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. The General Court hereby finds and declares that on June twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and ninety-two the United States Supreme Court decided Franklin, Secretary of Commerce, et al. v. Massachusetts et al. No. 91-1502, and held that the Commonwealth was entitled to ten congressional seats.

SECTION 2. Chapter 57 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 1, as amended by section 2 of chapter 7 of the acts of 1992, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 1. For the purpose of electing representatives in the Congress of the United States and delegates and alternate delegates to the national conventions of political parties, until otherwise provided by law, the commonwealth is divided into the following ten districts, each of which shall elect one representative:

NUMBER ONE. - All the cities and towns in the counties of Berkshire and Franklin; in the county of Hampden, the cities of Holyoke and Westfield, and the towns of Blandford, Chester, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Tolland and West Springfield; in the county of Hampshire, the towns of Amherst, Belchertown, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Granby, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Pelham, Plainfield, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington; in the county of Middlesex the towns of Ashby and Townsend; and in the county of Worcester, the cities of Fitchburg, Gardner and Leominster, the towns of Ashburnham, Athol, Barre, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston, Templeton, West Brookfield, Westminster and Winchendon, and part of the town of Lunenburg including blocks 102-111, 113-129 and block groups 2, 4 and 5 of tract 7121 in VTD 0405 (Precinct 1), and VTDs 0410 and 0415 (Precincts 2 and 3).

NUMBER TWO. - In the county of Hampden, the cities of Agawam, Chicopee and Springfield, and the towns of Brimfield, East Longmeadow, Hampden, Holland, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Wales and Wilbraham; in the county of Hampshire, the city of Northampton and the towns of Hadley, South Hadley and Ware; in the county of Norfolk, the town of Bellingham; and in the county of Worcester, the towns of Blackstone, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Hopedale, Leicester, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Oxford, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Uxbridge, Warren and Webster, and part of the town of Auburn including tract 7363, block 107 and block groups 2-6 and 9 of tract 7365 in VTD 0045 (Precinct 1), VTD 0050 (Precinct 2), block 902 of tract 7365 in VTD 0055 (Precinct 3), blocks 303-310 and block group 9 of tract 7362 in VTD 0060 (Precinct 4), and VTD 0065 (Precinct 5).

NUMBER THREE. - In the county of Bristol, the city of Attleboro, part of the city of Fall River including VTDs 0185-0230 (Wards 1-3), VTD 0235, (Ward 4, Precinct A), tract 6409, blocks 207-208 of tract 6410, and block 132 of tract 6411 in VTD 0240 (Ward 4, Precinct B), blocks 105 and 109 of tract 6410 in VTD 0245 (Ward 4, Precinct C), and VTDs 0265-0270 (Ward 6, Precincts A-B), the towns of Dartmouth, North Attleboro, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea and Westport, and part of the town of Mansfield including VTDs 0345-0350 (Precincts 1-2), blocks 203, 212-213, 214B, 215, 305-307 and 319, and block group 4 of tract 6101 in VTD 0355 (Precinct 3), and blocks 104-105, 109 and 115, and block groups 2 and 4-5 of tract 6101 in VTD 0360 (Precinct 4); in the county of Middlesex, the towns of Holliston and Hopkinton; in the county of Norfolk, the towns of Franklin, Medway, Plainville and Wrentham, and part of the town of Foxboro including tract 4101 and blocks 217-223, 226-232 and 234 of tract 4104 in VTD 0255 (Precinct l), blocks 211, 213-215, 220, 225-226 and 231-232 of tract 4101, blocks 102 and 104-106 of tract 4102, and block 216 of tract 4104 in VTD 0265 (Precinct 3), blocks 203, 205-206, 208, 210, 212, 216-219, 221-224, 227-230 and 233-236, and block groups 4-5 of tract 4101 and tract 4102 in VTD 0270 (Precinct 4), and VTD 0275 (Precinct 5); and in the county of Worcester, the city of Worcester, the towns of Berlin, Boylston, Clinton, Grafton, Holden, Northborough, Northbridge, Paxton, Princeton, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Upton, Westborough and West Boylston, part of the town of Auburn including block 106 and block group 7 of tract 7365 in VTD 0045 (Precinct 1), tracts 7363 and 7364, block group 1 and blocks 901, 903 and 905 of tract 7365 in VTD 0055 (Precinct 3), and block groups 1 and 2 and block 301 of tract 7362 and tract 7363 in VTD 0060 (Precinct 4), and part of the town of Lancaster including blocks 145-158 and 160, block group 2, and blocks 963 and 964 of tract 7131 in VTD 0325 (Precinct 1) and block groups 2-4, and blocks 956-961 and 965-975 of tract 7131, and tract 7162 in VTD 0330 (Precinct 2).

NUMBER FOUR. - In the county of Bristol, the city of New Bedford, part of the city of Fall River including blocks 205-206 of tract 6410 and block 131 of tract 6411 in VTD 0240 (Ward 4, Precinct B), tract 6409, blocks 101-104, 106-108 and 110-115, and block groups 2 and 3 of tract 6410, and tracts 6411, 6412, 6419 and 6420 in VTD 0245 (Ward 4, Precinct C), VTDs 0250-0260 (Ward 5), VTD 0275 (Ward 6, Precinct C), and VTDs 0280-0330 (Wards 7-9), the towns of Acushnet, Berkley, Dighton, Fairhaven, Freetown, Norton, Raynham and Rehoboth, part of the town of Easton including blocks 101-129 and 131-136 of tract 6001 in VTD 0130 (Precinct 1), tracts 6001 and 6002.02 in VTD 0135 (Precinct 2), tract 6001, blocks 101-112, 114-115, 120-122 and 127-128 of tract 6002.02 in VTD 0140 (Precinct 3), blocks 201-204, 301-306 and 310-311 of tract 6002.02 in VTD 0145 (Precinct 4), and part of the town of Mansfield including blocks 204-211, 216-218, 301-304, 311-312, 315, 318 and 320 of tract 6101 and tract 6102 in VTD 0355 (Precinct 3), and blocks 101-103, 106-108, 110-114 and 116 of tract 6101 and tract 6102 in VTD 0360 (Precinct 4); in the county of Middlesex, the city of Newton and the town of Sherborn; in the county of Norfolk, the towns of Brookline, Dover, Millis, Norfolk, Sharon and Wellesley, and part of the town of Foxborough including block group 1 and blocks 224-225 and 233 of tract 4104 in VTD 0255 (Precinct 1), VTD 0260 (Precinct 2), block 209 of tract 4101, blocks 101 and 107 of tract 4102, and block group 1, blocks 201-207, 208A, 208B, 209-215, and block group 9 of tract 4104 in VTD 0265 (Precinct 3), and blocks 201-202, 204 and 207 of tract 4101 in VTD 0270 (Precinct 4); and in the county of Plymouth, the towns of Bridgewater, Carver, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Hanson, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plympton, Rochester, Wareham and West Bridgewater, and part of the town of Rockland including block group 3 and block 513 of tract 5021.01 in VTD 0520 (Precinct 2), VTDs 0525 and 0530 (Precincts 3 and 4), and blocks 116, 118-120, 123, 310 and 315-317 of tract 5021.01 in VTD 0535 (Precinct 5).

NUMBER FIVE. - In the county of Essex, the city of Lawrence and the towns of Andover and Methuen; in the county of Middlesex, the cities of Lowell and Marlborough, the towns of Acton, Ashland, Ayer, Billerica, Boxborough, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Hudson, Littleton, Maynard, Pepperell, Shirley, Stow, Sudbury, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, Wayland and Westford, and part of the town of Lincoln including block 901A of tract 3601, and blocks 101-106 and 109-1l3 of tract 3602 in VTD 0935 (Precinct 1); and in the county of Worcester, the towns of Bolton, Harvard and Southborough, part of the town of Lancaster including blocks 101-108, 110-l14, 117-144 and 159, block group 5, and blocks 901-954, 962 and 976-979 of tract 7131 in VTD 0325 (Precinct 1), and block group 1 and block 955 of tract 7131 in VTD 0330 (Precinct 2), and part of the town of Lunenburg including blocks 101 and 112, and block groups 8 and 9 of tract 712l in VTD 0405 (Precinct 1).

NUMBER SIX. - In the county of Essex, the cities of Beverly, Gloucester, Haverhill, Lynn, Newburyport, Peabody and Salem, and the towns of Amesbury, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Middleton, Nahant, Newbury, North Andover, Rockport, Rowley, Salisbury, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham and West Newbury; and in the county of Middlesex, the towns of Bedford, Burlington, North Reading and Wilmington, and part of the town of Reading including VTD 1750 (Precinct 1), and blocks 111, 114, 116 and 123, block group 2, and blocks 309-312, 315-317, 319-320 and 396 of tract 3343 in VTD 1785 (Precinct 8).

NUMBER SEVEN. - In the county of Middlesex, the cities of Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Waltham and Woburn, the towns of Arlington, Framingham, Lexington, Natick, Stoneham, Wakefield, Weston and Winchester, part of the town of Lincoln including blocks 901B and 901C of tract 3601, and blocks 107-108 and 114-128, and block groups 2 and 4 of tract 3602 in VTD 0935 (Precinct 1), and VTD 0940 (Precinct 2), and part of the town of Reading including VTDs 1755-1780 (Precincts 2-7), and blocks 109, 112, 115, 313-314, 318 and 395 of tract 3343 in VTD 1785 (Precinct 8); and in the county of Suffolk, the city of Revere and the town of Winthrop.

NUMBER EIGHT. - In the county of Middlesex, the cities of Cambridge and Somerville, and the towns of Belmont and Watertown; and in the county of Suffolk, the city of Chelsea, and part of the city of Boston including VTDs 0005-0070 and 1430 (Ward 1/Harbor Islands), VTDs 0075-0105 (Ward 2), VTDs 0150-0195, (Ward 4), VTDs 0200-0215 (Ward 5, Precincts 1-4), block group 3 and blocks 401-403 and 407 of tract 0201 in VTD 0220 (Ward 5, Precinct 5), VTDs 0225-0245 (Ward 5, Precincts 6-10), VTDs 0380-0445 (Wards 9 and 10), VTDs 0450-0470, (Ward 11, Precincts 1-5), VTDs 0500-0540 (Ward 12), VTDs 0595-0660 (Ward 14), VTDs 0665-0685 and 0695-0705 (Ward 15, Precincts 1-5 and 7-9), VTDs 0770-0780 and 0790-0820 (Ward 17, Precincts 1-3 and 5-11), VTDs 0840-0865, 0910 and 0940 (Ward 18, Precincts 1-6, 15 and 21), and VTDs 1120-1260 (Wards 21 and 22).

NUMBER NINE. - In the county of Bristol, the city of Taunton and part of the town of Easton including block 130 and block groups 3 and 4 of tract 6001 in VTD 0130 (Precinct 1), tract 6002.01 in VTD 0135 (Precinct 2), tract 6002.01 and blocks 123-126 of tract 6002.02 in VTD 0140 (Precinct 3), tract 6002.01 and blocks 205-206 and 307-309 of tract 6002.02 in VTD 0145 (Precinct 4), and VTD 0150 (Precinct 5); in the county of Norfolk, the towns of Braintree, Canton, Dedham, Medfield, Milton, Needham, Norwood, Randolph, Stoughton, Walpole and Westwood; in the county of Plymouth, part of the city of Brockton including VTDs 0060-0075 (Ward 1), VTDs 0085-0095 (Ward 2, Precincts B-D), VTD 0100-0135 (Wards 3 and 4), block 306 of tract 5109 and blocks 106-107 of tract 5113.01 in VTD 0140 (Ward 5, Precinct A), and VTD 0150 (Ward 5, Precinct C); and in the county of Suffolk, part of the city of Boston including VTDs 0110-0145 (Ward 3), block groups 1 and 2, blocks 404-406, 408-409 and 412 of tract 0201, and tract 0202 in VTD 0220 (Ward 5, Precinct 5), VTDs 0250-0375 (Wards 6-8), VTDs 0475-0495 (Ward 11, Precincts 6-10), VTDs 0545-0590 (Ward 13), VTD 0690 (Ward 15, Precinct 6), VTDs 0710-0765 (Ward 16), VTDs 0785 and 0825-0835 (Ward 17, Precincts 4 and 12-14), VTDs 0870-0905, 0915-0935 and 0945-0950 (Ward 18, Precincts 7-14, 16-20 and 22-23), and VTDs 0955-1115 (Wards 19 and 20).

NUMBER TEN. - All of the towns in the counties of Barnstable, Dukes County and Nantucket; in the county of Norfolk, the city of Quincy and the towns of Avon, Cohasset, Holbrook and Weymouth; and in the county of Plymouth, part of the city of Brockton including VTD 0080 (Ward 2, Precinct A), tracts 5102 and 5104, block groups 1 and 2, block 305, and block group 4 of tract 5109, tracts 5110 and 5112, and blocks 101-105 and 110 of tract 5ll3.01 in VTD 0140 (Ward 5, Precinct A), VTDs 0145 and 0155 (Ward 5, Precincts B and D), and VTDs 0160-0l95 (Wards 6 and 7), the towns of Abington, Duxbury, Hanover, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Norwell, Plymouth, Scituate and Whitman, and part of the town of Rockland including VTD 0515 (Precinct 1), block group 4 and blocks 501-512 of tract 5021.01 in VTD 0520 (Precinct 2), blocks 101-103, 108-111, 114-115, 117, 121-122 and 301-309 of tract 5021.01 in VTD 0535 (Precinct 5), and VTD 0540 (Precinct 6).

For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:

"Voting tabulation districts" or "VTD", areas identified by the state to the United States Bureau of the Census as a voting district,

"Tract", a large statistical area used by the United States Bureau of the Census. A tract is a large group of blocks,

"Block group", a set of census blocks identified by the same first digit,

"Blocks", the smallest census reporting area.

In the event of a discrepancy in congressional district descriptions between references to wards and precincts and "VTD", the "VTD" references shall govern.

SECTION 3. Any costs incurred by the various cities and towns due to revisions of the new congressional districts contained in section two shall be borne by the commonwealth.

SECTION 4. To meet the strict federal constitutional standard of population equality between congressional districts, it was necessary to split voting precincts in some cities and towns into more than one congressional district. Since this poses significant problems for local election administration, as few precincts as possible were split to meet the strict one person, one vote standard therefore every city or town which contains a voting precinct located in more than one congressional district shall divide that precinct along the congressional district boundary into two precincts, or aggregate a portion of that precinct with a contiguous precinct in the same city or town and in that congressional district. Any such resulting precinct or precincts shall be exempt from the provisions of sections one, two, and six of chapter fifty-four of the General Laws, and shall not be used for elections of members of a representative town meeting. If the polling place for such a new precinct is located in the same building, as for an existing precinct, no additional election officers need be appointed for such new precinct. Each city or town required by this section to create a precinct or aggregate a voting precinct shall, no later than August fifteenth, nineteen hundred and ninety-two, complete this re-precincting process by vote of its city council or board of selectmen, and provide written notice to the state secretary of the number of precincts and aggregate precincts provided for in this section.

SECTION 5. The supreme judicial court shall have jurisdiction of any petition for a writ of mandamus relative to the establishment of congressional districts under section two of this act.

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect upon its passage.