Bill
S 627
Mass. bill prohibiting glyphosate on public lands after 12/31/2026 unless licensed glyphosate use or emergency permit; expands pesticide rules for state lands and applicators.
Short title in text: An Act relative to the use of glyphosate on public lands
Status & key dates
- Introduced (Mass. Senate): 1/16/2025 (docket); read/introduced 2/19/2025.
- Committee actions, readings and passage activity listed through 2025 (see legislative history provided).
- Major operative date in bill: a prohibition on most glyphosate applications on Commonwealth public lands takes effect after December 31, 2026.
- Department of Food and Agriculture required to adopt implementing regulations within 1 year after the act’s effective date.
Purpose / intent
- To restrict the use of glyphosate-containing herbicides on public lands owned or maintained by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to add related pesticide use controls to chapter 132B of the General Laws.
Key provisions
- Adds definitions to chapter 132B:
- “Glyphosate” / “glyphosate herbicides”: all herbicides containing glyphosate as an active ingredient and tank mixes containing glyphosate.
- “Public lands”: state parks, playgrounds, school buildings, highway medians owned/maintained by the Commonwealth, and buildings owned/operated by the State.
- Adds new Section 17 to chapter 132B establishing general pesticide-use rules (examples):
- Prohibits pesticide use inconsistent with label instructions.
- Prohibits storage/transport/disposal that causes unreasonable adverse effects to environment or public health.
- Requires that restricted-use pesticides be applied only by certified applicators or under their direct supervision; commercial structural pest control for fee is limited to licensed pest control operators (chapter 460J).
- Prohibits certain backflow/vessel filling practices without air gaps or approved backflow devices.
- Prohibits falsifying required records.
- Specific glyphosate restriction: after Dec. 31, 2026 no person may apply glyphosate herbicides on Commonwealth public lands unless:
- They hold a State or federal license to conduct glyphosate research, or
- They hold a State permit to apply glyphosate because (i) the situation poses an immediate threat to human health and the environment, and (ii) there is no viable alternative.
Who would be affected
- State agencies and departments managing parks, highways, school grounds and state-owned buildings (e.g., DCR, MassDOT, state education facilities).
- State-employed groundskeepers and contracted landscaping/pesticide applicators; licensed commercial pest control operators.
- Entities seeking to use glyphosate for research (licensed) or for emergency, permit-authorized applications.
- The restriction does not explicitly apply to privately owned land.
Implementation and enforcement
- The Department of Food and Agriculture must issue regulations within one year after the act’s effective date to implement the new provisions (license/permit processes, enforcement mechanisms, record-keeping).
- The bill text prescribes prohibitions but does not specify fine amounts or detailed civil/penal remedies in the excerpt provided.
Practical impacts & considerations
- Expected reduction in routine glyphosate use on state-managed properties, prompting adoption of alternative vegetation management methods, possible increases in labor or costs for non-chemical controls, or shifts to non-glyphosate herbicides (subject to other rules).
- Need for regulatory guidance, permit standards, emergency-use criteria, transition plans for existing contracts and groundskeeping operations.
Note on metadata
- The package you provided mixes Massachusetts bill text with an unusual sponsors list (U.S. Senators) and some repeated/contradictory referral entries (e.g., Higher Education). Those sponsor entries appear inconsistent with a Massachusetts state bill and may reflect mixed or inaccurate metadata. The summary above is based on the Massachusetts bill text (chapter 132B amendments) as provided.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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