# Massachusetts H 5096: An Act relative to extending the timeframe within which the town of Southbridge may grant additional licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the premises

Massachusetts H 5096, An Act relative to extending the timeframe within which the town of Southbridge may grant additional licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the premises, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure; status signed, last action 2026-06-30 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 120 of the Acts of 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5096-194
- 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 5096
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act relative to extending the timeframe within which the town of Southbridge may grant additional licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to be drunk on the premises
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-02-12
- Last action: 2026-06-30, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 120 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsor: Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: yes
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Southbridge bars and restaurants get more time for licenses: benefit, low. Businesses in Southbridge can apply for extra on-site alcohol licenses until January 2, 2029. The old deadline was December 31, 2025. This covers licenses to sell all alcoholic drinks for drinking on the premises. The law takes effect immediately.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
- Cosponsor: John J. Marsi (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Ryan C. Fattman (Republican), Senate

## Actions (14)

- 2026-06-30: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 120 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-06-25: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-06-24: Enacted (House)
- 2026-06-23: Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-06-23: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-05-07: Read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-04-13: Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2026-03-16: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-03-16: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-03-16: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House)
- 2026-02-12: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2026-02-12: New draft of H4588 (House)
- 2026-02-12: Reported from the committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (House)

## Bill text

- Chapter 120 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-06-30: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5096.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
- [Chapter 120 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5096.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-H5096-194 (as of 2026-11-01).