State Policy Priorities
The 2025-2026 legislative session started on January 2, 2025. Over 6,500 bills were filed by the January 17th deadline. Committee assignments were announced on February 27, so committees will soon begin the process of setting up hearing schedules. 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.
Unlike in past years, legislators can sign on to co-sponsor a bill up until the date that a Committee acts on that bill.
MLTC invites you to consider reaching out to your state legislators to ask them to co-sponsor our highest priority bills for the current legislative session:
The Nature for All Bill (H.901/S.597, Rep Blais, Rep. Montaño & Sen. Feeney)
This bill would dedicate a portion of the existing state sales tax 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 and its growing list of supporters.
An Act increasing the conservation land tax credit (S.2083/H.3147, Sen Tarr and Rep. Jones)
This bill would expand the annual cap on the state's conservation land tax credit program, resolving a long-standing waitlist for landowners willing to permanently conserve their environmentally significant properties.
For more information, see this fact sheet and WBUR coverage from Martha Bebinger on the importance of expanding the tax credit.
Find your legislators here, and see this message template that you are welcome to use or personalize.
Our other primary efforts include the following:
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FY2026 State Operating Budget
Governor Healey filed her version of the budget on January 22, which proposes funding the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) at $559.8 million. Among other things, this includes $8.3 million for integrating environmental justice and equity into all EEA agency actions, and funding to significantly expand staffing at the Department of Energy Resources and Department of Public Utilities to implement “An Act promoting a Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity and Protecting Ratepayers” that passed late in 2024. In coming months, the House and Senate will pass their own versions of the budget, which will subsequently be reconciled in a version submitted to the Governor for approval this summer.MLTC recently joined The Green Budget Coalition, which has begun meeting with legislative leaders to communicate our budget priorities. The Coalition is advocating for a FY26 state operating budget that maintains robust investment in environmental programs.
See the FY2026 Green Budget fact sheet for more information.
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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 become law when the Bill passes. The Healey-Driscoll Administration is expected to file its version of the Bond 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 in coming months.
- MLTC will work with the Administration to advocate 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. We will work with partners to submit comments on draft regulations expected in coming months.
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MLTC will continue to monitor implementation of An Act Preserving Open Space in the Commonwealth which took effect in February 2023. We coordinated a group sign-on letter regarding 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.
On February 28, 2025, the state announced that it was reopening public comment on the draft regulations to implement the law. Though the draft regulations have not changed, the state is interested in receiving additional comment on public notice requirements and methods for evaluating the natural resource value of lands impacted under this law.
- 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 those related to the Resilient Lands Coalition. We will also advocate for effective implementation of the Farmland Action Plan, Healthy Soils Action Plan and strategic actions to set and achieve statewide Biodiversity Goals.
We will also work with partners to support:
- Bills H.1005/S.549 An Act investing in natural and working lands, to promote acquisition and management of natural and working lands to reduce impacts from climate change.
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Bills H.1964/S.1239, 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.
See the fact sheet on the uniform partition of heirs property for more information.
- Bill S.557, An Act accelerating wetlands restoration projects, to facilitate expanded wetlands restoration.
- Bill S.579, 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.
- Bills S.61 and H.121 An Act relative to Urban Farmland, to support conversion of vacant lots and underutilized land in environmental justice communities into urban farms, community gardens, and other agricultural enterprises.
- Bills S.11 and H.71 (Proposal for a legislative amendment to the constitution relative to agricultural and horticultural lands) to authorize lower tax rates for agricultural land regardless of the size of the agricultural parcel.
We will also advocate on select high-priority federal policy matters, with guidance from the Land Trust Alliance and other partners. In this period of on-going uncertainty, MLTC has posted some resources on our website for federal grantees and others seeking to protect themselves. As things continue to evolve, we'll do our best to share relevant updates on that page.