# Massachusetts S 2789: An Act providing for recall elections in the town of Rutland

Massachusetts S 2789, An Act providing for recall elections in the town of Rutland, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by Kimberly N. Ferguson (Republican), Peter J. Durant (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-05-13 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 79 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2789-194
- 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 2789
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act providing for recall elections in the town of Rutland
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-12-04
- Last action: 2026-05-13, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 79 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsors: Kimberly N. Ferguson (Republican), Peter J. Durant (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Election Laws, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (6 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- How Rutland recall elections work: benefit, low. If registrars certify enough signatures, the Select Board notifies the officer. If the officer does not resign within 5 business days, the Board orders a recall election 64 to 90 days after the order. The Board may hold it on the same date as another town election if one is within 100 days after th…
- Limits on recalled Rutland officials: cost, low. An official who is on the recall ballot cannot run to succeed themselves in that recall. Anyone removed under this law, or who resigns after recall petitions are issued and before results are certified, cannot be appointed to any Rutland town office, board, commission, or committee for one year aft…
- How Rutland voters start a recall: mixed, low. You cannot file a recall within 6 months after an officer takes office, within 6 months before the term ends, or until 6 months after a failed recall vote. To start a recall, 200 registered Rutland voters must file a sworn affidavit naming the officer, the office, the grounds, a lead petitioner, an…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Kimberly N. Ferguson (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Peter J. Durant (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-01-14 | committee | Committee Favorable: Ought to pass | pass | 6 | 0 |   |

## Actions (16)

- 2026-05-13: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 79 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-05-04: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-05-04: Enacted (House)
- 2026-04-30: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House)
- 2026-04-09: Read second and ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-04-09: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-04-09: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House)
- 2026-03-23: Read; and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2026-03-19: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-03-19: Taken out of the Orders of the Day (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Read, rules suspended, read second and ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Bill reported favorably by committee (Senate)
- 2025-12-10: Hearing rescheduled to 12/15/2025 from 09:00 AM-05:00 PM in Written Testimony Only<br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing date changed</span> (legislature)
- 2025-12-10: Hearing scheduled for 12/12/2025 from 09:00 AM-05:00 PM in Written Testimony Only (legislature)
- 2025-12-08: House concurred (House)
- 2025-12-04: Referred to the committee on Election Laws (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chapter 79 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-05-13: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2789.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 79 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2789.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-S2789-194 (as of 2026-11-01).