HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4306        FILED ON: 6/6/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4161

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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June 6, 2014

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 8, Paragraph 1, Clause (2) of the Amendments to the Constitution as amended by the Article LXXXIX, I am filing for your consideration the attached legislation entitled “An Act Validating the Actions taken at the May 5, 2014 Annual Town Election held by the Town of South Hampton”

Representative Kocot and the South Hampton Board of Selectmen have requested that I file this legislation on behalf of the Town.  The purpose of this legislation it to ratify the results of the Town’s May 5, 2014 Annual Town Election to the same extent as if the warrant included the date and time for such Meeting as required by G.L. c. 39 § 10.  This legislation is necessary because the Town Board of Selectmen duly approved and signed the warrant for the May 5, 2014 election at its meeting on March 6, 2014.  After such approval, however, the warrant was inadvertently not posted pursuant to the statutory requirements of G.L. c. 39 § 10.  Based on the failure to pose the warrant, the election law requirements were not completely met.

The Town and bill sponsors are confident that the Town residents did receive adequate notice of the meeting through a variety of channels including the Town’s General By-laws, extensive local and internet media coverage leading up to the election.

I urge your early and favorable consideration of this bill.

Respectfully submitted,

Deval L. Patrick,

Governor

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4161

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act validating the actions taken at the annual town election held by the town of Southampton.

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 any general or special law or by-law to the contrary, all acts and proceedings taken by the town of Southampton at the annual town election held on May 5, 2014 and all actions taken pursuant thereto are hereby ratified, validated and confirmed, to the same extent as if the warrant for that town election had been posted in full compliance with law.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.