HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4115 FILED ON: 3/20/2009
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3973
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the Year Two Thousand Nine
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An Act relative to government reforms..
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. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the following actions shall be taken:
The sale of insurance within the commonwealth shall be prohibited;
The state lottery commission shall be abolished and the sales of lottery tickets and other gambling chances shall be prohibited;
The levying of property taxes by municipalities and the state shall be prohibited;
The assessment and collection of all fees, permits, tolls and excise taxes shall be prohibited within the commonwealth;
The law known as the bottle bill shall be repealed;
The collection of interest shall be prohibited;
Collective bargaining shall be prohibited and replaced with a system in which wages shall be based on age, circumstance and job classification;
Pricing fluctuations, sales, club discounts, coupons, and other types of sales and discounts shall be prohibited within the commonwealth. Manufacturers and wholesalers shall sell the same good at the same price to all clients, regardless of volume. Retail stores shall sell the same good at the same price to all customers. Prices in retail stores shall only fluctuate once every 180 days for non-perishable goods. Government shall not directly control the price or the discount rates, but pricing used by businesses must be uniformly applied and stable;
All large-scale rented housing shall be owned and managed by nonprofit corporations subject to universal wage standards. For-profit ownership of housing shall be abolished. No consideration shall be made for investors;
Subject to appropriation, a non-profit housing mortgage bank shall be established that lends funds at 0% without fees of any kind. The general fund shall support the overhead of the bank and mortgages shall not exceed 10 years. Local independent banks may participate in this program. The endowments of nonprofit organizations shall be abolished and the funds shall be transferred to the non-profit housing bank;
Housing prices shall be set by the municipality’s assessor and confirmed by a majority vote of the community. The price of any home shall be kept constant for a minimum period of 15 years. All homes vacated shall be sold to the municipality which shall resell the home to new owners. Multi-family homes that are not owner-occupied shall be sold to the municipality which may rent housing at a uniform rate, subject to the same 15 year adjustment period. All private real estate brokering shall be prohibited;
For profit hospitals shall be prohibited and they shall be classified as non-profit. No consideration shall be made for investors;
Cemeteries and memorials shall be prohibited from expansion of any kind. No new land shall be allocated for use by the dead;
All farm land shall be preserved. All mortgages on farmland, ranches or orchards that are involved in the commercial production of food shall be released from any outstanding mortgage and shall remain permanently free of a mortgage;
Public services shall be provided on the basis of a quota. Water, electricity, telephone, cable and internet are public utilities and shall be provided without cost to the consumer like the roads, library and schools. These services shall be maintained for the common good not for private profit. Fees shall apply only to usage beyond the quota;
All municipalities shall take by eminent domain all commercial property within their borders, except farmland and businesses that are used as owner-occupied housing. Commercial entities shall operate without rent and the municipality shall hold title to the land and buildings, but not the contents contained within. The town shall continue to manage through permits any industries and services the municipality provides and shall assist and encourage citizens to take whatever steps are necessary for the production of material wealth. The municipality shall not evict or harm any existing business, but shall become a partner in ensuring the success of every business. Any violations of standards shall be addressed through remediation, not punishment. All new businesses shall conform to universal wage standards;
All large-scale rented housing shall be owned and managed by nonprofit corporations subject to universal wage standards. For-profit ownership of housing is prohibited. No consideration shall be made for investors; and
Primary elections and declarations of political party and the scheduling of general elections with preferential voting mechanisms shall be prohibited.