| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 118 FILED ON: 1/9/2023 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 668 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Michelle L. Ciccolo and Cindy F. Friedman |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | An Act authorizing the town of Lexington to allow remote participation at town meetings. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Michelle L. Ciccolo15th Middlesex1/9/2023Cindy F. FriedmanFourth Middlesex1/9/2023Michael J. BarrettThird Middlesex1/27/2023 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 118 FILED ON: 1/9/2023 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 668 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Ciccolo of Lexington and Senator Friedman, a joint petition (accompanied by |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | bill, House, No. 668) of Michelle L. Ciccolo, Cindy F. Friedman and Michael J. Barrett (by vote |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | of the town) that the town of Lexington be authorized to allow remote participation at town |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | meetings. Election Laws. [Local Approval Received.] |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (2023-2024) |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | An Act authorizing the town of Lexington to allow remote participation at town meetings. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Town of |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 2Lexington may, by bylaw, permit a representative town meeting to be held through remote |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 3participation or a hybrid of in-person and remote participation, including, but not limited to, by |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 4means of a video of telephone conferencing platform. All actions taken during a completely |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 5remote or hybrid remote town meeting held pursuant to this act shall have the same effect as if |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 6the town meeting had been held in person. |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 7 SECTION 2. In addition to and without limiting the authority of the Lexington select |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 8board or moderator under this act or any other general or special law, the select board may |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 9declare that a session of town meeting called to be held either entirely in-person or through a |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 10hybrid of remote and in-person participation shall be held entirely in a remote participation in the |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 11event that, due to an emergency, no suitable town facility is available in the town of Lexington in |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 12accordance with the provisions of Section 10A of Chapter 39 of the General Laws. The 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 13procedures of said Section 10A of Chapter 39 shall apply to the change to an entirely remote |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 14meeting. |
|---|