HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 449        FILED ON: 1/21/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 838

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Steven Ultrino

_________________

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 relative to early voting cost reimbursements.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/21/2021

Adam J. Scanlon

14th Bristol

1/21/2021

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

1/26/2021

Joseph D. McKenna

18th Worcester

2/3/2021

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

2/8/2021

Tami L. Gouveia

14th Middlesex

2/22/2021

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

2/23/2021

Susan L. Moran

Plymouth and Barnstable

2/26/2021


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 449        FILED ON: 1/21/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 838

By Mr. Ultrino of Malden, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 838) of Steven Ultrino and others relative to reimbursements to cities and towns for early voting costs.  Election Laws.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE [Refile Branch], NO.          OF 2019-2020.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

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

_______________

 

An Act relative to early voting cost reimbursements.

 

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 25B of chapter 54 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after subsection (q) the following subsection:

(r) the commonwealth shall pay to each city and town an amount sufficient to defray the mandated costs imposed on the city or town under the provisions of this section, including additional personnel hired to staff the mandated early voting polling location, hourly municipal staff working outside their normal business hours to staff the mandated early voting polling location, overtime for hourly municipal staff working beyond regular hours to setup or take down early voting polling locations, overtime for hourly municipal staff working beyond regular hours to input data into the secretary of state’s Voter Registration Information System, the cost of voting booths, and the cost of privacy screens. In every year not later than September fifteenth, the state auditor shall determine and deliver to the state secretary a statement of the incremental costs attributed to this section and estimated to be incurred by each city and town in the next fiscal year. The state secretary shall include in his budget recommendations for such fiscal year a request for an appropriation in an amount equal to such estimated costs, and shall distribute to each city or town its share of any such appropriated funds not more than thirty days prior to the date upon which said costs shall be incurred by the city or town. Funds so distributed to each city or town shall be deposited in the general fund of the city or town and shall be expended without further appropriation by the city or town to meet the costs incurred by it under the provisions of this act.