Session Laws

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide capital funds for the immediate payment of certain court judgments, settlements and legal fees, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

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. To provide for the payment of certain court judgments, settlements and legal fees, the sum set forth in section two of this act is hereby made available from the General Capital Projects Fund, subject to the provisions of law regulating the disbursement of public funds.

SECTION 2. `tm;keep=no `tcol=6,B4;c1=1,9,tu,T;c2=1,78,tuc;c3=1,78,tuc;c4=12,53,tfh1;c5=16,49,tu;c6=66,13,tur `tc3 EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE. `tc2 Reserves. `tc1 1599-7963 `tc4 For the payment of certain court judgments, settlements and legal fees, in compliance with regulations promulgated by the state comptroller, in certain actions pertaining to the taking of land, filed with the house and senate committees on ways and means, which are ordered to be paid in the current fiscal year or in a prior fiscal year and which derive from causes of action initiated in said fiscal year or in a prior fiscal year; provided, that the state comptroller is hereby authorized to charge such payments to this item `tc6 $15,000,000 `tcol;end

SECTION 3. To meet the expenditures necessary in carrying out the provisions of section two, the state treasurer shall, upon request of the governor, issue and sell bonds of the commonwealth to an amount specified by the governor from time to time, not exceeding, in the aggregate, fifteen million dollars. All bonds issued by the commonwealth, as aforesaid, shall be designated on their face, Settlements and Judgments Loan Act of 1995, and shall be issued for such maximum term, not exceeding twenty years, as the governor may recommend to the general court pursuant to section three of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth; provided, that all such bonds shall be payable not later than June thirtieth, two thousand and twenty. All interest and payments on account of principal of such obligations shall be payable from the General Fund. Bonds and interest thereon issued under the authority of this section shall be general obligations of the commonwealth.

SECTION 4. The state treasurer may borrow from time to time on the credit of the commonwealth such sums of money as may be necessary for the purposes of meeting payments authorized by section two of this act and may issue and renew from time to time notes of the commonwealth therefor, bearing interest payable at such times and at such rates as shall be fixed by the state treasurer. Such notes shall be issued and may be renewed one or more times for such terms, not exceeding one year, as the governor may recommend to the general court in accordance with section three of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, but the final maturities of such notes, whether original or renewal, shall not be later than June thirtieth, two thousand and one. Notes and interest thereon issued under the authority of this section shall be general obligations of the commonwealth. All interest and payments on account of principal of such obligations shall be payable from the General Fund.

SECTION 4A. (1) Section 40F of chapter 7 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1994 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "house", in line 25, the following words:- , subject to such rules as the committee on rules of the two branches acting concurrently may adopt.

(2) Section 9 of chapter 8 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1994 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "house", in line 3, the following words:- , subject to such rules as the committee on rules of the two branches acting concurrently may adopt.

(3) Said section 9 of said chapter 8, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word "therein", in line 15, the following words:- ; provided, however, that security in said state house shall be the responsibility of the commissioner of the department of the metropolitan district commission and said commissioner shall utilize the members of the metropolitan district commission rangers program, established pursuant to section thirty-four B of chapter ninety-two, to maintain security; provided, further, that said commissioner shall carry out such responsibility subject to such rules as the committee on rules of the two branches acting concurrently may adopt and shall not be subject to the authority of the superintendent.

(4) Section 10 of said chapter 8, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting, after the word "sergeant-at-arms", in line 11, the following words:- , subject to such rules as the committee on rules of the two branches acting concurrently may adopt.

(5) Chapter 183 of the acts of 1962 is hereby amended by striking out section 1 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 1. The parking area of the state house shall include the areas designated in section one of chapter one hundred and forty of the acts of nineteen hundred and thirty-four and that portion of Mount Vernon street between the westerly curb of Bowdoin street and the easterly curb of Hancock street, and that portion of Bowdoin street between Beacon street and Derne street, and that portion of Derne street between Bowdoin street and Hancock street, and that portion of the southerly side of Mount Vernon street between Hancock street and Joy street, and the Derne street garage, including the entrance and loading area, all within the city of Boston, and shall be available for the parking of motor vehicles by members and officers of the general court, subject to such rules the committee on rules of the two branches acting concurrently may adopt and for the use of such other persons as said committee may by such rules prescribe; provided, however, that said committee shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority to regulate the parking of motor vehicles in said designated parking areas and such rules shall be the only rules and regulations applicable to the parking of motor vehicles in said designated parking area. Whoever violates any such rule shall be punished by a fine equal to the fine imposed by the city of Boston for the same violation. Said committee on rules and such persons as may be appointed by such committee, including members of the metropolitan district commission rangers program, established pursuant to section thirty-four B of chapter ninety-two of the General Laws, shall have exclusive jurisdiction and authority to enforce such rules, including exclusive jurisdiction and authority to authorize the towing of vehicles from any area within such designated parking area; provided, that the commissioner of the department of the metropolitan district commission is hereby authorized and directed to assign to the state house such members of said rangers program as appointed by such committee; provided, however, that nothing within this section shall be construed or interpreted to interfere with, discontinue or change the operation of the state house tour program operated by the Secretary of the Commonwealth or the present location and operation of the state house gift cart in Doric Hall of the state house, so-called; and the state house bookstore in rooms 102, 103, and 116 of the East Wing of the State House, so-called, operated and controlled exclusively by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

SECTION 5. Paragraph (a) of section 12 of chapter 372 of the acts of 1984, is hereby amended by striking out the fifth sentence, as most recently amended by section 181 of chapter 60 of the acts of 1994, and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- The aggregate principal amount of all bonds issued under the authority of this act, shall not exceed the sum of three billion three hundred million dollars outstanding at any one time; provided, however, that bonds for the payment of redemption of which, either at or prior to maturity, refunding bonds shall have been issued, shall be excluded in the computation of outstanding bonds.

SECTION 6. Section 16 of said chapter 372 is hereby amended by striking out the fourth sentence, as amended by section 182 of said chapter 60, and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- The aggregate principal amount of all bonds issued under the authority of this act shall not exceed the sum of three billion three hundred million dollars outstanding; provided, however, that bonds for the payment of redemption of which, either at or prior to maturity, refunding bonds shall have been issued shall be excluded in the computation of outstanding bonds.

SECTION 6A. Section 203 of chapter 379 of the acts of 1992 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 11, the word "ninety-six" and inserting in place thereof the following word:- ninety-seven.

SECTION 7. Item 0411-2000 of section 2 of chapter 38 of the acts of 1995 is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words "no funds" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- not more than three million, nine hundred twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred and forty-three dollars.

SECTION 8. Item 4406-3000 of said section 2 of said chapter 38 is hereby amended by inserting after the word "allocations", in line 9, the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than one hundred seventy thousand dollars shall be expended for a contract with ServiceNet, Inc. to operate homeless shelters in Hampshire and Franklin counties.

SECTION 9. Said item 4406-3000 of said section 2 of said chapter 38 is hereby further amended by striking out the figure "25,740,323" and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- "25,910,323".

SECTION 10. The fourth paragraph of section 58 of chapter 218 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1994 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- The Middlesex county division of the juvenile court department shall have a first assistant clerk who shall be appointed by the clerk of said court, with such appointments subject to approval by the chief justice for administration and management with respect to personnel standards promulgated under said section eight of said chapter two hundred and eleven B.

SECTION 11. This act shall take effect as of the first day of January, nineteen hundred and ninety-six.