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The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE METROWEST COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

     Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:
     (a)  There shall be a MetroWest commission on the status of women which shall consist of 9 persons to be appointed by the commission on the status of women established in section 66 of chapter 3 of the General Laws. The MetroWest commission shall conduct an ongoing study of all matters concerning women in MetroWest communities. The MetroWest commission shall report its findings to the commission on the status of women annually, not later than June 2, and shall recommend solutions to the problems facing women in MetroWest communities. The commission on the status of women shall make appointments to the MetroWest commission from a pool of applicants who reside in MetroWest communities. For the purpose of this act, MetroWest communities shall include: the towns of Ashland, Bellingham, Dover, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Northborough, Norwood, Sherborn, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Walpole, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough, Weston and Wrentham and the city of Marlborough.
     (b)  Members shall serve for 3-year terms and shall continue in office until their successors are appointed. Members shall not be reappointed for more than 2 consecutive terms; provided, however, that former members may reapply to serve on the commission after 1 year has passed since their last term. Of the initial members appointed to the MetroWest commission on the status of women, 3 members shall be appointed for a term of 1 year, 3 members shall be appointed for a term of 2 years and 3 members shall be appointed for a term of 3 years.
     (c)  Vacancies in the membership of the MetroWest commission on the status of women shall be filled by the commission on the status of women for the balance of the unexpired term.
     (d)  In making appointments to the MetroWest commission on the status of women, the commission on the status of women shall consult with women's organizations. Nominations shall be solicited between August 1 and September 16 annually through an open application that is widely distributed throughout the MetroWest communities. Members of the commission shall be diverse and represent different MetroWest communities.
     (e)  Members shall serve on the MetroWest commission on the status of women as volunteers and shall not be compensated.
     (f)  The MetroWest commission on the status of women shall elect from among its members a chair, a vice chair, a treasurer and any other officers as it deems necessary.
     (g)  The MetroWest commission on the status of women shall meet at least 4 times a year, at the members' discretion. Members of the commission on the status of women may attend the meetings of the MetroWest commission on the status of women.      
     (h)  The MetroWest commission on the status of women may accept and solicit funds, including any gifts, donations, grants or bequests and federal funds for any of the purposes of this act. The funds shall be deposited in a separate account to be expended at the discretion of the commission.
     (i)  The MetroWest commission on the status of women may: (i) use voluntary and uncompensated services of private individuals, agencies and organizations as may, from time to time, be offered or required; (ii) recommend policies and make recommendations to state and local agencies and officers to effectuate the purposes of the commission; (iii) enact by-laws for its own governance; (iv) hold regular public meetings, conduct fact-finding hearings and hold other public forums as it deems necessary; and (v) take other actions as it deems necessary to effectuate its purposes.

Approved, October 1, 2014.