Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H5268: An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities
Status: In committee, March 19, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, March 19, 2026:
SECTION 1. Subsection (d) of section 29A of chapter 23G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (12) and inserting in place thereof the following clause:- (12) preference shall be given to projects located within 1 mile of an environmental justice population or within an environmental justice municipality, as defined in section 62 of chapter 30. SECTION 2. Section 62 of chapter 30 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Environmental burdens” the following definition:- “Environmental justice municipality”, a municipality that meets 1 or more of the following criteria: (i) the annual median household income is not more than 65 per cent of the statewide annual median household income; (ii) minorities comprise 40 per cent or more of the population; (iii) 25 per cent or more of households lack English language proficiency; or (iv) minorities comprise 25 per cent or more of the population and the annual median household income of the municipality does not exceed 150 per cent of the statewide annual median household income; provided, that the secretary may determine that a municipality shall not be designated an environmental justice municipality upon finding that: (A) the annual median household income of the municipality is greater than 125 per …
Sponsors
- Judith Garcia (D)
Latest actions
- : Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- : New draft of H3945
- : Reported from the committee on Environment and Natural Resources
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (March 16, 2026): 9 yea, 1 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H5268?
- H5268 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities.
- What is the status of H5268?
- In committee as of March 19, 2026. Latest action: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (March 19, 2026).
- Who sponsored H5268?
- Judith Garcia (D).
- Where is the official record for H5268?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5268
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.