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H 3486

An Act relative to municipal light plant emergency mutual aid

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Pat Duffy and 12 co-sponsors

Authorizes municipal light plants to sell, rent, or lease equipment for emergency mutual aid and extends workers' compensation protections and employee rights to staff involved.

Accompanied a study order, see H5323
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Bill Summary · H 3486

Summary: H.3486 — An Act relative to municipal light plant emergency mutual aid

Overview

H.3486, introduced February 27, 2025, seeks to strengthen and streamline emergency mutual aid among municipal lighting plants in Massachusetts. The bill would authorize municipal light plants that provide emergency mutual aid to engage in the sale, rental, or lease of equipment and related goods used for mutual aid, and would extend workers’ compensation coverage and employee rights to personnel involved in such mutual aid activities. The bill is currently in the Legislature with a reporting date extended to December 3, 2025.

Purpose and intent

  • Improve capacity for municipal light plants to respond to emergencies (e.g., storms, outages) by enabling access to and deployment of necessary equipment and supplies across municipalities.
  • Ensure appropriate legal and workforce protections for employees participating in mutual aid assignments.
  • Clarify that equipment and goods used in emergency mutual aid can be sold, rented, or leased as part of mutual aid operations.

Key provisions (as added to Chapter 164, §133)

1) Emergency mutual aid equipment and related goods
- Adds a sentence to the third paragraph: Any municipal lighting plant providing emergency mutual aid may sell, rent, or lease equipment, fixtures, and goods of any description related to the provision of emergency mutual aid.

2) Employee workers’ compensation coverage and rights
- Adds a sentence after the fifth paragraph: Any employee of a municipal lighting plant providing emergency mutual aid shall be covered by the provisions of Chapter 32 (workers’ compensation), with the same rights and privileges, as if performing duties within the scope of employment, including voluntary assignments authorized by the employer.

3) Clarification of coverage
- Adds in the sixth paragraph after the word “utility” the words: “or its employees,” to extend the applicability of the provisions to the utility and its employees.

Who is affected

  • Municipal lighting plants (the “municipal light plants”) engaged in emergency mutual aid operations.
  • Employees of those municipal light plants who participate in mutual aid assignments (including voluntary assignments).
  • Potentially, equipment suppliers and other entities involved in providing or leasing equipment/goods for mutual aid purposes.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Referred to the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy on February 27, 2025.
  • Hearing scheduled: June 12, 2025 (1:00 PM–5:00 PM, in hearing room A-2).
  • Legislative actions show a reporting date extension: originally due date extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025 (noted as 2025-09-08).
  • Related bill: HD 552 is noted as a replacement.

Potential impacts

  • Operational: Facilitates cross-municipal mutual aid by enabling purchase/lease of equipment and related goods, potentially reducing response times and improving outage restoration capabilities.
  • Workforce: Provides workers’ compensation protections and employee rights for personnel engaged in mutual aid activities, aligning these activities with standard employment protections.
  • Legal/commercial: Introduces explicit authorization for selling or leasing mutual aid resources, potentially creating new revenue or resource-sharing avenues for municipal light plants.

Next steps

  • Monitor the committee process for passage, amendments, and final floor actions.
  • If enacted, anticipate guidance on implementing sales/rental arrangements and on the administration of workers’ compensation benefits for mutual aid personnel.

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

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