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