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S 586

Kershaw County Transportation Committee

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jeffrey Graham

Massachusetts creates a permanent drought management framework: a task force and plan to set regional conservation orders to protect water, health, safety, and the environment.

Signed By Governor
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Bill Summary · S 586

Summary — S.586 (2025): An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management

Note on source material
- The full bill text provided is a Massachusetts state senate bill (presented by Sen. James B. Eldridge) establishing a drought management task force and statewide drought plan. The header metadata you supplied (title about insurer pre‑authorization and “REFERRED TO INSURANCE”) appears to conflict with the bill text. This summary addresses the Massachusetts drought management bill contained in the provided text. If you intended the insurer pre‑authorization bill instead, please confirm or provide the correct text and I will prepare a summary for that measure.

Purpose
- Create a permanent drought management structure within the Executive Office (Chapter 21A) to improve drought preparedness and response, protect public health, public safety and the environment, and maintain adequate water supplies statewide.

Key provisions
- Establishes a Drought Management Task Force (Section 2B):
- Membership: secretary (or designee) as co‑chair; director of Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency as co‑chair; commissioners or designees from Agriculture, Conservation & Recreation, Environmental Protection, Fire Marshal, Fish & Game, Public Health, Public Utilities; executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) or designee; representatives from Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, Massachusetts Water Works Association, and the MWRA Water Supply Citizens Advisory Committee.
- Co‑chairs may invite federal officials for technical input. The task force is staffed by a director appointed by the secretary.
- Meeting frequency: not less than monthly when drought conditions exist.

  • Duties of the task force:

    • Collect and assess technical information.
    • Coordinate and communicate among agencies, members and the public.
    • Provide recommendations to the secretary, secretary of public safety and security, and governor on drought levels and responses (including commencement or cessation of drought declarations).

  • Statewide drought management plan:

    • Task force must maintain and periodically update a plan addressing preparedness and response protocols.
    • Review: at least once every 5 years; update: at least once every 10 years.
    • The drought management plan must be approved by the Water Resources Commission.
    • Task force may map drought regions consistent with watersheds.

  • Authority to order conservation measures:

    • The secretary may order water conservation measures (including limits on nonessential outdoor water use) by drought region based on severity to protect health, safety, or the environment.
    • Such measures apply to all water users within a drought region unless the secretary determines otherwise with prior notice to the task force.
    • Cities and towns are required to enforce the secretary’s water conservation restrictions “to the fullest extent permitted by law,” notwithstanding conflicting local rules.

Who is affected
- State agencies (those listed as members) and executive offices responsible for drought planning and emergency response.
- Water suppliers and utilities (including MWRA and water works associations).
- Municipal governments (required to enforce conservation restrictions).
- Residents, businesses, agricultural users, and environmental resources within declared drought regions subject to conservation orders.

Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill text indicates it is an amendment to Chapter 21A; filed as Senate Docket No. 1668 (1/16/2025) and presented by Sen. Eldridge.
- The metadata you provided lists various committee referrals/hearings with inconsistent dates and committees (Environment and Natural Resources, Finance, Senate Ways & Means, Insurance). Please confirm which procedural status you want tracked; I can reconcile and update with authoritative legislative records.

Potential impacts and considerations
- Centralizes drought response and improves cross‑agency coordination, which could lead to faster, more consistent conservation orders across watersheds.
- Gives executive authority to impose conservation measures statewide by region; municipal enforcement requirement raises questions about local capacity, legal limits, and funding for compliance/enforcement.
- Requires periodic plan review and Water Resources Commission approval, promoting ongoing preparedness but potentially requiring additional staff and technical resources.

If you want: I can (1) produce a plain‑language one‑page summary for the public, (2) compare this bill to prior‑session S.475 / S.9858 / A.1462, or (3) prepare a brief analyzing likely operational costs and municipal enforcement implications. Which would you prefer?

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

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