# Massachusetts S 2616: An Act relative to affordable car rentals

Massachusetts S 2616, An Act relative to affordable car rentals, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2025-11-26 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 78 of the Acts of 2025) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2616-194
- 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 2616
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act relative to affordable car rentals
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-09-18
- Last action: 2025-11-26, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 78 of the Acts of 2025
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: House Ways and Means, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (19 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Backup insurance for rental car renters: benefit, medium. Rental companies covered by state law must carry backup auto liability coverage when a renter has none. It protects against injuries and, for rentals of 30 days or less, property damage too. The backup must meet at least the state minimum limits for owners. If you already have valid liability insur…
- Clearer rules on rental backup coverage: benefit, low. The law updates another section so the new lessor backup coverage duty is included. This makes how the rules apply and are enforced clearer.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Cosponsor: Julian Cyr (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-11-04 | committee | Committee Favorable with Amendment: S.2616 “An Act relative to affordable car rentals” as amended | pass | 19 | 0 | 7 |

## Actions (15)

- 2025-11-26: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 78 of the Acts of 2025
- 2025-11-17: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2025-11-17: Enacted (House)
- 2025-11-13: Senate concurred in the House amendment (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2025-11-05: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2025-11-05: Rules suspended (House)
- 2025-11-05: Ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2025-11-05: Read second, amended (as recommended by the committee on House Ways and Means) (House)
- 2025-11-05: Rules suspended (House)
- 2025-11-05: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting with the amendment pending (House)
- 2025-11-05: Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment, striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting the text of H4705, and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2025-09-22: Read; and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House)
- 2025-09-18: Passed to be engrossed -see Roll Call #69 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0) (Senate)
- 2025-09-18: S2603, reprinted as amended (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chapter 78 of the Acts of 2025, 2025-11-26: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2616.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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading)

## Sources
- [Chapter 78 of the Acts of 2025 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2616.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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2616-194 (as of 2026-11-01).