Bill
S 658
Creates the Massachusetts Flood Management and Mitigation Authority to plan, finance, and operate flood control statewide with a focus on equity and natural-resource conservation.
Status
- Introduced: Filed 1/16/2025; introduced in the Senate (presented by Sen. Michael F. Rush) and read 2/20/2025.
- Committee referrals: Referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (also appears in some records as referred to Codes — metadata is inconsistent). Hearing scheduled 06/03/2025 (per legislative actions).
- Bill text: proposes inserting a new Section 29 into Chapter 21A of the General Laws.
Purpose and intent
- Establish a single, independent public authority — the Massachusetts Flood Management and Mitigation Authority (the “Authority”) — to coordinate, plan, design, build, operate and fund flood control and mitigation efforts across the Commonwealth, with an explicit emphasis on conserving natural resources and centering equity and environmental justice.
Key provisions
- Creation and placement: Creates the Massachusetts Flood Management and Mitigation Authority as a “body politic and corporate and a public instrumentality” placed within the Office of Environmental Affairs but explicitly established as an independent public authority not subject to executive-office control except as provided in the act.
- Powers and functions:
- Develop rules and regulations to protect the Commonwealth’s natural resources, infrastructure, and residents’ property.
- Plan, design, build, operate, and fund flood control and mitigation systems.
- Borrow money and issue bonds; pledge, assign, or create security interests in Authority funds or revenues to secure debt.
- Policy requirements: Requires the Authority and regulated entities to prioritize conservation of natural resources and to center equity and environmental justice in planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and financial activities.
- Reporting: Annual report to the Clerk of the House, Clerk of the Senate, and the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on how the Commonwealth and affiliated agencies are mitigating flood impacts.
Who would be affected
- Directly: the new Authority and any entities it regulates or partners with.
- Indirectly: municipal and tribal governments, regional planning bodies, watershed organizations, environmental nonprofits, philanthropic partners, infrastructure owners, property owners in flood-prone areas, insurers, and taxpayers. The bill also envisions coordination across these stakeholders.
- Financial stakeholders: bondholders and state/local fiscal planners if the Authority issues debt or uses pledged revenues.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Prospective benefits: Improved statewide coordination of flood mitigation, centralized financing capacity (bonding authority) for larger projects, and an explicit equity/environmental justice mandate possibly directing resources to vulnerable communities.
- Unspecifieds and risks: The bill text does not detail governance structure (board composition, appointment process), specific funding sources, limits on borrowing, project approval processes, or interactions with existing local permitting and environmental review. Those implementation details will affect local control, fiscal exposure, and project types/prioritization.
- Legislative process: The bill is in committee; stakeholders should monitor committee hearings and any amendments clarifying governance, fiscal limits, and oversight.
Notes on metadata
- The bill text is authored/presented by Massachusetts Sen. Michael F. Rush. Some sponsor and action records in the provided metadata appear inconsistent (listing many federal senators and duplicate referrals) and may reflect data errors. The summary above is based on the bill text as filed.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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