The Massachusetts Senate tucked a proposal into its nearly $41.5 billion budget bill Thursday that keeps alive the debate over police jurisdiction in the fast-growing Seaport District. But the measure does not require any specific changes in the long-simmering dispute between State Police and Boston police.
The amendment, passed hours before the Senate wrapped three days of debate over its budget, is a watered-down version of what Senator Nick Collins, a South Boston Democrat, originally proposed in the spending legislation.
State statute gives State Police sole authority to patrol the neighborhood, which is largely made up of parcels owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority. Troop F, which also patrols Logan International Airport, is responsible for policing the neighborhood.
Boston police have for years sought shared jurisdiction to respond to calls in the Seaport, with a renewed push in recent months amid questions about overtime spending at Troop F and separate scandals elsewhere in the 2,200-officer State Police force.
Collins’s initial offering, which mirrored language he unsuccessfully pushed as a member of the House, sought to establish “concurrent police authority with the local police’’ on Massport property, excluding Logan Airport.
Instead, the redrafted amendment does not mandate any changes but states that State Police “may’’ reach an agreement with local police about the authority they can exercise on Massport land. And any deal “may include’’ so-called concurrent jurisdiction.
While falling short of what Collins and Mayor Martin J. Walsh have sought, the amendment’s inclusion means the issue will at least remain on the table when House and Senate leaders meet behind closed doors over the coming weeks to hash out differences in their budget bills before sending a final version to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.
Collins framed the amendment as a victory. “The action of the Senate [Thursday] brings us closer to a more sensible public safety policy on the South Boston Waterfront,’’ he said in a statement.
“I look forward to having continued conversations with the Legislature on strengthening this critical change as the state budget is finalized,’’ he said.
Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattpstout
