HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4548

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, March 24, 2022.

The committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 527) of Paul W. Mark, Natalie M. Blais and Joanne M. Comerford relative to transformative development initiatives in rural communities, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (House, No. 4548) ought to pass.

For the committee,

JERALD A. PARISELLA.

        FILED ON: 2/1/2022

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4548

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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

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An Act relative to transformative development initiatives in rural communities.

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

Chapter 23G of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting in section 46 the following new subsection:-

(n) The fund director shall allocate a portion of the original capitalization of the fund, not to exceed ten percent, to provide technical assistance to revitalize and support development in rural municipalities with a median household income below the commonwealth’s average by utilizing any of the following methods of providing technical assistance: (i) grants to support the hiring of professional staff or professional services by a rural municipality, an instrumentality of a rural municipality, or a regional planning authority; (ii) reimbursement for professional staff employed by the agency and embedded in a rural municipality, an instrumentality of a rural municipality, or a regional planning authority; (iii) grants to pay third-party professional services managed by the agency; and (iv) any other variation on the provision of technical assistance consistent with this section.