After a mad scramble to take action before their midnight deadline, Massachusetts lawmakers closed the 20152016 legislative session by passing five of the “Big Six” bills on their agenda. Beacon Hill saw a flurry of activity in the final weekend of July as lawmakers rushed to make up for months of little action. Now, Governor Charlie Baker has 10 days to review the legislation he received.
Governor Baker, Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg had determined a group of the “Big Six” bills they wanted to pass before the end of the session. Five of these six passed late Sunday night, as lawmakers approved bills related to economic development, energy, municipal modernization, and ride-sharing. Pay equity legislation had passed on July 21, which Governor Baker signed into law last week. The legislature fell just short of its goal by failing to take action on noncompete legislation, which died without an agreement.
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