State Policy Priorities
The 2025-2026 legislative session started on January 2, 2025, with Committee assignments and bill filing to follow in subsequent weeks. Under the guidance of our Policy Committee, MLTC will focus our administrative and legislative advocacy throughout the session on advancing our strategic objectives:
- To increase state investment in land conservation and in the work of land trusts, and
- To maximize the integrity and natural resource value of protected lands as well as unprotected lands of significant conservation value.
Our primary efforts will include the following:
- Supporting bills HD.2707/S.D2776, the Nature for Massachusetts bill, which would create a dedicated funding source for conservation, restoration and improvement of lands and waters to benefit nature and people.
See the Nature for Massachusetts fact sheet to learn more about the bill.
- Passing bills HD.1347/SD.203, An Act relative to the conservation land tax credit, to increase the annual cap on the state conservation land tax credit program.
See WBUR coverage on the importance of expanding the tax credit. By Martha Bebinger. May 24, 2024
See the state conservation land tax credit fact sheet for more information.
- In concert with colleagues on the Green Budget Coalition, advocating for a FY26 state operating budget that maintains robust investment in environmental programs.
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Passing a strong Environmental Bond bill that authorizes robust state investment for years to come in programs that are vital to the land conservation sector.
Once every five years or so, the legislature passes an Environmental Bond Bill, which sets capital spending caps for a wide range of state programs that are essential to land conservation and the environment. In addition, a variety of policy changes may be attached as "outside sections" of the Bond Bill and thereby become law when the Bill passes. The Healey-Driscoll Administration is expected to file its version of this bill in Spring 2025. For the last several months, MLTC has been working closely with our conservation partners to advocate for the Administration’s bill to authorize investments and include policy changes that align with our priorities. We will continue this advocacy
in the Legislature as it debates and amends the bill. - Advocating for robust measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts on ecological and human communities in new energy-facility siting frameworks to be adopted under the 2024 omnibus climate law.
- Commenting on draft regulations for An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth (also known as the Public Lands Protection Act) and monitoring their implementation. See our January 2025 comment letter here.
- Continuing to monitor and advocate for resolution of the long-standing backlog in Conservation Restrictions under review by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).
- Representing land trusts on EEA-convened working groups, including on Resilient Lands and revision of the state’s model Conservation Restriction.
We will also work with partners to support:
- Bills HD.2377/SD.1669, An Act investing in natural and working lands, to promote acquisition and management of natural and working lands to reduce impacts from climate change.
- Bills HD.508/SD.813, An Act relative to uniform partition of heirs property, to increase protection for legal heirs of property owners who die without a will in place.
- Bills HD.1619/SD.1066, An Act accelerating wetlands restoration projects, to facilitate expanded wetlands restoration.
- Bill SD.421, An Act to reimburse the George L. Darey Inland Fisheries and Game Fund, to consistently reimburse MassWildlife for revenue lost from providing free hunting and fishing licenses.
- Effective implementation of the Farmland Action Plan, Healthy Soils Action Plan and strategic actions to set and achieve statewide Biodiversity Goals.
We will also advocate on select high-priority federal policy matters, with guidance from the Land Trust Alliance and other partners.