Massachusetts House Bill H4988

Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/28/26
• Refer: 1/28/26

Caption

Order relative to extending until Monday, March 16, 2026 the time within which the committee on Public Health is authorized to report on a current House document

Summary

H4988 is a procedural House order that extends the reporting deadline for the Massachusetts House Committee on Public Health. Specifically, it allows the committee additional time, until Monday, March 16, 2026, to make its final report on House Document 2382, notwithstanding the usual deadline requirements in House Rule 27. The bill does not create, amend, or repeal any substantive public health law. Its effect is limited to legislative procedure: it preserves the committee’s authority to continue reviewing the underlying measure and delays the point at which the committee must report it out. As a result, the only immediate legal impact is on the internal timetable of the House and the committee’s handling of the referenced docket item.

Impact

This order affects House procedure rather than state statutory law. It extends the deadline for the Public Health Committee to act on House Document 2382, thereby keeping that measure alive for further consideration and preventing it from being forced into a report by the earlier deadline under House Rule 27. No statutes, regulations, or public programs are directly changed by H4988 itself.

Sentiment

Because the bill is a routine deadline-extension order and there is no recorded debate or vote history in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears neutral and administrative. The measure is best understood as a housekeeping action to give the committee more time to complete its work, rather than as a controversial policy proposal.

Contention

There is no evidence of substantive contention in the available record. Any potential concern would likely be procedural rather than policy-based, centered on whether the committee should receive additional time to report on House Document 2382. Since no transcripts or votes are provided, no specific supporters or opponents can be identified.