# Massachusetts S 2526: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to convert 4 licenses for sale of wine and malt beverages not to be drunk on the premises to 4 licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises and to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in the containers less than 200 milliliters

Massachusetts S 2526, An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to convert 4 licenses for sale of wine and malt beverages not to be drunk on the premises to 4 licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises and to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in the containers less than 200 milliliters, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by Bruce E. Tarr (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-09-10 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 211 of the Acts of 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2526-194
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Massachusetts S 2526
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to convert 4 licenses for sale of wine and malt beverages not to be drunk on the premises to 4 licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be drunk on the premises and to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in the containers less than 200 milliliters
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-06-02
- Last action: 2026-09-10, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 211 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsor: Bruce E. Tarr (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Subjects: Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 1 (6 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Topsfield off‑premise retailers can sell all alcohol: benefit, low. The law lets certain Topsfield off‑premise licenses switch from beer and wine only to all alcoholic beverages. Affected retailers can now sell spirits and liquor to‑go, not just beer and wine. These licenses still cover sales not to be drunk on the premises.
- Topsfield off‑premise shops can’t sell mini bottles: cost, low. If you hold an off‑premise all‑alcohol license from the Topsfield select board, you cannot sell alcohol in containers under 200 milliliters. The ban covers selling, offering for sale, or giving them out. Keep only 200 ml or larger containers for retail.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Bruce E. Tarr (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kristin E. Kassner (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sally P. Kerans (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-05 | committee | Committee Favorable: Ought to pass | pass | 6 | 0 |   |

## Actions (21)

- 2026-09-10: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 211 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-09-03: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-09-03: Enacted (House)
- 2026-08-27: Senate concurred in the House amendment (Senate)
- 2026-08-27: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-08-06: Passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2026-08-06: Amended by substitution of the text of H5650 (House)
- 2026-08-06: Read third (House)
- 2026-04-30: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-04-30: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-04-30: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House)
- 2026-04-02: Read; and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2026-04-01: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-04-01: Read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-03-09: Bill reported favorably by committee and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate)
- 2026-01-08: Reporting date extended to Thursday March 5, 2026 (Senate)
- 2025-10-14: Hearing rescheduled to 10/14/2025 from 10:00 AM-11:30 AM in A-2 and Virtual<br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span> (legislature)
- 2025-10-02: Hearing scheduled for 10/14/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-2 (legislature)
- 2025-06-05: House concurred (House)
- 2025-06-02: Referred to the committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chapter 211 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-09-10: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2526.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 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)
- 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 211 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2526.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 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)
- [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-S2526-194 (as of 2026-11-01).