SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1529        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 788

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Relative to Studying Electronic Methods to Make Municipalities More Cost Effective ..

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

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission to examine electronic methods available to municipalities to make their communications and services for citizens more efficient and cost effective.  The commission shall file a report with recommendations of best practices for municipalities and recommendations for legislation.  The commission shall examine the technical, legal and financial feasibility of permitting municipalities to, among other considerations, use ebills or online billing to replace paper billing of citizens, to use electronic notice alternatives to legal notice postings in newspapers, to publish annual reports electronically, to use electronic storage to satisfy public records requirements, and to use electronic notice and reporting with state agencies. 

The commission shall be chaired by the chairs of the house and senate joint committee on municipalities and regional government. 

The governor, speaker of the house, and president of the senate shall each appoint 2 members to the commission.  The minority leader in the house and the minority leader in the senate shall each appoint 1 member to the commission.  Other members of the commission shall include the chief information officer of the commonwealth or her designee, the commissioner of the department of revenue or her designee, the secretary of state or his designee, a representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, a representative of the Mass Technology Leadership Council, and the chief elected official of 1 city and 1 town.    

The commission shall file a report with the senate and house clerk’s office no later than one year after the effective date of this act.