# Massachusetts H 5440: An Act authorizing the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey certain parcels of land to the town of Bolton, the town of Lancaster or a municipal utility serving the town of Bolton or the town of Lancaster Massachusetts H 5440, An Act authorizing the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey certain parcels of land to the town of Bolton, the town of Lancaster or a municipal utility serving the town of Bolton or the town of Lancaster, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by House Committee on Ways and Means; status signed, last action 2026-08-26 (Signed by the , Chapter 196 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5440-194 - 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 5440 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act authorizing the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to convey certain parcels of land to the town of Bolton, the town of Lancaster or a municipal utility serving the town of Bolton or the town of Lancaster - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-05-20 - Last action: 2026-08-26, Signed by the , Chapter 196 of the Acts of 2026 - Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: House Ways and Means, Senate Ways and Means - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 1 (18 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Local towns can acquire well-protection land: benefit, low. Lancaster, Bolton, or a municipal utility serving either town can receive former Lancaster Industrial School for Girls land. The land transfer must serve well or wellhead protection. The state capital asset commissioner sets the terms. The commissioner can allow a nominal price when the transfer is… - Fallback buyers bear costs and property risks: cost, low. Buyers and lessees in fallback transfers must pay all transaction costs, including surveys, deed preparation, and recording. The state capital asset commissioner determines those costs. Transfer documents must state that the state has no liability to buyers, lessees, other recipients, or their succ… - Bolton can acquire land with use limits: mixed, low. Bolton's select board can arrange to buy, lease, or acquire rights to two state parcels for general municipal purposes. They are the former school's northeast corner at 220 Old Common Road and the Bolton dam near Lancaster. The state capital asset commissioner sets exact boundaries after a survey.… - Bolton purchase deadline allows fallback transfers: mixed, low. If Bolton does not finish buying within 180 days after the law takes effect, the state can pursue another transfer. Bolton and the commissioner can agree to a later deadline. The commissioner sets terms for selling, leasing, or otherwise transferring all or part of the parcels; leases cannot exceed… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means - Cosponsor: Kate Hogan (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Robyn K. Kennedy (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-08-10 | committee | Committee Favorable: Ought to pass | pass | 18 | 0 | | ## Actions (14) - 2026-08-26: Signed by the , Chapter 196 of the Acts of 2026 - 2026-08-20: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2026-08-20: Enacted (House) - 2026-08-17: Emergency preamble adopted (Senate) - 2026-08-17: Emergency preamble adopted (House) - 2026-08-13: Rules suspended, read second, ordered to a third reading, read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed (Senate) - 2026-08-13: Committee recommended ought to pass (Senate) - 2026-05-21: Read; and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means (Senate) - 2026-05-20: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House) - 2026-05-20: Rules suspended (House) - 2026-05-20: Ordered to a third reading (House) - 2026-05-20: New draft of H3346 (House) - 2026-05-20: Pending new draft of H3346 (House) - 2026-05-20: Reported from the committee on House Ways and Means (House) ## Bill text - Chapter 196 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-26: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5440.pdf) ## Related bills - H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate) - H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed) - 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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading) - 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) ## Sources - [Chapter 196 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5440.pdf) ## Related - [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 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194) - [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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194) - [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) - [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-H5440-194 (as of 2026-11-01).