This week is the last week of the formal legislative session for Beacon Hill. Although the current session runs through January 5, 2027, the Legislature is not expected to be coming in for votes or committee work for the rest of the year.
Two years ago, at the end of the last legislative session, the Legislature ended up with a long list of unfinished business, as numerous conference committees tasked with negotiating final bill text were unable to come to agreements by July 31.
The Legislature got a lot of bad press for this — and rightfully so. Those bills were eventually finalized months later and signed into law, but the narrative of the session was set.
At the start of the legislative session, the Speaker and Senate President promised a more transparent and efficient legislative process.
We’re now in the final week of the session, and AGAIN, there’s a long list of unfinished business, as numerous conference committees tasked with negotiating final bill text (for things like the PROTECT Act, data privacy bill, energy affordability bill, and much more) have yet to come to an agreement.
But there’s a difference: the Legislature blessed this failure to finish on time in their new rules. As long as they can get negotiators appointed by Friday, they can keep negotiating until January 5, a long period of legislative limbo for our full-time legislature.
That means that there will still be need for legislative advocacy throughout the fall: to make sure that they finish bills and that the bills they finish are strong.
We’ll keep you posted about actions and opportunities to make sure your voice gets heard.
