The Silliest Bills This Session: From Official Rocks to Rock Songs
Most of us are familiar with the usual bills introduced to the legislature - serious political actions revolving around economic issues, public health, and safety. Though these constitute the majority of the bills introduced, there are a handful of bills each session that are a bit more lighthearted. These bills are usually propositions for official items of the Commonwealth, from the official rock song to the official cupcake flavor, often filed on behalf of students, enabling them to participate in the legislative process. We have compiled these ‘sillier’ bills into a track, for easy reference and will be expanding on them below.
Some of the most popular bills that fall under our silly bill category involve food items. There are a significant number of existing official foods, usually ones originating in or symbolic of Massachusetts. Several new bills aim to add new foods to this list. One of these foods is a version of a very distinctly Massachusetts food, the Boston cream pie, which is the official dessert and donut of the Commonwealth. To some, this would naturally mean that the Boston cream pie should become the official cupcake of the Commonwealth as well. This is exactly what HD280 (An Act Designating the Boston Cream Pie Cupcake as the Official Cupcake of the Commonwealth) plans to do. This bill has been refiled in every single legislative session since its first filing by Representative Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. in the 2015-2016 session. It has yet to be passed into law, but perhaps sometime soon we will see the Boston cream pie cupcake as the official cupcake of the Commonwealth.
The official seasoning of Massachusetts is another sillier bill that was seen filed over the years. This bill, (HD1370, An Act Designating the Official Seasoning of the Commonwealth), is meant to honor Bell’s seasoning by promoting it to the official seasoning of Massachusetts. Bell’s seasoning is one of the oldest spice mixes in America and was created by William F. Bell in 1867. The seasoning is commonly used for poultry and consists of rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, and thyme. The passing of this bill would celebrate Bell’s Massachusetts origin as its creator was from Newton, Massachusetts.
An important symbol of state and country pride has historically been animals. In Massachusetts specifically, there are official animals such as the Cod which is the state fish due to its representation as the foundation of the Massachusetts’ economy. Additional state symbols and animals have been proposed. One of the most interesting ones is the Quahog (aka the hardshell clam) which is currently fighting for its spot as the official shellfish of the Commonwealth (SD716, An Act Creating the Official Shellfish of the Commonwealth). This is likely due to the popularity of clams in classic Massachusetts dishes such as clam chowder and fried clams. Another important state symbol is the Eastern Brook Trout, which is Massachusetts’ only native species of trout. In an attempt to honor the fish, Representative Ted Philips has filed An Act Naming the Eastern Brook Trout as the Official Freshwater Fish of the Commonwealth (HD2646) in the last two legislative sessions.
In the music realm of Massachusetts, one particular (and sometimes controversial) bill has been refiled each session since 2013. That is HD801, (also filed as SD409), An Act Designating the Song "Roadrunner" as the Official Rock Song of the Commonwealth. This 1976 song by The Modern Lovers is an ode to Massachusetts, littered with references to the state, including Route 128, the Mass Turnpike, and of course the obvious “I’m in love with Massachusetts” line. This song holds a cultural significance for the Bay State, but all previous attempts have failed to memorialize the rock song in the state legislature. This was in part due to debate surrounding what rock song best exemplified Massachusetts (a contestant being Aerosmith’s “Dream On”).
Another silly bill with serious origins involves the “giant puffball” fungus, a type of mushroom that is up for the superlative of the official mushroom of the Commonwealth (SD1111). As silly as a state mushroom may appear on the surface, there is a much more serious and important history behind this bill which was actually written with the intention of honoring traditions of indigenous peoples like the Iroquois and Meskwaki tribes. These tribes used the giant puffball mushroom as a styptic dressing to stop the bleeding of wounds. In addition to its medical uses, the giant puffball fungus has also been a food source for centuries and is very common in Massachusetts. These mushrooms can be eaten as is or cooked in a variety of ways.
The official sedimentary structure of the Commonwealth may not sound like much more than a rock, but bill HD647 is surprisingly interesting. This bill is pushing for the Jurassic Armored Mud Ball to be recognized as such. These rocks, dating from the Jurassic period (200 million years ago to 145 million years ago), are relatively rare and offer insight into the geological past including information about climate. These rocks have been found scattered throughout Franklin County, and given their rarity and importance, makes these forms a striking competitor for becoming the state’s official sedimentary structure.
With a wide array of bills filed in this legislative cycle it is important to reflect on some of the sillier ones in order to best understand Massachusetts. It will be exciting to see which pass and the impact they may have on the Commonwealth. Different objects as symbols, no matter how trivial they may seem, all have some sort of backstory and influence that is important and unique to Massachusetts.
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