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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5097 FILED ON: 5/9/2024 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4650 |
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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 | | Michelle L. Ciccolo |
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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 allowing "print free" digital legal notices for the town of Lexington. |
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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:Michelle L. Ciccolo15th Middlesex5/7/2024Cindy F. FriedmanFourth Middlesex5/9/2024Michael J. BarrettThird Middlesex5/10/2024 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5097 FILED ON: 5/9/2024 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4650 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Ciccolo of Lexington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4650) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Michelle L. Ciccolo, Cindy F. Friedman and Michael J. Barrett (by vote of the town) that the |
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| 20 | 20 | | town of Lexington be authorized to satisfy legal notice requirements by digital publication. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Municipalities and Regional Government. [Local Approval Received.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act allowing "print free" digital legal notices for the town of Lexington. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 Section 1. Purpose |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2 The purpose of this Act is to allow, but not require, the Town of Lexington to satisfy |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3legal notice requirements entirely by digital publication as voted necessary by its Select Board in |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4light of the changing landscape of print newspaper businesses, particularly at the local level. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5 Section 2. Means of Legal Notice Publication |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6 Notwithstanding section 13(b) of chapter 4 of the General Laws or any other general or |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7special law to the contrary, wherever the Town of Lexington, or any committee, department, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8board, commission, or officer thereof is to publish a legal notice in a newspaper or newspaper of |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9general circulation, such requirement may be satisfied by one or more of the following means as |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10authorized by local vote in Section 3: |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11 A. a newspaper of local or general circulation’s print publication; 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12 B. a newspaper’s website; |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13 C. websites reporting local news and opinion which satisfy all criteria for digital |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14publication set forth in said section 13(b) of chapter 4 of the General Laws; |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15 D. a statewide website that may be maintained as a repository for such notices; or |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16 E. a town wide website that may be maintained as a repository for such notices. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17 Section 3. Local Vote on Means of Publication |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18 A. For all legal notices to be issued by Town of Lexington committee, department, |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19board, commission, or officer other than the School Committee, Lexington Public Schools, or a |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20department or officer of the School Committee or Lexington Public Schools, the Select Board by |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21majority vote shall determine at least two of the means of legal notice publication set forth in |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22Section 2 to satisfy publication requirements. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23 B. For all legal notices to be issued by the School Committee, Lexington Public |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24Schools, or a department or officer of the School Committee or Lexington Public Schools, or a |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25department or officer of the School Committee or Lexington Public Schools, the School |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26Committee by majority vote shall determine at least two of the means of legal notice publication |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27set forth in Section 2 to satisfy publication requirements. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 28 C. The Select Board and School Committee may revisit their means of publication |
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| 58 | 58 | | 29votes at their discretion and elect different means of publication for the options afforded under |
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| 59 | 59 | | 30Section 2 by majority vote. |
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| 60 | 60 | | 31 Section 4: This Act shall take effect upon passage. |
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