# Massachusetts S 2968: An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting by and through its Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, to grant permanent easements over certain land in the town of Milton for highway purposes Massachusetts S 2968, An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting by and through its Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, to grant permanent easements over certain land in the town of Milton for highway purposes, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by Senate Committee on Ways and Means; status signed, last action 2026-08-07 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 184 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2968-194 - 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 2968 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting by and through its Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, to grant permanent easements over certain land in the town of Milton for highway purposes - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-26 - Last action: 2026-08-07, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 184 of the Acts of 2026 - Sponsor: Senate Committee on Ways and Means - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: Senate Ways and Means, House Ways and Means, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 2 (175 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - 110% payback for conservation land: benefit, low. MassDOT must pay DCR at least 110% of the higher of fair market value or value in use for the affected land. A qualified independent appraiser, selected by DCAMM with DCR input, sets the values. DCR must deposit the money into the Conservation Trust and spend it within three years to buy comparable… - Land easements for Milton road work: benefit, low. The law grants MassDOT permanent easements over certain DCR parcels in Milton for highway use tied to the Route 28/Chickatawbut Road project. The parcels are identified on a MassDOT plan on file. MassDOT must pay all costs for engineering, surveys, appraisals, deed work, and other steps to complete… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Senate Committee on Ways and Means - Cosponsor: Richard G. Wells Jr. (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: William J. Driscoll Jr. (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-07-31 | House | Enacted | pass | 152 | 0 | | | 2026-07-31 | committee | Committee Favorable with Amendment: S.2968 “An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting by and through its Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, to grant permanent easements over certain land in the town of Milton for highway purposes” as amended | pass | 23 | 0 | | ## Actions (21) - 2026-08-07: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 184 of the Acts of 2026 - 2026-07-31: Laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Enacted -see Roll Call #236 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0) (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Enacted - 152 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 268) (House) - 2026-07-31: Emergency preamble adopted (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Emergency preamble adopted (House) - 2026-07-31: Senate concurred in the House amendment (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-07-31: Read third and passed to be engrossed (House) - 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (House) - 2026-07-31: Ordered to a third reading (House) - 2026-07-31: Read second, amended (as recommended by the committee on House Ways and Means) (House) - 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (House) - 2026-07-31: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting with the amendment pending (House) - 2026-07-31: Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment, striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting the text of H5633, and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2026-03-02: Read; and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House) - 2026-02-26: Read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Ordered to a third reading (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Substituted as a new draft for S2657 (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Recommended new draft for S2657 (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Reported from the committee on Senate Ways and Means (Senate) ## Bill text - Chapter 184 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-07: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2968.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 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 184 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2968.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 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2968-194 (as of 2026-11-01).