# Massachusetts H 5561: An Act authorizing the commissioner of capital asset management and maintenance to transfer certain parcels of land in the town of Norton

Massachusetts H 5561, An Act authorizing the commissioner of capital asset management and maintenance to transfer certain parcels of land in the town of Norton, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by House Committee on Ways and Means; status signed, last action 2026-08-06 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5561-194
- 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 5561
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act authorizing the commissioner of capital asset management and maintenance to transfer certain parcels of land in the town of Norton
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-07-06
- Last action: 2026-08-06, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: House Ways and Means
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (156 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Conservation land and access in Norton: benefit, low. The law moves a 6.927‑acre parcel in Norton (parcel 11‑14‑01) to MassDOT to confirm title linked to a federal highway interest. As a condition, MassDOT must get any needed federal approvals and give about 7.5 acres along the Canoe River (part of parcel 11‑15‑00) to the Commonwealth under Fish and G…
- MassDOT pays all transfer costs: cost, low. MassDOT must pay all costs tied to these land transfers. This includes engineering, surveys, appraisals, title checks, recording fees, and deed work. Neither MassDOT nor Fish and Game pays cash for the land itself.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsor: Michael S. Chaisson (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Steven S. Howitt (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-29 | House | Enacted | pass | 156 | 0 |   |

## Actions (15)

- 2026-08-06: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-07-30: Laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-07-30: Enacted -see Roll Call #221 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0) (Senate)
- 2026-07-29: Enacted - 156 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 241) (House)
- 2026-07-29: Emergency preamble adopted (Senate)
- 2026-07-29: Emergency preamble adopted (House)
- 2026-07-27: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-07-27: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-07-09: Read, rules suspended, read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-07-08: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2026-07-08: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-07-08: Ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-07-08: New draft of H4660 (House)
- 2026-07-06: Pending new draft of H4660 (House)
- 2026-07-06: Reported from the committee on House Ways and Means (House)

## Bill text

- Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-06: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5561.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 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed)
- 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)

## Sources
- [Chapter 174 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5561.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 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194)
- [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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5561-194 (as of 2026-11-01).