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The following was submitted by the Office of Rep. Michael S. Day:
Massachusetts House of Representatives recently appointed Rep. Michael S. Day to the Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives and state Senate created the bipartisan special joint committee, made up of five members from each chamber, and charged it with reviewing and making recommendations on eleven citizen initiative petitions that may appear as ballot questions in the upcoming 2026 statewide elections.
“I am honored that Speaker Mariano and my colleagues have once again entrusted me with reviewing and making recommendations on these complex and consequential ballot questions,” said Day. “Each of these proposals raises significant legal, policy and practical considerations and I look forward to working closely with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate as we undertake this work.”
Amendment Article 48 of the Massachusetts Constitution provides residents with a pathway to pass laws directly by popular vote, bypassing the normal legislative process.
Supporters of ballot petitions must offer the proposed question to the Attorney General for review and then submit nearly 75,000 valid signatures from registered Massachusetts voters to advance the proposal for legislative consideration.
The Legislature is then required to examine the petitions and either decline to act on the proposal (which would place the petition on the ballot after the supporters meet further signature requirements), work with petitioners on compromise legislation to become law through legislative action or order the Secretary of the Commonwealth to print an alternative ballot question alongside the petition for voter consideration.
The Legislature first created a special joint committee to review all potential ballot petitions in 2024. That Special Committee, comprised of eight bipartisan members, considered five ballot petitions.
This cycle, the Special Committee will consider 11 new ballot petitions.
Day rejoins the House Chair of the Special Committee, Assistant Majority Leader Alice Peisch of Wellesley and Republican Rep. David Viera of Falmouth as returning members of the Special Committee.
New House appointees include Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan of Stowe and Second Assistant Majority Leader Frank Moran of Lawrence.
Senate appointees to the Special Committee include returning members, Senate Chair Senator Cindy Friedman of Lexington, Sen. Paul Feeney of Foxboro and Republican Sen. Ryan Fattman of Sutton.
The Senate also appointed two new members to this year’s Special Committee: Sen. Brendan Crighton of Lynn and Sen. Barry Finegold of Andover.
Day and his colleagues on the Special Commission will consider the following
ballot petitions:
• An Act to allow single-family homes on small lots in areas with adequate infrastructure (House, No. 5000);
• An Act relative to election day registration (House, No. 5001);
• An Act to restore a sensible marijuana policy (House, No. 5002);
• An Act to implement all-party state primaries (House, No. 5003);
• An Act to improve access to public record (House, No. 5004);
• An Act to protect water and nature (House, No. 5005);
• An Act relative to limiting state tax collection growth and returning surpluses to
taxpayers, (House No. 5006);
• An Act relative to reducing the state personal income tax rate from 5% to 4% (House,
No. 5007);
• An Act to protect tenants by limiting rent increases (House, No. 5008);
• An Act relative to labor relations policies for committee for public counsel services
employees (House, No. 4009); and
• An Act to reform and regulate legislative stipends (House, No. 5010)
The “Massachusetts Firearm Regulations Referendum,” which seeks to repeal the recently
passed Act Modernizing Firearms, will appear separately as a referendum question on the ballot
for voters in November.
A “Yes” vote on the referendum will preserve the landmark law while a “No” vote would repeal it in its entirety.
The Special Committee will soon announce the dates and times for public hearings it will
hold on each ballot petition, inviting proponents, opponents and the general public to offer their thoughts on each petition.
The Legislature faces a deadline of May 5 to act on the petitions this year if it so chooses.
Should lawmakers recommend an adverse action on a ballot petition, supporters must then collect the signatures of an additional12,429 Massachusetts voters to qualify for the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.
“There are certainly a variety of subjects covered by these ballot petitions,” continued Day. “The Special Committee will review the merits of all of the petitions, and we are committed to delivering reports on each of these questions that will enable voters to cut through so much of the noise and money these initiatives seem to attract. I am grateful for the opportunity to undertake this significant work on behalf of my colleagues and constituents.”
