Budget Amendment ID: FY2012-S3-99

JUD 99

Special Commission on Determining the Economic Impact

Ms. Candaras and Ms. Fargo and Messrs. Kennedy and Donnelly and Ms. Spilka and Ms. Jehlen and Mr. Knapik and Ms. Flanagan and Ms. Donoghue and Mr. Pacheco moved that the proposed new text be amended Ms. Candaras moved that the bill be amended by inserting, after Section ______, the following new Section:-

SECTION____.  There shall be established a commission to study the economic impact on the business communities of the commonwealth by any proposal to change the existing percentage of private attorneys and public salaried staff utilized by CPCS to deliver constitutionally mandated legal services.

The commission shall be composed of nine persons, two of whom shall be appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be appointed by the senate president, and one of whom shall appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.   The remaining members shall be appointed as follows one member shall be a representative of local government appointed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, one member shall be a representative appointed by the Massachusetts Bar Association, one member shall be a representative appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Court Appointed Attorneys, one member shall be the chief counsel of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and  one member shall be a faculty member of the University of Massachusetts with an expertise in economic development to be selected by the president of said university.

Said commission shall take into consideration the effect any such proposal will have on business districts within each county, and the fiscal health and stabilization of said business districts, if private firms providing these services were no longer utilized.  Said commission shall also review vacancy rates, and loss of revenues to other non-legal businesses.

The commission shall report its findings to the clerks of the House of Representatives and senate, the house committees on ways and means, the joint committee on revenue, the joint committee on municipalities and regional government, and the joint committee on the judiciary no later than May 1, 2012.