HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3282        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1453

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Marjorie C. Decker and Alice Hanlon Peisch

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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 concerning furnishing transcripts of notes and fees.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3282        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1453

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act concerning furnishing transcripts of notes and fees.

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 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the word, “stenographer" and inserting in place thereof the word: “transcriber.”

SECTION 2. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words, “his notes” and inserting in place thereof the words: “their notes or audio recording.”

SECTION 3. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 3, the word, “he” and inserting in place thereof the word: “they.”

SECTION 4. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, “$3” and inserting in place thereof: “$5.”

SECTION 5. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, “$1” and inserting in place thereof: “$1.67.”

SECTION 6. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the word: "additional."

SECTION 7, Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words: "at the same time."

SECTION 8. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6, the word, “stenographer" and inserting in place thereof the word: “transcriber.”

SECTION 9. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition is hereby amended by striking out, in line 7, “$5” and inserting in place thereof: “$8.35.”

SECTION 10. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 9, the word, “open source” and inserting in place thereof the word: “open-source.”

SECTION 11. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the words: "additional paper."

SECTION 12. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 11, “$.10” and inserting in place thereof: “$.20”

SECTION 13. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 12, the word, “daily” and inserting in place thereof the word: “rush.”

SECTION 14. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, “$4.50” and inserting in place thereof: “$7.50.”

SECTION 15. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, the word: "copy."

SECTION 16. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, “$1.50” and inserting in place thereof: “$2.50.”

SECTION 17. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 14, the word: "additional."

SECTION 18. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 15, the word, "stenographer" and inserting in place thereof the word: "transcriber.”

SECTION 19. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 16, “$5” and inserting in place thereof: “$8.35.”

SECTION 20. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 17, the words: "additional paper."

SECTION 21. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking, in line 19, the words, "$.10 per page" and inserting in place thereof the words: "$7.50 for the original and $.20 per page for each copy."

SECTION 22. Section 88 of chapter 221 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after paragraph one the following paragraph:

Section 88a.

Beginning on the first day of July 2028, and on the first day of each fifth July thereafter, the rates and fees set forth in section 88 shall be increased to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index as follows: The rates and fees set forth in section 88 shall be multiplied by a fraction, the denominator of which shall be the Consumer Price Index for March 1993 and the numerator of which shall be the Consumer Price Index for the March immediately preceding the applicable July 1. For the purposes of this section, the Consumer Price Index shall mean that table in the Consumer Price Index published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, now known as: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Indexes and percent changes for selected periods, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Ma.-N.H. (1982-84=100 unless otherwise noted) (not seasonally adjusted). If this Consumer Price Index shall be discontinued, then the presiding justice of the administrative office of the trial court shall designate any successor Consumer Price Index of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, or any successor agency thereto for Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire. The (1) office of transcription services or (2) the presiding justice of the administrative office of the trial court shall issue directives to implement the purposes of this section.