H4597 • 2025

An Act to ensure economic opportunity related to alcohol licenses

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

Sponsor: Paul McMurtry
Last action: 2026-03-30
Official status: Accompanied a new draft, see H5306
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 ensure economic opportunity related to alcohol licenses

An Act to ensure economic opportunity related to alcohol licenses By Representative McMurtry of Dedham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Paul McMurtry relative to licenses for off premises retail of alcoholic beverages located near other off premises licenses.

What This Bill Does

An Act to ensure economic opportunity related to alcohol licenses By Representative McMurtry of Dedham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Paul McMurtry relative to licenses for off premises retail of alcoholic beverages located near other off premises licenses.
Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.

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

2026-03-30 House
Accompanied a new draft, see H5306
2026-01-23 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 02/04/2026 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in B-1
2025-10-09 Senate
Senate concurred
2025-10-06 House
Reported, referred to the committee on Joint Rules, reported, rules suspended and referred to the committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
2025-09-29 House
Referred to the committee on House Rules

Official Summary Text

An Act to ensure economic opportunity related to alcohol licenses
By Representative McMurtry of Dedham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Paul McMurtry relative to licenses for off premises retail of alcoholic beverages located near other off premises licenses. Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.4597

SECTION 1. Chapter 138 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, after section 16C, the following: -

Section 16D: Licenses for off premises retail of alcoholic beverages located near other off premises licenses

(a) No license issued after 2026 for the sale of alcoholic beverages off premises shall be issued if located within a radius of five hundred (500) feet of any other off premises licensee for the sale of alcoholic beverages unless the local licensing authority determines in writing and after a hearing that the premises are not detrimental to public health, safety, and the general welfare of the community; but this provision shall not apply to the transfer of a license from premises located within said distance to other premises located therein, if it is transferred to a location not less remote from the off premises licensee.

(b) Any applicant who has been denied a license under this section shall have the right to an appeal under section sixty-seven.

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