Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S559 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1281 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 559
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Brendan P. Crighton
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to funding water infrastructure and addressing economic target areas.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Brendan P. CrightonThird Essex 1 of 3
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1281 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 559
18	18	By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 559) of Brendan P. Crighton for
19	19	legislation to fund water infrastructure and addressing economic target areas. Environment and
20	20	Natural Resources.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 453 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to funding water infrastructure and addressing economic target areas.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
32	32	2shall be amended after section 2VVVV, by inserting the following new section:-
33	33	3 Section 2WWWW. There shall be a Commonwealth Water Infrastructure Trust Fund.
34	34	4The commissioner of the department of revenue shall be the trustee of the fund and shall expend
35	35	5money in the fund to address the Commonwealth’s water infrastructure needs. There shall be
36	36	6credited to the fund: (i) any fee assessment collected pursuant to section two of this act; and (ii)
37	37	7any interest earned on money in the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended by the
38	38	8commissioner pursuant to subsection (a) without further appropriation. Money remaining in the
39	39	9fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. 2 of 3
40	40	10 (a) The department of revenue shall: (i) proportionately distribute, for the improvement
41	41	11of water infrastructure within that city or town, fifty percent (50%), of the amount received from
42	42	12the fund to a city or town based on the amount of the additional fees collected in accordance with
43	43	13section 2 of this act by a city or town from the previous calendar year; (ii) distribute forty percent
44	44	14(40%) of the amount collected to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust established in chapter
45	45	1529C of the General Laws to provide financial assistance in the funding of water infrastructure
46	46	16projects or any other purpose authorized under chapter 29C; (iii) distribute five percent (5%) of
47	47	17the amount collected to the department of environmental protection to implement an economic
48	48	18target area water infrastructure initiative in accordance with section 3 of this act and (iv)
49	49	19distribute five percent (5%) of the amount collected to the department of revenue for
50	50	20administration and enforcement of this act.
51	51	21 (b) Annually, a city or town receiving funds from the Commonwealth Water
52	52	22Infrastructure Trust Fund shall submit a report to the commissioner of the department of revenue
53	53	23not later than December 31 detailing the water infrastructure-related projects and the amount of
54	54	24funds used, or planned to be used, for water infrastructure-related projects funded, in whole or
55	55	25part, from the Commonwealth Water Infrastructure Trust Fund. The commissioner shall compile
56	56	26the reports and post the projects and amounts of money used on the website of the department
57	57	27and forward a copy of the same to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust.
58	58	28 SECTION 2. Section 22F of the Chapter 40 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2022
59	59	29official edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following paragraph:-
60	60	30 Each city or town that charges a fee for a permit to connect to the municipality’s water or
61	61	31sewer services shall collect an additional $250 for a residential property connection and an 3 of 3
62	62	32additional $1,000 for a commercial or industrial property connection, apart from the
63	63	33municipality’s established fee for such service, to be deposited in the Commonwealth Water
64	64	34Infrastructure Fund.
65	65	35 SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department
66	66	36of environmental protection, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic
67	67	37development, shall create an initiative to specifically work with municipalities with economic
68	68	38target areas in addressing their water infrastructure needs. The initiative shall include direct
69	69	39outreach to municipalities for purposes of assisting with the development of strategies to
70	70	40coordinate and plan for the upgrading of water infrastructure resources. As used in this section,
71	71	41“economic target area” shall be used in the same manner as applied in Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 23A,
72	72	423G.