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H 3494

Foreclosure

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Annie McDaniel and 1 co-sponsor

The bill directs state and municipal outdoor lighting to minimize glare, uplight, and sky glow by requiring fully shielded fixtures, lower lumens, and a maximum 3000 K CCT, cut lig

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 3494

Summary — H.3494 (House Docket No. 2800)

Title: An Act to improve outdoor lighting, conserve energy, and increase dark‑sky visibility
Primary sponsors: Reps. Sean Garballey and Simon Cataldo (with multiple co‑petitions)
Filed: 01/16/2025 (prefiled 12/05/2024); introduced/read first time 01/14/2025
Lead committees: Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy; (materials also show referral to Judiciary)
Regulatory deadline in bill: Department of Energy Resources rules due by January 1, 2026

Note on source materials: The packet provided contains the full text of Massachusetts H.3494 (dark‑sky/outdoor lighting). It also includes an unrelated South Carolina draft bill concerning foreclosure moratoria during gubernatorial states of emergency. This summary focuses on the Massachusetts bill and then briefly notes the unrelated SC text.

Purpose and intent

H.3494 directs the Commonwealth to reduce energy waste and light pollution, improve nighttime sky visibility, and ensure state and municipal funds are not used to install or operate outdoor lighting that causes unnecessary glare, uplight, or light trespass. The bill aims to align public lighting practices with dark‑sky and energy‑efficiency objectives while preserving safety and special exemptions.

Key provisions (Massachusetts)

  • Adds a new section to Chapter 85 defining technical terms (e.g., correlated color temperature/CCT, fully shielded fixture, uplight, sky glow, lumen, façade/ornamental/roadway/parking‑lot lighting).
  • Requires the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), in consultation with MassDOT and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, to promulgate regulations by Jan 1, 2026 that:
    • Prohibit use of state or municipal funds for new permanent outdoor fixtures unless they meet standards minimizing uplight, glare, trespass, and sky glow.
    • Require roadway and parking‑lot fixtures to be fully shielded, except for specified ornamental fixtures, tunnel/underpass lighting, or other narrow exceptions.
    • Limit uplight/lumen output for ornamental fixtures (specific limits to be set in the regulations).
    • Ensure the number and placement of roadway fixtures are no more than necessary for vehicular/pedestrian safety, using FHWA and Illuminating Engineering Society criteria as guidance.
    • Require building‑mounted fixtures to be fully shielded (except approved façade lighting) and require façade, historic, monument, and art illumination to be directed and shielded to minimize spill and glare.
    • Set a maximum correlated color temperature (CCT) for installed fixtures in regulation, not to exceed 3000 K; with exemptions for demonstrated public safety needs, decorative color illumination, and athletic fields.
    • Require maintained illuminance be no greater than needed for the intended purpose, consistent with industry standards, unless higher levels are demonstrated as necessary for safety/security; local ordinances with lower levels prevail where applicable.
  • Lists exemptions for federal preemption, temporary/emergency lighting, navigational aviation/marine lighting, and other bona fide safety/security needs. (Text in the packet is truncated; final regulations will define precise exemptions and implementation details.)

Who is affected

  • State agencies and municipalities using public funds for outdoor lighting projects
  • Departments that design/maintain roadways, parking lots, public buildings, parks, athletic fields, historic sites and monuments
  • Lighting manufacturers, suppliers, and installers (will need to meet shielding, lumen, and CCT standards)
  • Residents and communities (reduced light pollution, potential energy savings, and changes in public lighting appearance)
  • Public safety stakeholders (exemptions and consultation provisions address safety concerns)

Timeline & procedural status (as provided)

  • DOER rulemaking required by January 1, 2026.
  • Legislative actions listed in the materials include referral to Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (02/27/2025), various hearing scheduling entries for Sep 25, 2025, and initial introduction/prefiling in Dec 2024–Jan 2025. (Materials also list a referral to Judiciary — possibly reflecting clerical routing or inclusion of differing texts.)

Potential impacts

  • Environmental: reduced sky glow and light pollution; improved dark‑sky visibility.
  • Energy: lower energy use through fixture selection, shielding, and reduced illuminance levels.
  • Fiscal: changes to procurement/specification for publicly funded projects; potential retrofit costs for non‑compliant fixtures but savings over time from reduced energy use.
  • Safety and design: allows exemptions where higher lighting is demonstrably necessary; requires balancing safety, historic/ornamental display, and environmental goals.

Brief note on unrelated material included

The packet also contains language from a South Carolina bill that would prohibit judicial or county‑treasurer foreclosures while any portion of the state is under a gubernatorial state of emergency. That text appears unrelated to Massachusetts H.3494 and is not part of the Massachusetts dark‑sky proposal.

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

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