 156 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsors: John J. Cronin (Democratic), Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Public Service, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (10 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Leominster police supervisors exempt from civil service: benefit, low. The law exempts Leominster’s police lieutenant and police sergeant jobs from the state civil service law. The city now sets local rules for how these ranks are hired and promoted. This applies only to those two ranks in Leominster. It takes effect upon passage.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: John J. Cronin (Democratic), Senate
- Sponsor: Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-09 | committee | Committee Favorable: Favorable Report | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (15)

- 2026-07-31: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 156 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-07-22: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-07-22: Enacted (House)
- 2026-07-20: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-07-20: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-17: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-02-17: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-02-17: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House)
- 2026-01-29: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2025-11-20: Hearing scheduled for 11/20/2025 from 05:00 PM-05:00 PM in Written Testimony Only (legislature)
- 2025-11-06: Senate concurred (Senate)
- 2025-11-03: Referred to the committee on Public Service (House)

## Bill text

- Chapter 156 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-07-31: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4702.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 156 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4702.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-H4702-194 (as of 2026-11-01).