SENATE DOCKET, NO. 603        FILED ON: 1/19/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1056

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Karen E. Spilka

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act creating a fund to assist municipalities experiencing extraordinary increases in the need for public safety services.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 603        FILED ON: 1/19/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1056

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 787 OF 2009-2010.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

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An Act creating a fund to assist municipalities experiencing extraordinary increases in the need for public safety services.

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 29 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition and as most recently amended by Section 16 of Chapter 131 of the Acts of 2010, is hereby amended by inserting after Section 2BBBB the following new section:-

                Section 2CCCC. There is hereby established and set up on the books of the Commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Municipal Relief Fund, consisting of any monies appropriated to the fund by the general court and any income derived from investment of monies in the fund.  The fund shall be administered by the secretary of administration and finance.  Funds may be expended by the secretary in grants to cities and towns to:

                (1) meet the extraordinary increases in the cost of public safety services provided by a municipality, provided that the provision of services has been in response to requests for assistance from mental health facilities, community residential programs, homeless shelters, and rehabilitation facilities and related educational facilities which provide clinical, rehabilitative and supportive services for adults or children; and provided further that preference shall be given to municipalities in which there has been an increase in requests for public safety services during the previous 60 months of at least 25%; and

                (2) meet the extraordinary increases in the cost of public safety services provided by a municipality provided that the provision of services has been in response to requests for assistance from a correctional institution or other facility operated by the department of correction, and provided further that preference shall be given to communities in which such requests for public safety services in fiscal year 2007 was increased by at least 20% over such requests in fiscal year 2006; and

                (3) provide assistance to municipalities in which at least 190 parcels, representing at least 1% of the total number of parcels in that municipality, are exempt from taxation under clause 3 of section 5 of chapter 59 of the General Laws.

                (4) provide assistance to municipalities to meet the education and service needs of children in the care of the commonwealth who are residing in a community which is not their original community of residence; provided that the assistance shall be for technical assistance and resources for the transportation, assessment, education and continued support of said children in their new communities.

                No expenditures from the fund shall be authorized that would cause the fund to be deficient at the end of any fiscal year.