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H5268 • 2025

An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities

An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities

Agriculture
Active

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

Sponsor
Environment and Natural Resources (J)
Last action
2026-03-19
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 to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities

An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

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. 2026-03-19 House

    Reported from the committee on Environment and Natural Resources

  2. 2026-03-19 House

    New draft of H3945

  3. 2026-03-19 House

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

Official Summary Text

An Act to promote urban agriculture in environmental justice communities
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.5268

SECTION 1. Subsection (d) of section 29A of chapter 23G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out clause (12) and inserting in place thereof the following clause:-

(12) preference shall be given to projects located within 1 mile of an environmental justice population or within an environmental justice municipality, as defined in section 62 of chapter 30.

SECTION 2. Section 62 of chapter 30 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of “Environmental burdens” the following definition:-

“Environmental justice municipality”, a municipality that meets 1 or more of the following criteria: (i) the annual median household income is not more than 65 per cent of the statewide annual median household income; (ii) minorities comprise 40 per cent or more of the population; (iii) 25 per cent or more of households lack English language proficiency; or (iv) minorities comprise 25 per cent or more of the population and the annual median household income of the municipality does not exceed 150 per cent of the statewide annual median household income; provided, that the secretary may determine that a municipality shall not be designated an environmental justice municipality upon finding that: (A) the annual median household income of the municipality is greater than 125 per cent of the statewide median household income; (B) a majority of persons age 25 and older in the municipality have a college education; (C) the municipality does not bear an unfair burden of environmental pollution; and (D) the municipality has more than limited access to natural resources, including open spaces and water resources, playgrounds and other constructed outdoor recreational facilities and venues.

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