House suspends rules to refer petitions, steering committee schedules multiple bills
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Summary
The House suspended joint rule 12 to refer several petitions to standing committees and the steering committee reported a long list of bills for scheduling, including numerous locally focused charter and election measures. Members repeatedly suspended rule 7A to allow second readings and to move the calendar forward.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to suspend procedural rules and implement a steering committee calendar during the session recorded in the transcript. The Committee on Rules reported recommendations to suspend joint rule 12 for specified petitions; the House voted to suspend the rule and to refer the petitions to named committees.
The clerk read a Committee on Rules report that recommended suspension of joint rule 12 on petitions such as those from Adam J. Scanlon calling for the Center for Health Information and Analysis to analyze eliminating or capping copayments for mental and behavioral health services and another Scanlon petition related to no-cost calls for incarcerated individuals. Mister Wongas August moved suspension of the rules and the presiding officer recorded the voice vote as "the ayes have it." The clerk noted committee referral assignments: the first Scanlon petition to the Committee on Health Care Financing and the second to the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Separately, the committee on steering policy and scheduling reported multiple House bills for consideration and the clerk read titles and House numbers for a lengthy list. Items listed included (but were not limited to) House 2489 (inflammatory breast cancer awareness in nursing education, "Marnie's law"), House 4203 and House 4204 (election procedures in the city of Haverhill, local approval received), House 4224 (validation of the New Salem annual town election, local approval received), House 4501 and House 4505 (Plymouth charter amendment and Nantucket conveyance respectively), and House 4510 (digital legal notices for the town of Plymouth). Multiple entries were annotated "local approval received."
Members used suspension of rule 7A (moved by Mr. Garberly and others) to permit second readings for the steering committee-listed bills and for the medical parole bill (House 2614), which Mr. Sylvia of Fall River moved forward. The clerk announced that, after the suspensions, the listed bills were ordered for third reading where required by rule and the constitution. The transcript contains no extended floor debate on the merits of those bills; the record is procedural and shows committee referrals and calendar movement.
The record of the steering committee and the Committee on Rules as read into the record will be part of the official House Journal and committee files; the transcript identifies committee assignments and house bill numbers but does not include full bill text or committee reports beyond the referral recommendations.