KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

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H131 • 2025

An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery

An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery

Agriculture
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Patrick Joseph Kearney
Last action
2026-03-16
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see H5242 (under House Rule 27)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery

An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery By Representative Kearney of Scituate, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery By Representative Kearney of Scituate, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 131) of Patrick Joseph Kearney for legislation to authorize commercial lobster fisherman to fish according to their permit for 12 months a year in state waters.
  • Agriculture.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-16 House

    Accompanied a study order, see H5242 (under House Rule 27)

  2. 2025-06-27 Joint

    Referred, pursuant to an order adopted by the two branches, to the committee on Agriculture and Fisheries

  3. 2025-04-30 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 05/13/2025 from 10:30 AM-01:00 PM in B-1

  4. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Agriculture

  5. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

  6. House

    Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act to open the Massachusetts lobster fishery
By Representative Kearney of Scituate, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 131) of Patrick Joseph Kearney for legislation to authorize commercial lobster fisherman to fish according to their permit for 12 months a year in state waters. Agriculture.

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.131

Not withstanding any state law to the contrary, the State of Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries shall allow any person with a commercial Commonwealth lobster permit issued to fish according to his/her permit for 12 months a year in state waters as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).

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