# Massachusetts S 2696: An Act regarding free expression

Massachusetts S 2696, An Act regarding free expression, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by Senate Committee on Ways and Means; status passed senate, last action 2025-11-13 (Reprinted, as amended, see S2726) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2696-194
- 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 2696
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act regarding free expression
- Status: passed senate
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-11-06
- Last action: 2025-11-13, Reprinted, as amended, see S2726
- Sponsor: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsors: 21
- Subjects: Senate Ways and Means
- Touches household money: no
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Senate Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsor: Adam J. Scanlon (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Bruce E. Tarr (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Christopher Richard Flanagan (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Dylan A. Fernandes (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jacob R. Oliveira (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: James B. Eldridge (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jason M. Lewis (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: John F. Keenan (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Julian Cyr (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Liz Miranda (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mark D. Sylvia (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michael J. Barrett (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mike Connolly (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Patricia D. Jehlen (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Patrick M. O'Connor (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Paul R. Feeney (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Rebecca L. Rausch (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Robyn K. Kennedy (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Ryan C. Fattman (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Thomas W. Moakley (Democratic), House

## Actions (24)

- 2025-11-13: Reprinted, as amended, see S2726 (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Read third (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Substituted, as amended, for S2328 (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #7 (Rodrigues) adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #19 (Tarr) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #16 (Tarr) rejected -see Roll Call #103 (Yeas 5 to Nays 32) (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #15 (Tarr) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #14 (Tarr) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #13 (Tarr) rejected -see Roll Call #102 (Yeas 5 to Nays 32) (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #11 (Durant) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #10 (Durant) rejected -see Roll Call #101 (Yeas 7 to Nays 30) (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #9 (Durant) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #8 (Tarr) rejected -see Roll Call #100 (Yeas 6 to Nays 32) (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #6 (Comerford) adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #5 (DiDomenico) adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #4 (Creem) adopted -see Roll Call #99 (Yeas 37 to Nays 0) (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #1 (Creem) adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #3 (Keenan) rejected (Senate)
- 2025-11-13: Amendment #2 (Keenan) adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-06: Placed in the Orders of the Day for Thursday, November 13, 2025 (Senate)
- 2025-11-06: Order relative to subject matter adopted (Senate)
- 2025-11-06: Recommended new draft for S2328 (Senate)
- 2025-11-06: Reported from the committee on Senate Ways and Means (Senate)

## Bill text

- As Filed: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2696.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
- [As Filed (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2696.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-S2696-194 (as of 2026-11-01).