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. Subsection (B) of section 3 of chapter 34A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1986 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- Upon the filing with the state secretary of a petition under section three, the state secretary shall furnish a receipt for the same to the person or persons filing the petition, and within thirty days after the filing of any such petition which contains the necessary number of certified signatures, the state secretary shall notify the city council of each city in such county and the board of selectmen of each town in such county that the question of the adoption or revision of a charter under this chapter is to be submitted to the voters of such county; provided, however, that the provisions of this section for a petition of registered voters shall not apply in the year nineteen hundred and eighty-six.

SECTION 2. Subsection (B) of section 4 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- The question in subsection (A) of section three shall be printed on the ballot after the statewide questions on the ballot.

SECTION 3. Subsection (B) of section 11 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

In addition, there shall be printed and made available at least ninety days before the election at cost to the public at large, a number of copies equal to at least one-tenth of one per cent of the county's registered voters.

SECTION 4. The last paragraph of said subsection (B) of said section 11 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 3, the word "finding" and inserting in place thereof the word:- findings.

SECTION 5. Section 13 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (A) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(A) If the charter commission shall have recommended the adoption of one of the optional forms of government authorized by this chapter, the charter commission shall notify the state secretary by the first Wednesday in August to place the following referendum question on the election ballot:

"Shall the (designate the caption of section ___________ of the County Charter Procedures Act) be adopted for .......... county, with the provision for a board of commissioners of ___________ members elected for (concurrent or non-concurrent as the case may be) terms and elected (at large, or from districts) "

The question shall appear on the ballot at the next biennial state election. At such election, the referendum question shall appear on the ballot in the same manner as other public questions are printed on the ballot. The attorney general shall prepare the summary to accompany such question.

SECTION 6. Paragraph (B) of the third paragraph of subsection (c) of section 14 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 54, the word "containing" and inserting in place thereof the word:- contained.

SECTION 7. Section 15 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1, the word "Upon" and inserting in place thereof the word:- (A) Upon.

SECTION 8. Subsection (B) of said section 15 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 12 and 13, the words "and finance, and" and inserting in place thereof the words:- finance and.

SECTION 9. Subsection (A) of section 16 of said chapter 34A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the word "Massachusetts." and inserting in place thereof the word:- Massachusetts:.

SECTION 10. Subsection (B) of section 3 of chapter 801 of the acts of 1985 is hereby amended by inserting after the word "therein", in line 11, the words:- no sooner than six months prior to the date by which the petition is to be filed with the state secretary.

SECTION 11. Said subsection (B) of said section 3 of said chapter 801 is hereby further amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- The provisions of this section for a petition of registered voters shall not apply in the year nineteen hundred and eighty-six.

SECTION 12. Subsection (B) of section 4 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- The question in subsection (A) of section three shall be the first question after the statewide questions on the ballot.

SECTION 13. The first paragraph of subsection (B) of section 11 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out the second sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- In addition, there shall be printed and made available at least ninety days before the election at cost to the public at large a number of copies equal to at least one per cent of the county's registered voters.

SECTION 14. The last paragraph of said subsection (B) of said section 11 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word "finding" and inserting in place thereof the word:- findings.

SECTION 15. Subsection (A) of section 13 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The question shall appear on the ballot at the next biennial state election.

SECTION 16. Clause (B) of the third paragraph of subsection (c) of section 14 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 12, the word "containing" and inserting in place thereof the word:- contained.

SECTION 17. Clause (iii) of subsection (B) of section 15 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words "and finance, and" and inserting in place thereof the words:- finance and.

SECTION 18. Section 16 of said chapter 801 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word "Barnstable" and inserting in place thereof the word:- (A) Barnstable.