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. Chapter 101 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out sections 20 and 21, as appearing in the 1988 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following two sections:-

Section 20. No person, having a minor under his control, shall knowingly permit such minor to violate any provision of section nineteen or any provision of section thirty-four, nor shall any person procure or employ a minor to commit any such violation, nor shall any person, either for himself or as agent of any other person, furnish or sell to a minor any article the sale of which is permitted without a license by section seventeen, with knowledge that such minor would be selling such article in violation of section nineteen or in violation of section thirty-four, or after having received written notice to that effect from the school committee or any other officer charged with the enforcement of said section nineteen or said section thirty-four. Violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months.

Section 21. Whoever employs a minor in, or, having the care or custody of a minor, permits such minor to engage in, hawking or peddling without a permit or license, if one is required, or permits him to engage in selling door-to-door for future delivery without a certificate pursuant to section thirty-four, or for himself or as agent of any other person, furnishes or sells to a minor any article with knowledge that the minor would be selling such article in violation of the provisions of this chapter relative to hawkers and peddlers or in violation of the provisions of this chapter relative to those who sell door-to-door, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars, to be equally divided between the commonwealth and the town in which the offense was committed, or by imprisonment for not more than six months.

SECTION 2. Said chapter 101 is hereby further amended by striking out sections 31 and 32, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following two sections:-

Section 31. Whoever counterfeits or forges a license, or a certificate of registration issued pursuant to section thirty-four, or has a counterfeited or forged license or certificate in his possession with intent to utter or use the same as true, knowing it to be false or counterfeit, or attempts to sell under a license or certificate which has expired or has been revoked or cancelled, or which has not been issued or transferred to him, or has in his possession another's license or certificate with intent to use the same, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Section 32. The director, inspectors of standards and, within their respective jurisdictions, sealers or deputy sealers of weights and measures, constables and police officers shall arrest and prosecute every hawker and peddler, and transient vendor, who they may have reason to believe is violating any provision of this chapter. The chief of police, a police officer, or other official designated by a city council of a city or a board of selectmen of a town, may arrest and prosecute a person who engages in the sale of goods door-to-door for future delivery who such official has reason to believe is violating the provisions of section thirty-four.

SECTION 3. Said chapter 101 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 33 the following section:-

Section 34. (a) As used in this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:-

"Sales agent", a person under eighteen years of age who is recruited or retained by, or who represents, or is in any manner associated with, whether as an employee or an independent contractor, any sales organization engaged in the sale of goods or periodicals door-to-door for future delivery for any commercial purpose in a city or town in the commonwealth. The term "sales agent" shall not include: (i) a person engaged in activities under the immediate supervision of a parent or guardian, or (ii) a person who does not earn his primary source of income while performing services for a sales organization, or (iii) a person who does not reside away from his home while engaged in the sales activity.

"Sales organization", a person or representative thereof, engaged in the supervision, recruitment, retention, or employment of sales agents for the door-to-door sale of goods or periodicals for future delivery.

"Sales group", any group of persons, including sales agents, which is engaged in the door-to-door sale of goods or periodicals for future delivery and which is under the supervision of a sales organization or sales supervisor.

"Sales supervisor", a person representing a sales organization who directs or supervises a sales group in any city or town in which it is engaged in the sale of goods or periodicals door-to-door for future delivery.

(b) No sales organization shall recruit, hire, or employ a person to engage in the sale of goods or periodicals door-to-door for future delivery unless and until such person furnishes the sales organization with information sufficient to inform such sales organization of such person's age and identification.

Each sales organization shall:

(1) prior to the employment of a person under eighteen years of age, furnish to a parent or guardian of such person a listing of cities or towns in which the sales group will be working in the two weeks immediately following such employment, the dates when the sales group shall be in each such city or town, the address of the sales group in each such city or town during the time the sales group is in such city or town, and the business address at which such parent or guardian may be informed of such person's work address.

(2) keep accurate accounts of sales made, lawful expenses incurred, and all amounts earned by each sales agent.

(3) provide to each sales agent for each pay period, but not less than once each seven days, an itemized written statement of the account of such sales agent.

(4) pay, on the same day each pay period to each sales agent, all money earned from all sales made a week or more prior thereto by such sales agent.

No sales organization, in carrying out any contract, agreement, or other arrangement with any sales agent, shall engage in any of the following conduct or activity:

(1) threats or acts of reprisals, intimidation, or physical violence against any sales agent, or any person acting on behalf of any sales agent.

(2) refusal to disburse commissions, salary, compensation, or other remuneration owing to a sales agent.

(c) All sales agents and sales supervisors covered by the provisions of this section shall register with a chief of police or with another official to be designated by the city council of a city or the board of selectmen of a town of initial registration. Each applicant for registration shall provide positive identification, give a permanent street address, provide an exemplar of his signature, the name of his employer or the party responsible for complying with the provisions of subsection (b), the business address of such employer, the identity and registration of any motor vehicle to be used to transport goods or persons engaged in said business, and a brief description of the goods to be sold and proposed method of operation. Said chief of police or designated official shall photograph each applicant for the purpose of identification and shall retain a copy of each such photograph for a minimum of two years.

Each registrant shall pay to the city or town in which the initial registration occurs a registration fee in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-two.

If the chief of police or designated official determines by investigation or receives reliable information that an applicant has been convicted of a felony or is a fugitive from justice or if such applicant refuses to provide any of the required information, then said applicant may be denied registration. Otherwise, said chief of police or designated official shall provide each successful applicant who pays the required fee a certificate of registration which shall be effective and valid for two years from the date of issuance. Each such certificate of registration shall include the applicant's photograph, the applicant's description and signature, as well as the date and the name of the city or town of issuance. The certificate of registration shall be issued within forty-eight hours of the submission of the application. Such certificate shall be conspicuously displayed by each registered sales agent and sales supervisor when engaged in selling.

Before a sales agent or sales group may commence selling goods or periodicals door-to-door for future delivery in a city or town, written notice shall be given to the chief of police or other official designated by the city council of such city or the board of selectmen of such town. Such written notification shall include the name and local address of each sales agent and sales supervisor, the date and time in which the sale is to be conducted, a description of the goods or periodicals to be sold, and the proposed method of operation.

The chief of police or other designated official of a city or town shall electronically notify the department of public safety of the name of each sales agent, including a sales agent within a sales group, and each sales supervisor who has registered or provided notice that he is selling goods or periodicals door-to-door for future delivery in said city or town. Said notification shall be by means of the criminal justice information system in accordance with a plan to be developed by the criminal history systems board. The department of public safety shall make inquiry to determine whether a sales agent or sales supervisor is a missing person.

The chief of police or other designated official may regulate the hours during which and conditions under which the registrant may engage in door-to-door selling. If the sales group intends to extend its stay in any city or town, the sales supervisor, or sales organization if there is no sales supervisor, shall submit to the chief of police or other designated person a written statement citing the reason for such extension and the date of the expected departure of such sales group.

Any such registration may be revoked for good cause by the chief of police or other designated official in any city or town in which such sales are being made. Good cause shall include a violation of this section or a determination that the registrant has been convicted of a felony, or is a fugitive from justice, or has been charged with a felony while engaged as a sales agent or sales supervisor. In the event of any such revocation, the chief of police or other designated official shall immediately notify in writing the chief of police of the city or town which issued the certificate of registration so revoked.

(d) A person or sales organization that knowingly violates any provision of this section shall be subject to a fine of five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than six months.

A person who knowingly supplies false information on an application or who carries on the business regulated by this section without registering or after his registration is revoked or expired shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months.

(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who goes door-to-door to sell goods or periodicals on behalf of any group organized for any political purpose or for any purpose described in section four of chapter one hundred and eighty, nor shall this section apply to a person engaged in any sale governed by section sixty-nine of chapter one hundred and forty-nine.