SECTION 1.  Chapter 127 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 170. No inmate or prisoner placed in the custody of a sheriff shall be transported outside of the commonwealth for the purposes of labor or public or community service programing unless there exists a bona fide public health or safety emergency.  If such a bona fide public health or safety emergency exists, the sheriff shall file a description of the purpose, the proposed mode of transportation, the estimated duration of the time to be spent outside of the commonwealth, the housing and security arrangements to be made during the proposed stay and the estimated cost of the entire undertaking with the secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of the executive office of public safety and security, the chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland security and the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means and shall obtain written approval from the secretary of administration and finance and the secretary of the executive office of public safety and security prior to the commencement of said transport.