WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HD 2444

An Act promoting equitable distribution of Chapter 90 funds

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Leigh Davis

HD 2444 codifies a Chapter 90 funding formula: 69.334% based on road mileage, 15.333% on population, 15.333% on employment, directs more funds to road-heavy towns.

0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HD 2444

Summary: HD 2444 — An Act promoting equitable distribution of Chapter 90 funds

Purpose and intent

HD 2444 proposes a reform to how Chapter 90 funds are allocated for municipal transportation projects. The bill aims to promote an equitable distribution of expenditures for maintaining, repairing, improving, and constructing municipal ways and bridges and other eligible municipal projects by codifying a specific allocation formula.

Key provisions

  • Add a new subsection (b½) to Section 4 of Chapter 6C of the General Laws (as of the 2016 edition).
  • Allocation formula for expenditures made by the department under subsection (b):
    • Population: 15.333%
    • Road mileage: 69.334%
    • Employment: 15.333%
  • Scope: Applies to all expenditures for maintaining, repairing, improving, and constructing municipal roads and bridges and other eligible municipal projects, when made by the department in accordance with subsection (b).

Who/what is affected

  • Affected entity: Massachusetts Department of Transportation (the “department”) and its method of distributing funds.
  • Beneficiaries: Municipalities in the Commonwealth that rely on Chapter 90 funds for road and bridge projects. Communities with greater road mileage would receive a larger share under the new formula, all else equal, with population and employment contributing meaningful but smaller shares.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The bill is labeled as introduced/proposed for the 2025-2026 legislative session (House and Senate actions referenced in the bill text).
  • It follows a prior, similar measure filed in a previous session (House No. 3409, 2023-2024), indicating continued interest in reforming Chapter 90 allocations.
  • The amendment would take effect upon enactment, altering the current distribution framework for future expenditures governed by subsection (b).

Potential impact and considerations

  • The allocation would emphasize road mileage, making communities with more road networks potentially more likely to receive funds, while still incorporating population and employment as balancing factors.
  • Smaller towns with fewer miles of road but significant population or employment might see different relative outcomes depending on the existing distribution baseline.
  • Overall effect depends on current Chapter 90 allocation patterns; the formula provides a transparent, codified method intended to reflect infrastructure scale (road miles) alongside population and employment.

If you’d like, I can add a comparison to the current Chapter 90 allocation approach or outline potential fiscal impacts under various hypothetical municipal profiles.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.