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

Chapter 143 of the acts of 1949 is hereby amended by inserting after section 5 the following section:-

Section 5A. (1) A town meeting member who does not attend at least 1 per cent of the town meeting sessions for which the person is qualified during the period beginning from the first day of the year, or beginning from the time the person is qualified, and ending on the last day of the year shall be deemed to have abandoned that office as of the last day of such period. The per cent indicated above may be changed by by-law of the town.

(2) The town clerk shall promptly notify the town meeting member whose position was declared vacant and shall inform that person that he may run again at the next annual town election in accordance with the procedures applicable to a resident seeking initial election as a town meeting member.

(3) A town meeting member appointed by precinct members to fill a vacancy pursuant to this section shall serve until the next annual town election. At such election, whether or not the vacancy has been filled, a member shall be elected to fill the unexpired term.

(4) A town meeting member who moves from the precinct from which the town meeting member was elected to another precinct, and notifies the town clerk of the move before January 1 of any year, shall continue to hold office until the annual election following said January 1, at which time the term shall expire. Such a member may seek election as a member from the precinct to which the member has moved. The position of town meeting member from the precinct that elected the town meeting member shall be filled at the next annual town election for the remaining years in the term.

(5) When a town meeting member moves from the town of Framingham, and notifies the town clerk of the move before January 1 of any year, the precinct shall fill the vacancy at the next annual town election for the remaining years in the term.