On November 14, the Massachusetts Senate passed a resolution to create a task force to review ethics laws governing state, county, and municipal employees. House Bill 4627, which previously passed the House, requires the task force to file a report with the governor, the president of the Senate, and the speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the results of its investigation and study on or before March 15, 2017.

The original purpose of the bill was to review laws concerning lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics. House Ethics Committee Chairman Chris Markey said limiting the focus allows the task force to meet its deadline, according to the Sentinel and Enterprise News.