Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the annual street listing required by section four of chapter fifty-one of the General Laws for the year nineteen hundred and eighty-six shall include an inquiry, in a form prescribed by the state secretary, as to each resident's race and primary language. For the purpose of such inquiry, sections one to eight, inclusive, of chapter fifty-six of the General Laws shall apply, and the state secretary shall have all the powers provided in sections seven and nine of chapter nine of the General Laws. On or before June first, nineteen hundred and eighty-six the registrars or listing board shall return the resulting information to the state secretary, in a form prescribed by him and in the manner provided by section seven of chapter nine of the General Laws. The state secretary shall file the same with the clerk of the house of representatives as soon as possible thereafter, for the supplemental and informational use of the general court in making its new division of the commonwealth into representative, senatorial, and executive councillor districts, under Article CI of the Amendments to the Constitution. Subject to any special law, in making such redivision into wards and precincts required in the year nineteen hundred and eighty-five by sections one, two and six of chapter fifty-four of the General Laws, a city council or board of selectmen shall make use of racial and ethnic information collected by the most recent federal census. Such redivision need not be made until September fifteenth, nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and the time required for any other action by said sections is hereby extended for a period of ninety days.

SECTION 2. The provisions of sections one, two and six of chapter fifty-four of the General Laws shall not apply in the years nineteen hundred and eighty-five and nineteen hundred and eighty-six to any municipality with less than twelve thousand population that is contiguous by land with only one other municipality or is surrounded by water.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon its passage.