House Votes to Extend Formal Session

For Immediate Release: Contact: Alicia DelVento 7/30/2020 Alicia.DelVento@mahouse.gov

House Votes to Extend Formal Session

(BOSTON) – Yesterday the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass an order to suspend Joint Rule 12A, which will allow the formal legislative session to continue past the July 31st deadline. This order follows a letter Representative Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough) sent to Speaker Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) on July 1st in support of the measure.

While formal sessions typically conclude on July 31st at midnight in the second year of session, this year has proven to be an unprecedented challenge for the entirety of Massachusetts. The Legislature too has had to amend the way it operates in the face of a global pandemic. The House and Senate passed a measure in April of this year allowing for formal sessions to run remotely, allowing for the Legislature to continue its work despite the circumstances. While business has continued to be conducted under this new system, it has caused delays in taking up matters currently pending before the body. Additionally, as the future of this pandemic is uncertain, an extension of formal deliberations will allow the House and Senate to monitor the situation as it progresses and take the necessary action to combat COVID-19 and its effects on the Commonwealth.

“I have heard from countless constituents regarding their concerns for the looming July 31st deadline,” said Representative Danielle W. Gregoire, (D-Marlborough), House Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. “I wrote to Speaker DeLeo earlier this month urging him to extend formal debate for this legislative session. This public health crisis has burdened our friends and neighbors and it is our duty as elected officials to continue advocating on their behalf in this uncertain time. There are a great deal of matters on the table that require our attention, and no one can predict what the next five months will bring. I hope that the Senate will join their colleagues in the House in extending the formal legislative session so that we may continue the business of the Commonwealth through the end of the calendar year.”

This order is now before the Senate for review.

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