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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2353 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3247 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Sarah K. Peake |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to the position of poet laureate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Sarah K. Peake4th Barnstable1/11/2023Rebecca L. RauschNorfolk, Worcester and Middlesex1/24/2023Dylan A. FernandesBarnstable, Dukes and Nantucket1/27/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2353 FILED ON: 1/19/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3247 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Peake of Provincetown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3247) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sarah K. Peake, Rebecca L. Rausch and Dylan A. Fernandes for legislation to create the position |
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| 20 | 20 | | of poet laureate of the Commonwealth. Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 3383 OF 2021-2022.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to the position of poet laureate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 official edition, is |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2hereby amended by inserting after Section 38, the following section:- |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 Section 38A. (a) Biennially, on or before March 31, the governor may appoint a poet |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5laureate for the commonwealth of Massachusetts from a list of nominees submitted by the poet |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6laureate nominating committee pursuant to subsection (b). The poet laureate shall seek to raise |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7the consciousness of all commonwealth residents, especially school children, to a greater |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry. The poet laureate shall be appointed to serve |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9for a term of 2 years or until a successor is appointed and qualified as provided in this section. In 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10the event of a vacancy in the office of poet laureate, the vacancy shall be filled in the same |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11manner as the original appointment. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12 (b) There shall be a poet laureate nominating committee consisting of the following 5 |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13members: the speaker of the house of representatives, or a designee; the senate president, or a |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14designee; and 3 members appointed by the governor, 2 of whom shall be members of the board |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15of directors of the Massachusetts cultural council. Members of the poet laureate nominating |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16committee shall serve without compensation. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17 (c) The poet laureate nominating committee shall advertise and receive nominations for |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18the selection of the poet laureate for the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Nominees shall be |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19residents of the commonwealth and shall provide biographical and professional information, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20well as supporting representative material, explaining why, based on their poetic |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21accomplishments, they deserve recognition as the poet laureate for commonwealth of |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22Massachusetts. The poet laureate nominating committee shall review all nominations and select |
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| 53 | 53 | | 233 nominees to submit to the governor biennially on or before February 1. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24 (d) The poet laureate shall be an honorary position and the person appointed shall receive |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25no remuneration. The person appointed to the position of poet laureate shall not be considered a |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26state official or a state employee for such person's service in the position of poet laureate. |
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