Substitute House Bill No. 7152 mandates that individuals submitting environmental, health, traffic, or economic impact studies in connection with local land use applications must provide specific disclosures. These disclosures include the identity of the author(s) of the study, the total costs associated with its completion along with the name of the entity that financed it, and any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the impartiality of the data or conclusions presented. This requirement applies to submissions made to various local bodies, including legislative bodies, zoning commissions, planning commissions, inland wetlands agencies, and zoning boards of appeals, regardless of any conflicting provisions in special acts, municipal charters, or home rule ordinances.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that when these local bodies make decisions regarding land use applications, they must take into account the disclosed information or the absence of such disclosures, as it may influence the reliability of the submitted studies or evaluations. The bill is set to take effect on October 1, 2025, and does not impose any fiscal impact on municipalities, as they are deemed capable of managing the additional information required for review.