Amendment ID: S2655-33

Amendment 33

Gateway Municipalities

Mr. Driscoll moves that the proposed new text be amended by inserting the following section:-

SECTION XX. (a)  Section 3A of Chapter 23A of the general laws, as appearing in the 2022 edition, is amended by striking the definition of “gateway municipality” and replacing it with the following definition:

“gateway municipality”, a municipality that satisfies three of the following criteria: (1) a population of 35,000 or greater, buy less than 250,000; (2) a median household income below the commonwealth’s average; (3) a rate of educational attainment of a bachelor’s degree or above that is below the commonwealth’s average; (4) a minority population of 40 per cent or higher, and; (5) 15 percent or more of households identify as speaking English less than "very well.” The secretary of economic development shall certify which municipalities qualify as a Gateway municipality after each decennial census or for an individual municipality upon request by the city council, selectboard, or other legislative body of a given municipality.”

(b) Said Chapter 23A is further amended by adding after Section 3M the following new section

Section 3N. Gateway Municipalities; similarly situated municipalities, applicability; certification

(a) (1) the secretary shall, following each decennial census, shall review the relevant census and economic data to produce a list of municipalities certified as gateway municipalities for the purposes of state funding and resources.

(2) the secretary shall, upon a request by a municipality through their city council, selectboard, or other legislative body, review the municipality’s eligibility for classification as a gateway municipality. The secretary shall respond to such requests for review within 60 days, and provide relevant information to the requesting municipality

(3) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, where a municipality meets some, but not all, of the requisite criteria for gateway municipality status after a decennial census or upon review of a municipality’s request, the Secretary may, in their discretion, designate a community as a “similarly situated municipality.”  In issuing such designation, the Secretary must note the socioeconomic factors made in determining that such a designation was appropriate, including an evaluation of the gateway criteria. A municipality designated as a similarly situated municipality shall be eligible for discretionary funding and grant programs made available to other gateway municipalities.