HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2165        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3587

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act establishing a regionalization advisory commission..

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.  There is hereby established a commission to be known as the Massachusetts Regionalization Advisory Commission to consist of 15 members one of whom shall be the secretary of health and human services or his designee, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs or his designee, the secretary of public safety or his designee, the secretary of transportation or his designee, the secretary of labor and workforce development or his designee, the secretary of elder affairs or his designee, the secretary of veteran’s services or his designee, the secretary of education or his designee, the secretary of administration and finance or his designee, the secretary of housing and economic development or his designee, the president of the senate or his designee, the speaker of the house of representatives or his designee and 3 person to be appointed by the governor who shall be persons with practical experience with either municipal government and services, municipal agreements, shared services and/or regionalism. Each member of the commission shall serve without pay.

The commission shall review all aspects of regionalization including possible opportunities, benefits, and challenges within the commonwealth.  The commission would review all services that would affect the community and region, including but not limited to: education, public safety, public health, public works, housing, veteran’s services, elder services, municipal finance and structure, and transportation.

The commission shall report their findings and make recommendations for regionalizing services simultaneously to both the governor and general court within 6 months of the creation of this commission.