(BOSTON–7/29/2026) Following two days of debate, Senator Feeney joined his Senate colleagues on Thursday to pass an economic development package that lifts up small businesses and burgeoning industries, bans predatory kiosks used in cryptocurrency scams, and reins in the potential dangers of artificial intelligence by instituting responsible guardrails against catastrophes.  

The bill also surges the production of new housing units through automatic two-family zoning across Massachusetts, creates safety rules for fast electric scooters and e-bikes, and invests $100 million in immediate support for scientific research programs at public higher education institutions. 

With $575.4 million in authorizations, the economic development bond bill is poised to grow quality jobs in the Commonwealth, support innovation, and improve the quality of life for workers and families. 

Senator Feeney filed several amendments that were adopted into the final Senate economic development package to support local priorities and statewide initiatives. As this economic development package is a bond bill, the funding amounts listed below are bond authorizations—not immediate appropriations. A bond authorization is an important first step in the capital funding process, creating the legal authority for future investment, but it does not guarantee that funds will be borrowed or spent immediately. 

The following amendments were secured by Senator Feeney as bond authorizations, not immediate appropriations:  

Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital School for Children Capital Investments (Amendment 295): Provides a $2 million bond authorization for the Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children in the town of Canton for immediate repairs, rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, and upgrades to existing facilities to hospital level care to allow for expanded admissions and ensure patient safety. 

Mansfield Municipal Airport Hangar Upgrades (Amendment 298): Provides a $1 million bond authorization for upgrades to aircraft hangar spaces at the Mansfield Municipal Airport. 

World Cup Business Interruption Relief (Amendment 301): Provides a $2 million bond authorization for a World Cup Business Interruption Fund to provide economic relief grants to businesses, and non-profits that suffered a documented loss of revenue during the FIFA World Cup. 

Senator Feeney also successfully secured the following amendments:   

No Soccer No Party (Amendment 595): Convenes a working group to study the feasibility of a future international soccer tournament to be held in Massachusetts. The group, organized under the Office of International Trade and Investment, would study potential dates, venues, operational needs, and funding sources, and would coordinate with representatives of participating countries including the United States, Scotland, and nations with a significant diaspora in Massachusetts. 

“This summer, Massachusetts showed the world what makes our Commonwealth special— and in return the world appreciated what our State had to offer,” said Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough). “By making a concerted effort to modernize our laws, and by thinking big and planning wisely, we saw our Commonwealth in a different light and would be wise to double down on what works. That is why I am thrilled that the Senate adopted our amendment to start planning for an international soccer event hosted by the Commonwealth. The challenges we face don’t go away, but the opportunities before us are more evident. Music, sports, arts, tourism, history, and culture are a part of our fabric and when we welcome others from around the world and lighten up a bit, it pays dividends beyond compare.” 

Preventing Seniors and Adults with Disabilities from Financial Scams (Amendment 465): Requires qualified individuals, such as bank employees, to report suspected financial exploitation of vulnerable adults (60+ or disabled) to authorities. Financial institutions may delay transactions if exploitation is suspected, conducting an internal review and notifying relevant parties within specific timelines. Individuals who act in good faith to report or prevent exploitation are immune from liability, unless they are involved in the exploitation themselves. Records and documents relevant to the suspected or attempted financial scam are to be shared with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a relevant protective services agency, and law enforcement.  

"Too often, unsuspecting seniors and adults with disabilities are deliberately preyed upon by sophisticated criminals who use fear, deception, and intimidation to steal a lifetime of hard-earned savings," said Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough).  "By the time the scam is discovered, it's often too late—the bank account has been drained, and the financial and emotional damage is devastating. By empowering trusted financial professionals to act in good faith when they suspect financial exploitation, we can stop these crimes in progress, protect people's life savings, and ensure that fewer Massachusetts families become the next victims. This is more than just good policy-- it's a moral obligation." 

In addition to Senator Feeney’s amendment, the Senate also passed an amendment titled “Stopping Cryptocurrency ATM Misuse” (Amendment 374). As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, Senator Feeney was instrumental in getting this amendment over the finish line to fully ban the operation of cryptocurrency kiosks in the Commonwealth. The amendment, filed by Senator John Cronin, responds to the use of cryptocurrency kiosks as tools in predatory scams due to the troubling and prolific reports in recent years that scammers have directed older adults to use crypto kiosks to send money which is often not recoverable when the fraud is discovered, leading some seniors to lose their entire life savings. 

Together, the two amendments are designed to stop scams at multiple points before victims lose their life savings.  

Protecting Massachusetts Labor Unions and Workers from Federal Threats (Amendment 544): In the face of the Trump Administration’s assault on labor rights and organized labor, this amendment initiates a “trigger” for state-level labor protections that are consistent, and provide party with, existing federal labor law. The trigger is the event that the commonwealth is no longer preempted from regulating the labor-management relations of any private sector employer, bargaining unit, industry or trade operating in the commonwealth under federal law. If triggered, these updates to Massachusetts General Law Chapter 150A updates Massachusetts' private-sector labor laws by modernizing the law to create parity with the National Labor Relations Act by implementing existing coverage for certain employers and employees at the state level who would no longer be covered by NLRA, eliminating outdated state statutes regarding union representation and collective bargaining procedures, and revising administrative oversight to the Department of Labor Relations. 

"Massachusetts has long been a leader in protecting workers' rights. At a time when the right to organize is facing unprecedented challenges at the federal level, now is the time to enshrine these federally protected rights in Massachusetts law, ensuring workers remain protected should the National Labor Relations Act ever be weakened or repealed," said Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough). “With the passage of this amendment, we are sending a clear message to workers across the Commonwealth: if the federal government steps back, the Massachusetts Legislature will step up to protect the rights workers have relied on for nearly a century. Thank you to the AFL-CIO for their steadfast leadership on behalf of working people, to the business community for their partnership, and to the Senate President for her leadership in getting this done. The right to organize will always have a home here in the Commonwealth." 

Additional bill highlights:  

The bill prioritizes bonding investments to boost every aspect of the Massachusetts economy, including: 

• $100 million to support and promote economic growth and job creation in the defense sector; 

• $75 million to support the development and application of AI; 

• $25 million to support downtown and main street vitality in Massachusetts towns and cities, in addition to $2.5 million to help convert vacant storefronts into pop-up opportunities for new small businesses; 

• $25 million for research and development of robotics technology; 

• $20 million to support construction of early stage and high growth business ventures; 

• $20 million to support community development financial institutions and small businesses; and 

• $25 million to support arts, culture, and the creative economy, building on recent successes of the Massachusetts tourism and cultural sector. 

The legislation requires major AI developers—known as large frontier developers—to account for their AI models’ risk of critical safety incidents by setting frameworks to avoid potential catastrophes. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) would be empowered to bring civil lawsuits against major AI developers if they violate these new safety requirements. 

The bill would create unprecedented levels of new housing units in Massachusetts by allowing two-family homes on all residentially zoned lots, subject to reasonable local limitations. 

Supporting the Massachusetts economy’s workers and their families, the bill goes further to boost the state’s housing stock by creating a new, easier process for converting commercial properties into residential units, and requiring timely review processes for housing construction projects. 

Recent e-bike and electric scooter technology has moved beyond older state laws into unregulated territory. This bill accounts for these developments by creating new safety standards that keep young children off these devices, some of which can speed at 30 miles per hour, and banning mopeds and similar devices from bike lanes and shared use paths.  

Scientific research drives a significant part of the Massachusetts economy. With federal research funding under threat, the legislation invests an immediate $100 million in bridge funding for public higher education institutions to help maintain the pace of scientific discovery and retain talented graduate and post doctorate workers. 

Full details of the legislation as released by the Senate Ways and Means Committee are available in a fact sheet in the Senate’s press room. 

Over the course of the past two days, the Senate built on the underlying bill by adopting amendments in critical areas related to responsible technological advancement, the hospitality industry and vibrant business districts, and the ability for certain professions to work across state lines. 

Making music affordable by reining in predatory ticket scalping (Amendment 20): Institutes a 110 per cent cap on prices charged by ticket resale platforms for music concert tickets. 

Public Arts and Entertainment Microgrant Program (Amendment 354): Authorizes $1 million for a new grant program to boost the cultural and economic vitality of downtown areas, commercial areas, cultural districts, gathering places, and nightlife destinations. The Massachusetts Cultural Council would distribute the microgrants to support public arts, performances, and programming. 

Cultivating Agritourism Across Massachusetts (Amendment 70): Authorizes $5 million for grants to support local farms, agriculture, and small businesses through agritourism. 

Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (Amendment 11): Increases access to psychology services by adding Massachusetts to an interstate compact that recognizes the licensure of psychologists in other participating states. Allows licensed psychologists from those states to practice via telehealth across state lines. 

Social Work Licensure Compact (Amendment 222): Supports Massachusetts social workers by joining surrounding states in the social work licensure compact, ensuring they can continue to care for patients in other states. 

Establishing a Physical Therapy Compact (Amendment 402): Bolsters the physical therapy workforce by working toward the creation of an interstate compact, which would allow licensed physical therapists and assistants to practice across participating state lines.  

Juvenile Jurisdiction (Amendment 495): Raises the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include residents who are 18 years old. The ‘raise the age’ initiative is proven to decrease crime, increase public safety and improve economic outcomes by allowing emerging adults who are 18 years old—the typical age of a high school senior—to be tried as juveniles instead of adults for certain crimes. 

Requiring Automated Criminal Record Sealing (Amendment 511): Automates and expedites the process of sealing criminal records, ensuring that eligible people are able to move forward without bureaucratic delays. 

Affordable Homeownership Pilot (Amendment 46): Supports the development and construction of permanently affordable homeownership units by aiding the creation of a pilot program. Authorizes $2.5 million to fund the creation of units for low- and moderate-income households, including units within mixed-use developments. 

Municipal Tax Relief (Amendment 554): Gives cities and towns the option of providing enhanced tax relief in the form of a rebate to lower- and middle-income taxpayers who already receive the residential tax exemption. Creates an additional tool on top of the established residential exemption, which gives property tax relief to local residents by shifting more of the residential tax burden onto vacation homes and investment properties. 

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced the redrafted economic development bill to the full Senate with a 16-0 vote on July 16, 2026. 

The package is based on legislation originally filed by Governor Maura Healey. A prior version was passed by the House of Representatives. 

The Senate passed the bill and sent it back to the House of Representatives for further consideration. 

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