HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2553        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 726

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kate Hogan

_________________

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 to strengthen and expand the Board of Agriculture.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

 

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

 

Christopher M. Markey

9th Bristol

 

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

 

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

 

Anne M. Gobi

5th Worcester

 

Paul A. Schmid, III

8th Bristol

 

Timothy R. Madden

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

 

Denise Andrews

2nd Franklin

 

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

 

Geoff Diehl

7th Plymouth

 

Stephen Kulik

1st Franklin

 

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

 

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

 

Steven S. Howitt

4th Bristol

 

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

 

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

 

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

 

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

 

Ellen Story

3rd Hampshire

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2553        FILED ON: 1/17/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 726

By Ms. Hogan of Stow, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 726) of Kate Hogan and others for legislation to increase the membership of the Board of Agriculture within the Department of Agricultural Resources.  Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3221 OF 2011-2012.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act to strengthen and expand the Board of Agriculture.

 

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.  Section 1 of chapter 20 is hereby removed and replaced with the following:

"There shall be a Department of Agricultural Resources under the supervision and control of a board of agriculture, hereinafter called the board. The board shall consist of 13 members who shall represent the geographic diversity of the Commonwealth as well as the diversity of agricultural operations within the Commonwealth, appointed by the Governor. 

At least 9 members of the board shall be farmers whose principal vocation is the production of food and fiber. Member shall be appointed for a term of 3 years with no member serving more than two consecutive terms.

The board shall meet not less than six times a year or at the call of the chairman and at such times as shall be determined by its rules or at the request of the commissioner or the call of any three members. The chairman shall be annually appointed by a majority of said board present and voting thereon. Board members shall receive fifty dollars for each day or portion thereof spent in the discharge of their official duties not to exceed six hundred dollars per year and shall be reimbursed for the travel to and from official board meetings and other expenses necessary to conduct such meetings.

There shall be a commissioner of agricultural resources who shall be appointed and may be removed by the secretary of environmental affairs with the approval of the governor. Said commissioner shall have charge of the administration of the department. The department may expend for traveling expenses of its employees incurred in the performance of their official duties and for other necessary expenses of the department, such sums as may be appropriated."