Bill to clear the road for the Everett Football Stadium sent to Governor Healey

Massachusetts Democrats, in rare post-election sessions, sent a major jobs package to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk Thursday, paving the way for a football stadium in Everett, and a clean energy bill that seeks to speed up the siting and permitting processes.

In a move that crosses two major pieces of legislation off Beacon Hill’s to-do list, lawmakers got a final vote on the $4 billion economic development bill and climate legislation that lingered when the House and Senate initially ended formal sessions for the year in August.

But after facing opposition over the litany of unfinished proposals, top Democrats agreed to continue working on measures already being negotiated behind closed doors and to hold recorded votes during a part of the year when they are typically not is allowed.

The plan to clear 43 acres along the Mystic River for a football stadium and park is one of several policy proposals hidden in the job packagewhich also includes hundreds of millions of dollars for life sciences and climate technology initiatives.

Rep. Jerry Parisella, a Beverly Democrat who co-chairs the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said the investments in the economic development bill “will ensure Massachusetts can inject millions of dollars into critical sectors.”

“This is an exciting time in Massachusetts history. We have an opportunity to re-strengthen our lead in key high-growth economic sectors and maintain our national leadership in life sciences and biotechnology,” he said.

Talks over the clean energy bill broke down dramatically in the early morning hours of August 1, what should have been the final moments of the Legislature’s formal sessions.

But months later, the two Democratic lawmakers — Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington — reached an agreement — only to face short-lived Republican resistance in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The setback prompted Senate President Karen Spilka to push through an order allowing recorded votes on all bills that end up in conference committees, or six-member groups that negotiate compromises, before the end of formal sessions. The room pass the measure 38-2 at the end of October.

House Speaker Ron Mariano scheduled Thursday’s formal hearing to take up the economic development bill and the clean energy bill after conservatives in his chamber threatened to block the measure.

Democrats have largely focused on the bill’s reforms to the siting and permitting process for renewable energy projects; provisions they say are necessary to boost the state’s fast-growing clean energy sector.

The bill also requires utility regulators, when considering a request to expand the territory of natural gas services, to take into account the state’s interest in complying with greenhouse gas emission limits, avoiding asset stranding and likelihood that the costs will be borne by taxpayers, and whether an alternative to natural gas services is available that is likely to provide a similar service.

Rep. Jeff Roy, a Franklin Democrat who co-chairs the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee, said the bill allows Massachusetts to “advance the necessary clean energy policies to combat the negative impacts of the climate crisis.”

“The amount of work that has gone into this bill is staggering and comes from a variety of sources,” he said.

Originally published: November 14, 2024 at 5:52 PM EST