Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H3316: An Act to promote budget transparency and the public’s right to know
Status: Failed, March 2, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 27, 2025:
Section 1. Chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following new section:- Section 79. The treasurer, in coordination with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, shall provide a short summary each year to be published on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website by March 15, which reports the total amount of income tax paid by Massachusetts residents to the federal government in the prior year, together with the percent of those dollars appropriated in the prior year’s congressional discretionary budget to housing, education, healthcare, public transit, biomedical research, veterans services, food stamps and assistance, environmental protection, and defense spending, including nuclear weapons. The summary shall include this information in the form of a pie chart or bar graph, and using the budget numbers reported by the federal Congressional Budget Office. The summary shall also include information noting that Medicare and Social Security programs are financed as trust funds and are not financed through income taxes. The summary shall also include a report on the Commonwealth’s annual budget for the prior fiscal year. The report shall communicate the percent of the budget allocated to housing, education, healthcare, public transit, criminal justice, veterans services, food stamps and assistance, environmental protection, and conservation and recreation. The report shall also include the contribution …
Sponsors
- Carol Doherty (D, 3rd Bristol) · primary sponsor
- James Hawkins (D, 2nd Bristol)
Latest actions
- : Accompanied a study order, see H5168
- : Reporting date extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025
- : Hearing scheduled for 06/24/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-1
- : Senate concurred
- : Referred to the committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight (October 21, 2025): 8 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H3316?
- H3316 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act to promote budget transparency and the public’s right to know.
- What is the status of H3316?
- Failed as of March 2, 2026. Latest action: Accompanied a study order, see H5168 (March 2, 2026).
- Who sponsored H3316?
- Carol Doherty (D, 3rd Bristol), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for H3316?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3316
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.