HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3837        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1762

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Elizabeth A. Malia

_________________

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 prohibiting the display of symbols of hate in public spaces.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

2/16/2021

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

3/19/2021

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

3/19/2021

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

9/17/2021

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

9/20/2021

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

9/22/2021

Danillo A. Sena

37th Middlesex

9/23/2021

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

9/27/2021


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3837        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1762

By Ms. Malia of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1762) of Elizabeth A. Malia, Joanne M. Comerford and Lindsay N. Sabadosa relative to prohibiting the display of symbols of hate in public spaces.  The Judiciary.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

 

An Act prohibiting the display of symbols of hate in public spaces.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 264 of the Massachusetts General Laws as appearing in the 2018 edition is hereby amended by adding after Section 8, the following: - “Section 8A: Displaying, Flying, and or establishing the use of the Confederate flag, German National Socialist Party Flag, or any emblem of hate in public spaces.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts shall not sell or display any symbols of hate or any similar image, or tangible personal property, inscribed with such an image on public property unless the image appears in a book, digital medium, museum, or otherwise serves an educational or historical purpose.

For the purposes of this section, the term “symbols of hate” shall include, but not be limited to, symbols of white supremacy, neo-nazi ideology, the flag and emblems of the German National Socialist Party, or the Confederate flag or any other emblem of the confederacy.

The Confederate flag is defined as but not limited to the rectangular flag of red with two blue stripes intersecting to form an X, with thirteen white stars inside it. The stars being arranged one star in the center, and three in each arm of the X. Other formations may include the same shape format but inverse color spectrum, with a red X on a blue body; and any other form of the flag colloquially known as the Stars and Bars used by the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865.

The flag of the German National Socialist Party is defined as but not limited to the orange flag with a white circle and a black swastika, or any derivative design that served as an emblem of the German National Socialist Party or the Nation of Germany from 1920 to 1945.”