WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

H 3032

Disrupting a religious service or funeral

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Bill Chumley and 2 co-sponsors

Reforms PILOT: base annual reimbursements for state-owned land on the prior three-year average tax rate, with no drop below last year.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 3032

Summary — H 3032 (House Bill No. 3032)

Short title (from docket): An Act to reform payments in lieu of taxes for state‑owned land
Filed / Prefiled: Prefiled 12/05/2024; docket filed 01/17/2025
Primary sponsor: Rep. Natalie M. Blais
Committees / Status: Introduced (Jan 2025); referred to Revenue (Feb 27, 2025). (House/committee hearing(s) scheduled Oct 7, 2025 per docket.)
Note on document inconsistency: The package provided contains two distinct texts: (A) a Massachusetts bill amending chapter 58 (payments in lieu of taxes for state land), and (B) an unrelated South Carolina statute draft expanding "disorderly conduct" to include disrupting religious services or funerals. This summary focuses on the Massachusetts bill text tied to H 3032; the South Carolina text appears to be an unrelated insertion.

Purpose and intent

The bill reforms how the Commonwealth reimburses cities and towns for state‑owned land (payments in lieu of taxes — PILOT). It (1) revises statutory references to reimbursement percentages, (2) replaces the existing Section 17 with a new annual reimbursement formula tied to the prior three years’ tax rates, and (3) directs the Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to propose legislative amendments to better value carbon storage, sequestration and other ecosystem services provided by natural and working lands.

Key provisions

  • Technical edits: strikes the statutory definition and references to “reimbursement percentage” in sections 13, 15, and 16 of chapter 58.
  • New Section 17 (annual reimbursement mechanics):
    • Treasurer to reimburse each municipality annually (no later than Nov. 20) for state‑owned land value as reported under section 16.
    • Payment is calculated by multiplying each $1,000 (or fraction) of valuation by a rate equal to the average of the annual tax rates for the 3 years preceding the tax year in which the value is laid. Those annual rates are to be determined by apportioning the whole amount to be raised by taxation across municipalities (per returns under section 10C).
    • Reimbursement for each municipality shall not be less than the prior year’s payment, except when land is removed from valuation statements.
  • Policy study & legislative recommendations (DOR + EEA):
    • Within 1 year of enactment, DOR and EEA must jointly submit legislative recommendations to amend sections 13–17 to (a) value carbon storage/sequestration and other ecosystem services provided by natural and working lands (per chapter 21N), and (b) ensure reimbursements support roadmap goals under chapter 21N, section 5.
    • Topics the recommendations must consider include: higher reimbursements for permanently protected open space; reimbursements based on municipal forest cover; payments for state land that supports drinking water, cold‑water fisheries, endangered species, recreation, ecological integrity, and landscape connectivity; adjustments to address historically low reimbursement areas; and tiered increases for municipalities that already host high proportions of state land to incentivize further acquisition.
    • Public process: within 6 months of enactment, DOR and EEA must hold a public hearing to present draft recommendations and accept public comment for at least 30 days.
    • Deliverables: recommendations must be submitted to legislative clerks and relevant committees and posted publicly on EEA’s website.

Who is affected

  • Municipal governments (cities and towns) that contain state‑owned land — reimbursement levels and formulas would change and may increase for some municipalities.
  • State agencies: Treasury (administers payments), Department of Revenue (valuation/reporting/legislative proposals), and EEA (policy input on ecosystem services).
  • Conservation and natural resource policy: valuations tied to carbon sequestration, forest cover, protected open space and ecological services could shift incentives for land protection and state acquisitions.

Procedural / timeline highlights

  • Treasurer must make annual payments by Nov. 20 under the new formula.
  • DOR and EEA must hold a public hearing within 6 months and submit legislative recommendations within 1 year of enactment.
  • As of the docket, hearings on the bill were scheduled for Oct 7, 2025; refer to committee records for any updates.

Potential impact

  • Could increase or redistribute PILOT payments to better account for ecosystem services and carbon storage, providing more support to municipalities that host protected lands or provide vital natural services.
  • Establishes a near‑term administrative and legislative review process to create a valuation framework that aligns municipal reimbursements with climate and land‑conservation policy goals.
  • Fiscal impact on the commonwealth depends on the recommendations and any subsequent legislative changes — the bill itself creates formulas and a review process but does not specify dollar increases beyond the new calculation method and the “not less than prior year” floor.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a plain‑English explainer for municipal officials on how their PILOT payments might change; or
- Summarize the unrelated South Carolina draft language about disrupting religious services/funerals that was appended to the provided packet.

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

Sign in to ask a question.