Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H5599: extending the timeframe for filing citizen referendum petitions in the town of Bridgewater
Status: In committee, July 30, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, July 30, 2026:
SECTION 1. Article VIII of the charter of the city known as the town of Bridgewater, which is on file with the state archivist, as provided by section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking out section 8-2 and inserting in place thereof the following section:- Section 8-2. Citizen Referendum Procedures; Referendum Petition; Effect on Final Passage If within 30 days after the final passage of a measure, a petition signed by voters equal in number to at least 5 per cent of the total number of voters and addressed to the town council, protesting against the measure or any part thereof taking effect, is filed with the elected town clerk, the same shall thereupon and thereby be suspended from taking effect and the town council, as the case may be, shall immediately reconsider the measure or part thereof and if such measure or part thereof is not entirely rescinded, the town council shall submit the same, to a vote of the voters either at the next regular town election or at a special election which may, in its discretion, be called for the purpose and the measure or part thereof shall forthwith become null and void unless a majority of the voters voting on the same at the election vote in favor thereof. …
Sponsors
- Dennis Gallagher (D)
Latest actions
- : Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
- : New draft of H5544
- : Reported from the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (July 23, 2026): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H5599?
- H5599 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): extending the timeframe for filing citizen referendum petitions in the town of Bridgewater.
- What is the status of H5599?
- In committee as of July 30, 2026. Latest action: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (July 30, 2026).
- Who sponsored H5599?
- Dennis Gallagher (D).
- Where is the official record for H5599?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5599
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.