H 4781
An Act authorizing Bridgewater town charter amendment for gender neutral language
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Bill overview
This bill proposes an amendment to the town charter of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Specifically, it replaces gendered terms like "his" and "him" with gender-neutral terms like "their" in several sections of the charter. The changes aim to ensure that the charter’s language is inclusive and avoids outdated gender-specific references.
Key provisions
- Replaces "his" with "their" in subsection (c) of section 2-3 of the Bridgewater town charter.
- Replaces "his" with "their" in subsection (a) of section 2-12 of the Bridgewater town charter.
- Replaces "him" with "them" in subsection (a) of section 2-12 of the Bridgewater town charter.
- Replaces "his" with "their" in section 6-1 of the Bridgewater town charter.
- Requires approval by a majority vote at an annual or special town election for the amendment to take effect.
Who is affected
- Residents of Bridgewater, Massachusetts
- The town government of Bridgewater
- The Bridgewater town charter
Notable changes
- The amendment introduces gender-neutral language into the town charter.
- The changes affect several specific sections of the charter related to governance and procedures.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Cosponsor
Dennis C. Gallagher
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Bill H.4781 194th (Current)
An Act authorizing Bridgewater town charter amendment for gender neutral language
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Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading City/Town: Bridgewater (Local Approval Received)
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Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote
Bill History
Displaying 9 actions for Bill H.4781
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 11/26/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on Municipalities and Regional Government |
| 11/26/2025 | House | New draft of H4578 |
| 11/26/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling |
| 12/15/2025 | House | Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting |
| 12/15/2025 | House | Rules suspended |
| 12/15/2025 | House | Read second and ordered to a third reading |
| 1/12/2026 | House | Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed |
| 1/15/2026 | Senate | Read; and placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session |
| 2/12/2026 | Senate | Read second and ordered to a third reading |
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