# Massachusetts H 4946: An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer

Massachusetts H 4946, An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Joint Committee on Financial Services; status second reading, last action 2026-07-31 (New draft substituted, see H5631); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4946-194
- 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 4946
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer
- Status: second reading
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-23
- Last action: 2026-07-31, New draft substituted, see H5631
- Sponsor: Joint Committee on Financial Services
- Cosponsors: 68
- Subjects: Financial Services, Health Care Financing, House Ways and Means, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling with the amendment pending
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (53 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joint Committee on Financial Services
- Cosponsor: Adrian C. Madaro (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Adrianne Pusateri Ramos (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Amy Mah Sangiolo (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Angelo J. Puppolo Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Antonio F. D. Cabral (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Brian W. Murray (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Bridget Plouffe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Bruce E. Tarr (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Carlos González (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Carmine Lawrence Gentile (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Christine P. Barber (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Christopher Hendricks (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Christopher Richard Flanagan (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Colleen M. Garry (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Daniel Cahill (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Danillo A. Sena (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: David F. DeCoste (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Dennis C. Gallagher (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Donald H. Wong (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Donald R. Berthiaume Jr. (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Erika Uyterhoeven (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Estela A. Reyes (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Francisco E. Paulino (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Hannah Kane (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Jacob R. Oliveira (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: James Arciero (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: James C. Arena-DeRosa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: James K. Hawkins (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John J. Lawn Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John J. Marsi (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: John R. Gaskey (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Jonathan D. Zlotnik (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joseph D. McKenna (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Joseph W. McGonagle Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kathleen R. LaNatra (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kenneth P. Sweezey (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kimberly N. Ferguson (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kristin E. Kassner (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Marcus S. Vaughn (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Margaret R. Scarsdale (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mark D. Sylvia (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michael D. Brady (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Michael J. Soter (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Michelle L. Badger (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mindy Domb (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Nick Collins (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Patrick Joseph Kearney (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Paul J. Donato (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Paul K. Frost (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Paul McMurtry (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Priscila S. Sousa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Richard G. Wells Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Rodney M. Elliott (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Ryan M. Hamilton (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Samantha Montaño (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Garballey (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Reid (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Steven George Xiarhos (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Steven S. Howitt (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Steven Ultrino (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tackey Chan (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tara T. Hong (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas M. Stanley (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas W. Moakley (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Vanna Howard (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: William F. MacGregor (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-31 | committee | Committee Favorable with Amendment: H.4946 “An Act mandating access to cancer screenings for firefighters through health care benefits plans or programs provided by the public employer” as amended | pass | 29 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-09 | committee | Committee Favorable: Favorable Report | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2025-12-16 | committee | Committee Redraft: Report as Redrafted | pass | 11 | 0 |   |

## Actions (10)

- 2026-07-31: New draft substituted, see H5631 (House)
- 2026-07-31: Read second, amended (as recommended by the committee on House Ways and Means) (House)
- 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-07-31: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting for a second reading with the amendment pending (House)
- 2026-07-31: Referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling with the amendment pending (House)
- 2026-07-31: Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment, substituting therefor a bill with the same title, see H5631 (House)
- 2026-04-15: Committee recommended bill ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House)
- 2026-01-23: Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing (House)
- 2026-01-23: New draft of H1230 (House)
- 2026-01-23: Reported from the committee on Financial Services (House)

## Bill text

- As Filed: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4946.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 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed)

## Sources
- [As Filed (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4946.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 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4946-194 (as of 2026-11-01).