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H3680 • 2025

An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund

An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund

Active

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

Sponsor
Higgins, Natalie M.
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
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 fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund

An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Kushmerek of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Kushmerek of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 3680) of Natalie M.
  • Higgins and Michael P.
  • Kushmerek relative to the creation of a fund to finance rail and transportation related projects.

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. 2026-03-23 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

  2. 2025-12-24 House

    Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026

  3. 2025-09-30 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 10/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-1

  4. 2025-09-30 Joint

    Hearing rescheduled to 10/14/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1 and Virtual Hearing location changed

  5. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Transportation

  6. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund
By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Kushmerek of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3680) of Natalie M. Higgins and Michael P. Kushmerek relative to the creation of a fund to finance rail and transportation related projects. Transportation.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.3680

SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws shall be amended by adding the following section:-

2EEEEEE. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the InterCity Regional Passenger Rail Fund, which shall be used exclusively for financing rail transportation-related projects to expand and support passenger/commuter rail throughout the Commonwealth, beginning with the Route 2 Corridor. The fund shall be subject to appropriation and shall be used for transportation related expenses of the executive office of transportation or any successor agency or authority to pay for contracts, services and debt service on bonds issued by, the Commonwealth for InterCity Passenger Rail expansion or improvements. Funds may also be expended for contract assistance for providing such services.

SECTION 2. Chapter 23K of the General Laws shall be amended by adding the following section:-

Section 59A. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a New Gaming Revenue Fund which shall receive twenty-five percent of the gross gaming revenues collected from the Region D gaming licensee. The commission shall be the trustee of the fund and shall transfer monies in the fund as follows:

(1) 100 per cent of the revenue received from a category 1 licensee shall be transferred to the InterCity Passenger Rail Fund established pursuant to section 2EEEEEE of chapter 29;

(2) new gaming tax revenue from other licensed gaming operations as deemed by the legislature.

SECTION 3. Subsection (a) of section 19 of chapter 23K of the general laws is hereby amended by striking out clause (1) and inserting in place thereof the following clause (1):

“(1) region A: suffolk, middlesex, essex and norfolk counties;”

SECTION 4. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, at the end of clause (2), the word “and”.

SECTION 5. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, at the end of clause (3), the word “counties“ and inserting in place thereof the following words:-

“counties; and”

SECTION 6. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after clause (3) the following clause (4):

“(4) region D: consisting of the cities and towns located in the Worcester Northern District Registry of Deeds, being Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg, and Westminster.”

SECTION 7. Said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting a new subsection (h), which shall provide as follows:

“(h) No gaming license shall be issued by the commission in region D unless it shall be situated on a site containing not less than 70 contiguous acres.”

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