[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6061822,"mediaKeyId","3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0","parentId",3281017,"title","Advocates ask for state tax check‑off to fund environmental work in least developed countries","audioSeconds",131,"startMs",1179000,"endMs",1310000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0&start=1179&end=1310","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0/thumbnail_1179000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6061822/Massachusetts/Advocates-ask-for-state-tax-checkoff-to-fund-environmental-work-in-least-developed-countries","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6061822-c24670719011f46b2ffa107a925ab2a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771101033&Signature=Ma3qVBBTp6BATflOC6AIzC0WWS5OFg-oaCPiN5sHC3gjvpNI6ylwHfWFcOHbBdoMjkM5JFOgjSBZ2uo5Nbkpp6cdkjO6LYGEix6dg1sDvlnAasdYN4LkB6WZVoV2mVOr1r95o73h5fm4yXAf88P~uqWhLFziIV74hbkHOSMxUZMVPEL4n5wnSYc3Lho-phfTfSgaxCalKwm16Y143Qqmyua5~i5kRwiJlG4UVrCoNjiYJefPJEssDfaH6fD4MHOpPjseTgcgye79F4-i1Iv8CuZHtRlxqyoYjq0jV~fILLW9dXHmXfWfUopQGR0NMUVtODR4ymEPg0wq4pASX9y3~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-05-13T00:00:00Z","article","Chris Gregory told the Joint Committee on Revenue that House 3037 would add a voluntary check‑off on Massachusetts income tax returns to allow taxpayers to contribute to a fund supporting environmental work in the 17 least developed countries.

\"This is a fairly straightforward bill in that it allows a dues, a check off from the, from the, income tax return, to be contributed to a least developed countries fund,\" Gregory said. He described existing administration arrangements in which Oxfam oversees selection criteria and the World Bank holds the funds; he said the arrangement has worked without reported problems but involves substantial administrative checks.

Gregory said the provision has been filed previously and that the current bill includes language developed with senate counsel to align with the state's existing tax check‑off mechanisms. He said the proposal is the fifth iteration of the concept and that it had been favorably reported by this committee in prior sessions. No formal action was taken at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee on Revenue - 5-13-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Chris Gregory testified in support of H.3037, a proposal to add a tax return check‑off to benefit a least‑developed‑countries environmental fund administered through Oxfam and the World Bank; he said the mechanism has been before the committee multiple times and is intended to streamline contributions.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6061826,"Airport operators ask Legislature to exempt privately owned runways, taxiways from local property tax",289,791000,1080000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0&start=791&end=1080","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0/thumbnail_791000.jpg","/articles/6061826/Massachusetts/Airport-operators-ask-Legislature-to-exempt-privately-owned-runways-taxiways-from-local-property-tax","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6061826-f0ba9f9b9b87b4e767e6859a7221c1ed/orig.mp4?Expires=1771101033&Signature=PkleXmG~RONQ~WkpKcevDefNE77WPD0aKPYKBaUreMJ~ZC3e15W76kW9Z9r3qd01pnVRvexIkM3skYA9kEwtxm-VsT0xeJDjT3cnrOgd4HX-lgpPPAc45gAc~K3o1FiaDP49SdyuejPuh89ByfGTVda9tyL3t-gmJpfMVE~XvvVzCloOre5MfG02Nzf1UKbilnHUcZdl-zqmyM3J7SiM2oLdPKB1jk3Cv-~yk2vAqE8KMayKyQDds~yR9MJPjawhUng537jBsJh6bbzSNJEBGqgxftHhpj7pWS8dNsqy1mXDy5s~7S-nBQk6zC53NwawCNZOtOf583SowMA5uplDUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Tom Hurley, executive director of the Massachusetts Airport Management Association, told the Joint Committee on Revenue that H.3125 would remove property taxes on aviation infrastructure — specifically runways and taxiways — at privately owned public‑use airports while leaving non‑aviation portions of those properties subject to local taxation.

\"This bill would eliminate the property taxes on those portions of those 10 airports that, that are privately owned,\" Hurley said. He said the bill targets the aviation portions of the airport properties and would not affect taxes on non‑aviation land or facilities held by the same owners.

Hurley said the association represents 39 public‑use airports across the state and identified ten privately owned public‑use airports named in testimony that the bill would affect. He described the airports as smaller facilities that supply public access to the National Airspace System, emergency services and community‑level aviation support. Committee members pressed Hurley on whether the resulting loss of local property tax revenue had been analyzed and on the variability of tax burdens across different municipalities; Hurley said the airports are individually distinct and that he would follow up with town‑specific revenue information.

Hurley said municipally owned airports or those owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority do not pay property taxes, and that this bill is intended to bring similar tax treatment to privately owned public‑use airports' aviation infrastructure. No formal committee action was taken at the hearing; Hurley said he would provide additional data on current tax payments and local revenue impacts on request.","The Massachusetts Airport Management Association urged the Joint Committee on Revenue to support H.3125, which would remove local property taxes on aviation infrastructure at ten privately owned public‑use airports while leaving non‑aviation land taxable, citing economic fairness and community services.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6061831,"MCAD seeks state tax check‑off to create voluntary fund as federal grants fall",238,302000,540000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0&start=302&end=540","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0/thumbnail_302000.jpg","/articles/6061831/Massachusetts/MCAD-seeks-state-tax-checkoff-to-create-voluntary-fund-as-federal-grants-fall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6061831-7077188ed075df5534493a6b8761601c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771101033&Signature=RZlPHOcdERc6gH2Uhp2Y6QtMYWsmxwOG6-bNDIOeFZLtDkKDlAJjqSkeua8jB7S8P6F6v4SnpoWszsCy8CBZsnneyYwXPKi~-bzq8ZDR0EQY-Zer~mV9QpiKMMpNLIJuNMGRMS2uxW58F9p4VJpIL4GfzR9fWlLe2SeZR-IxyEvBI1u9qRzXXB9mXdTZC5o1bXRVrojf0HizF88CQLfX6v-9YAZSiqW4HmSzi-HTdqH32p-kiq43rmzbAU29lqOh-BUS-Hx0QTDISaQXrpwCBE44DK1dsU6i0AsEtwhv0qSnAaNTJjYsJJlVgANxHr2RPSRcqktARs6Vpfnx1JVoPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mike Memelow, executive director of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, told the Joint Committee on Revenue that HB 3109 and SB 2014 would create a Massachusetts Against Discrimination Fund that individuals could donate to directly or via a voluntary check‑off on their Massachusetts income tax return.

\"Simply put, these bills would create a fund that would allow, individuals to donate to the MCAD to support our mission and our work,\" Memelow said in testimony. He said the change would join the MCAD with other state funds that already accept voluntary tax donations and would provide a no‑cost mechanism to diversify the agency's revenue streams.

Memelow told the committee that the MCAD currently depends on federal partners for about 20% of its budget and that projected federal support for fiscal year 2026 is approximately $2,400,000. He said staffing and program reductions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have reduced capacity at those agencies; at HUD, he said, the Fair Housing program that supports state partners has seen a roughly 75% reduction in staff in recent months and that there are now about three HUD staff in the entire Northeast assigned to that program.

The commission has had statutory authority to accept direct public donations for decades but, Memelow said, has not previously had the tax‑return check‑off mechanism to make that option broadly available. He told the committee the amount the proposed fund might generate is unknown but argued the fund would provide a financial backstop during federal funding uncertainty.

Committee members asked for details about the federal cutbacks and how dual filing/coordination with federal agencies operates; Memelow described the MCAD's existing worksharing arrangement with the EEOC that preserves both federal and state rights through \"dual filing.\" No formal committee action was taken at the hearing; Memelow urged the committee to advance the bills.","The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination asked the Joint Committee on Revenue to approve HB 3109/SB 2014 to authorize a voluntary tax return check‑off and create a Massachusetts Against Discrimination Fund to accept donations as a revenue backstop amid cuts to federal partners.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6061836,"Melrose mayor urges committee to approve means‑tested senior property tax exemption",101,149000,250000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0&start=149&end=250","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3281017-8c3ffe05e93b145178a8ba1c629afcc0/thumbnail_149000.jpg","/articles/6061836/Massachusetts/Melrose-mayor-urges-committee-to-approve-meanstested-senior-property-tax-exemption","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6061836-908dfdb8cbc17bf85cd6833bbb4bf2fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771101033&Signature=dXQC0DvhvfDb7XxpXqZBvjkSobOzpPyriZXCI2WTV7s8xGBHOxIzaaBtmWLwDal7WQoBvY-WQ0Y53NosnbepbXkFCwgZgvr20ttjHOfWfnB1Wo4bshAF6kPMxXUP0igm-KZ8Rb7~7ruACKvleeGyp~-cusuYERWC1K~nYHluiyLk~VbmFizN5R2ZOe9MmtgELImcRho8WVI88-Ton5c7c693xK5t1JDd8iJ-Ep-0B1JrGoYyYbtzbfeoNSQS7Zu2vcC0jE7PI532QFtOMh5AJZPwW6CEac~UBqPECG0lW8urJWE0x1jWaciqx90RkbAUPbnm4hxORzwBgi7L80T~Hg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Melrose Mayor Jennifer Gregoraitis told the Joint Committee on Revenue on the subject of House 3979 that the bill would authorize the city to reestablish a means‑tested property tax exemption for qualifying senior residents.

The measure would tie eligibility to receipt of the Massachusetts senior “circuit breaker” income tax credit, Gregoraitis said, and would codify a local program the Melrose City Council first adopted by home rule petition in March 2021 and implemented beginning in fiscal year 2023. \"This legislation would reestablish a means test property tax exemption for qualifying senior residents of Melrose based on receipt of the Massachusetts senior circuit breaker tax credit on their personal income tax return,\" Gregoraitis said in oral testimony.

The program has provided relief to 209 senior households in Melrose, a city of about 30,000 residents, the mayor said; she added she did not have exact savings figures on hand but estimated relief is \"to the tune of between several hundred and a thousand dollars per household.\" The Melrose City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 18 to approve the home rule petition, and Representative Kate Lipper‑Garabedian filed the bill in the House, Gregoraitis said.

Committee members asked for additional detail on participation and fiscal impact; Gregoraitis said the city would provide more precise savings figures on follow‑up. The hearing record shows this testimony was presented as part of a multi‑bill hearing on voluntary contributions, sales tax, property tax and economic development measures before the committee.

If the committee reports the bill favorably, further legislative steps would be required before the change could take effect; no formal committee vote was taken during the hearing. The public was invited to submit written testimony to the committee through Monday, July 7, 2025, per the chairs' instructions.","Melrose Mayor Jennifer Gregoraitis told the Joint Committee on Revenue that House 3979 would let the city reestablish a means‑tested property tax exemption tied to the state senior circuit breaker credit; she said roughly 209 senior households have used the local exemption since FY2023.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Advocates ask for state tax check‑off to fund environmental work in least developed countries

Airport operators ask Legislature to exempt privately owned runways, taxiways from local property tax

MCAD seeks state tax check‑off to create voluntary fund as federal grants fall

Melrose mayor urges committee to approve means‑tested senior property tax exemption