Green Industry Alliance
Few Signs of Activity on Beacon Hill; More Focus on the Election
By Steve Boksanski, GIA Executive and Legislative Agent
Since July 31, when formal sessions ended, there has been plenty of lobbying but no signs of progress between the House and Senate on conference committee negotiations. A change in the Joint Rules gave the Legislature extra time to consider bills that have been passed by the House and Senate but need to be reconciled into a final draft and boy are they using that to their advantage.
Complex proposals to fund environmental and economic development programs, data privacy, primary care, energy and more all remain in limbo and it ' s not likely they will be resolved before the election. While the public ' s focus has been more on energy affordability, the Legislature will certainly want to know the outcome of Question 1 relative to public records before taking action on related legislation that is pending. With the next General Court getting sworn in on January 6, this one has until midnight on January 5 to send bills to the Governor and most of us feel like they will use every minute.
For the GIA we have a few important pieces still in play, including:
Technical corrections to the rain sensor law that will allow the DEP regulations move forward Snow Management Liability reform
We continue to lobby on these items and have plenty of background and talking points to use if you would like to connect with your elected officials.
This was also a successful session for our efforts to promote a new bill relative to healthy soils and developing standards. This was well accepted by many in the Legislature and received a favorable report by Committee. This puts us on solid ground to advance further in 2027-2028.
We also met our goals to kill legislation that would allow communities to establish their own rules on pesticides and fertilizers. The more we talk about our industry and share our knowledge, the better position we can be in when protecting your interests. We have had strong participation and hope to keep that momentum going into the new session.
About the GIA
The members of the Green Industry Alliance( GIA) of Massachusetts include the Massachusetts Arborists Association, Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals, Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals, Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England, and Cape Cod Landscape Association. Together, these organizations represent hundreds of businesses, employ thousands of residents, and contribute more than $ 5 billion annually to the Commonwealth’ s economy. Our members are trained professionals committed to environmental stewardship and best practices across arboriculture, landscaping, turf management, and related fields.
For more information about how you can help further the legislative agenda of the GIA, please contact CCLA for details. Special thanks to Dave Chalker of Bartlett Tree Experts, for his work with the GIA on behalf of CCLA.
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