# Massachusetts S 3230: An Act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to acquire interests in certain portions of land owned by the town of Andover which were acquired by the town for Article XCVII purposes

Massachusetts S 3230, An Act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to acquire interests in certain portions of land owned by the town of Andover which were acquired by the town for Article XCVII purposes, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by Barry R. Finegold (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-08-05 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 164 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S3230-194
- 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 3230
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to acquire interests in certain portions of land owned by the town of Andover which were acquired by the town for Article XCVII purposes
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-07-01
- Last action: 2026-08-05, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 164 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsor: Barry R. Finegold (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, House Ways and Means, House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (181 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Waiver on replacement land for tiny parcels: benefit, low. The Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs can waive the usual rule to provide replacement land for transfers under this act. A waiver applies only if the land is under 2,500 square feet, has little natural or recreation value, and the transfer serves a significant public interest.
- Small Andover land easement for bridge work: mixed, low. The law lets MassDOT take two small permanent easements, about 704 square feet total, from Andover conservation land. The easements are only for guy wires, removing a guardrail, and special slope paving for the Tewksbury Street bridge over the CSX Railroad. MassDOT must pay all engineering, survey,…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Barry R. Finegold (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.3230 “An Act authorizing the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to acquire interests in certain portions of land owned by the town of Andover which were acquired by the town for Article XCVII purposes” as amended | pass | 23 | 0 |   |
| 2026-07-30 | committee | Committee Favorable: Ought to pass | pass | 6 | 0 |   |

## Actions (25)

- 2026-08-05: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 164 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-07-31: Laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-07-31: Enacted -see Roll Call #237 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0) (Senate)
- 2026-07-31: Enacted - 152 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 269) (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 H5635, and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House)
- 2026-07-30: Read; and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House)
- 2026-07-30: Read, rules suspended, read second, ordered to a third reading, read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-07-30: Bill reported favorably by committee (Senate)
- 2026-07-30: Hearing rescheduled to 07/30/2026 from 04:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span> (legislature)
- 2026-07-30: Hearing rescheduled to 07/30/2026 from 04:00 PM-04:10 AM in A-1 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span> (legislature)
- 2026-07-29: Hearing scheduled for 07/30/2026 from 04:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1 (legislature)
- 2026-07-29: House concurred (House)
- 2026-07-22: Referred to the committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight (Senate)
- 2026-07-22: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-07-01: Referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently (Senate)

## Bill text

- Chapter 164 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-05: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S3230.pdf)

## Related bills

- H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate)
- H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed)
- 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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading)
- 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)

## Sources
- [Chapter 164 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S3230.pdf)

## Related
- [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 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194)
- [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 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194)
- [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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S3230-194 (as of 2026-11-01).