SENATE DOCKET, NO. 672        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 451

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Cynthia Stone Creem

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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 to establish a grant and loan program for low-noise, low-emissions landscape maintenance equipment.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 672        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 451

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 to establish a grant and loan program for low-noise, low-emissions landscape maintenance equipment.

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

Chapter 21A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:

Section 29. (a) There shall be within the executive office of energy and environmental affairs a grant and loan program to provide incentive funds to small businesses and municipalities to transition landscape maintenance equipment to low-noise, low-emissions equipment.

(b) To be eligible for a grant, small businesses and municipalities shall surrender gas-powered landscape maintenance equipment for a one-for-one replacement with low-noise, low-emissions equipment.

(c) Grant and loan funds awarded pursuant to subsection (a) may be used for:

(1) purchasing electric landscape maintenance equipment;

(2) training landscaping staff on the use and care of electric landscape maintenance equipment;

(3) operational costs that may be accrued through the transition from gas-powered landscape maintenance equipment to electric landscape maintenance equipment; and

(4) any other cost associated with the transition from gas-powered landscape maintenance equipment to electric landscape maintenance equipment, as determined by the secretary.

(e) Loans awarded pursuant to subsection (a) shall carry 0 per cent interest.

(f)(1) There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Low-Noise, Low-Emissions Landscape Maintenance Equipment Trust Fund, in this section called the fund. The comptroller shall transfer to the fund an amount no greater than $2,000,000 from the Federal COVID-19 Response Fund established in section 2JJJJJ of chapter 29 for grants and loans to provide incentive funds to small businesses and municipalities to transition landscape maintenance equipment to low-noise, low-emissions equipment and any other federal reimbursements, grants, premiums, gifts, interest or other contributions from any source received that are specifically designated to be credited to the fund. The secretary shall be the trustee of the fund and may expend amounts from the fund without further appropriation.

(2) Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year.

(3) The secretary shall report annually, on or before August 1, to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on environment, natural resources and natural resources regarding expenditure activity within the trust fund.