HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1324        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3496

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act  relative to government transparency and the application of open meeting law to the legislature..

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 3 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out sections 33, 34 and 35 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 33.  Hearings before a committee of the general court or of either branch thereof shall be advertised in at limit 2 newspapers published in any county and at least twice.  Any hearing on a matter of special legislation affecting the interest of only a portion of the commonwealth shall be in a newspaper published daily in the county of Suffolk and in the localities directly interested therein, if there are any so published otherwise in those published weekly.  The clerks shall post notices of all meeting affecting their branch at least 48 hours prior thereto and shall cause such notices to be published online.

SECTION 2.  Section 2A of chapter 4 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out in lines 22 and 23 the words:- “unless a majority of the members of such commission shall note otherwise”

SECTION 3.  Section 11A of chapter 30A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out in lines 16 and 17 the words:- “general court or the committees or recess commissions thereof, or”.