SENATE DEMOCRATS ADVANCED a $3.6 billion environmental bond bill on Wednesday, sending to the House a measure that would direct an influx of spending on local projects to strengthen the state’s dams, culverts, and coastal resilience as Massachusetts prepares for more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
The legislation that cleared the Senate by a 36-3 vote largely mirrors what Gov. Maura Healey initially filed last year, including a provision that would require home sellers to disclose their property’s flood history and risks to prospective buyers. Massachusetts is currently just one of 14 states not to require such disclosures.
The Senate did, however, insert a ban on single-use plastic bags at retail stores, something that the chamber passed last session before it failed to advance in the House.
Senate President Karen Spilka pressed that issue in a press conference earlier Wednesday, arguing that she was “inspired to call for a decrease in plastic pollution after seeing the devastating impact on marine animals.”
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, famous for his use of props during floor debates, used plastic and paper bags to rail against that part of the legislation, which would also charge consumers 10 cents per bag provided by the retailer. Under the proposal, half of that money would go back to the state with the other half retained by the store.
“I hope that we won’t inflict that pain,” said Tarr, who ultimately voted for the bill. “I hope that we won’t make that mistake.”
The Senate also raised the amount the state can borrow for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program, a popular initiative that aids local resilience projects to combat extreme weather like floods and droughts, from the $315 million proposed by Healey to $500 million. And it maintained the creation of a new revolving loan program to continuously fund these types of projects.
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The need for new and greater sources of revenue is a cause for concern for Dan Zackin, legislative manager for 350 Mass, an environmental group. He points to an assessment from the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, which notes that most bond bills do not wind up fully budgeted, something that is the case thus far with the housing bond bill enacted in 2024.
