HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5025        FILED ON: 4/14/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4705

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Carlos González

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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 providing aid to nonprofit and charitable organizations in Gateway cities for the provision of services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5025        FILED ON: 4/14/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4705

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act providing aid to nonprofit and charitable organizations in Gateway cities for the provision of services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide forthwith for an online platform for nonprofit and charitable organizations in Gateway cities within the commonwealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

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. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Fund”, the COVID-19 Nonprofit Digital Assistance Fund established in subsection (b)

“Small nonprofit organization”, a nonprofit or charitable organization or an individual branch or division of a nonprofit or charitable organization, including, but not limited to, a church, synagogue, mosque or other house of worship that is: (i) exempt from taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code; (iii) employs fewer than 10 individuals; and (iv) located in a gateway municipality as defined in section 3A of chapter 23A of the General Laws.

(b) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the COVID-19 Nonprofit Digital Assistance Fund to be administered by the executive office of housing and economic development.

(c) The fund shall be used to promote and protect the public health and safety of the communities of the commonwealth during the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, and the governor’s March 10, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency, by providing financial assistance in the form of grants to small nonprofit organizations lacking digital infrastructure so they may maintain social distancing and best practices for public health and safety by operating and serving their community remotely using digital technology. Each grant provided to a small nonprofit organization under this section shall be of an amount that is not more than $10,000.  A small nonprofit organization receiving a grant pursuant to this section shall use the grant funds solely to establish an online platform to provide services, communication and support to the community to ensure that recipients of the services provided by the small nonprofit organization and employees and volunteers of the small nonprofit organization maintain proper social distancing during the governor’s March 10, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency and the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

(d) There shall be credited to the fund all amounts that are, by law, transferred or authorized to be transferred thereto or directed to be deposited therein, and all amounts received as gifts, grants, or contributions for the purposes of the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. 

(e) The executive office of housing and economic development shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, regulations pertaining to grant application and disbursement procedures.

SECTION 2. On the effective date of this act, the comptroller shall transfer $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the COVID-19 Nonprofit Digital Assistance Fund established in section 1 for the purposes of carrying out section 1.