State Senate Passes Short-Term Rental Bill

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BOSTON — State Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, said the state Senate on Wednesday passed S. 2381, An Act regulating and insuring short-term rentals. The bill expands the scope of the state's room occupancy excise tax and local option excise tax to include short-term transient accommodations.

"Short-term rentals have immense impact in the Berkshires and on cities and towns across the commonwealth," said Hinds. "I'm pleased that the Senate bill expands local control over short-term rental services and ensures that these services are competing in a fair and balanced hospitality market."

The legislation would generate an estimated $34.5 million and $25.5 million in state and local revenues, respectively, based on the most recent Senate Ways and Means Fiscal Impact Report. The expanded tax base will automatically apply to all 175-plus cities and towns that have already adopted the local room occupancy excise to date.

The bill contains consumer protection measures, including a requirement that hosting platforms, like Airbnb and VRBO, maintain liability insurance, and strengthens data collection and sharing for cities and towns.


During Wednesday's debate, Hinds led an effort to clarify that timeshares will not be subject to short-term rental taxation. His amendment, co-sponsored by state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, ensures that in the rare instance when a timeshare licensee rents their timeshare through a short-term rental platform/host site, that they are not subject to additional taxation.

Most timeshare units in Massachusetts are located in the Berkshires and Cape Cod. They are already subject to stringent regulations, like twice-yearly inspections and enhanced safety standards present in a conventional hotel. When a timeshare unit owner uses their property for their normal stay, they do not pay taxes because they are a property owner. When unused timeshare units are rented to non-owners, they are considered hotel rooms and are subject to existing state and local lodging taxes.

In addition, the bill creates a commission to examine ways that hospitality lodging units can be used as a resource to increase availability of emergency shelter for displaced persons.

The bill will now be reconciled with a previous version passed by the House of Representatives.


Tags: Hinds,   motels, hotels,   sharing service,   short-term rentals,   

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BCC Wins Grant for New Automatic External Defibrillator

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is the recipient of a $2,326 grant, funded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, for the purchase of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device. 
 
The grant specifically covers a device for use inside one of BCC's security vehicles for easy access when traversing the campus.  
 
In total, the Commonwealth awarded more than $165,000 in grant funding to 58 municipalities,
13 public colleges and universities, and nine nonprofits to purchase AEDs for emergency response vehicles. The program is designed to increase access to lifesaving equipment during medical emergencies, when every second matters.  
 
An AED is a medical device used to support people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, which is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. An AED analyzes the patient's heart rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.  
 
"Immediate access to AEDs is vital to someone facing a medical crisis. By expanding availability statewide, we're equipping first responders with the necessary tools to provide lifesaving emergency care for patients," said Governor Maura Healey. "This essential equipment will enhance the medical response for cardiac patients across Massachusetts and improve outcomes during an emergency event."  
 
The funds were awarded through a competitive application process conducted by the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), a state agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).  
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