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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1557 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 861 |
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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 | | Joan Meschino |
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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 maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management. |
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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:Joan Meschino3rd Plymouth1/9/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/24/2023Tram T. Nguyen18th Essex1/24/2023Steven Owens29th Middlesex1/24/2023Hannah Kane11th Worcester1/25/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex1/25/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/25/2023Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/26/2023Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk1/26/2023Ruth B. Balser12th Middlesex1/27/2023Aaron L. Saunders7th Hampden1/31/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/2/2023Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex2/2/2023David M. Rogers24th Middlesex2/3/2023Mary S. Keefe15th Worcester2/6/2023Susan Williams Gifford2nd Plymouth2/7/2023Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/8/2023Kay Khan11th Middlesex2/8/2023 2 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sally P. Kerans13th Essex2/13/2023Denise C. Garlick13th Norfolk2/15/2023Simon Cataldo14th Middlesex2/15/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/19/2023James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/23/2023Bradley H. Jones, Jr.20th Middlesex2/24/2023Patrick Joseph Kearney4th Plymouth2/28/2023William C. Galvin6th Norfolk3/1/2023David Paul Linsky5th Middlesex3/6/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1557 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 861 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative Meschino of Hull, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 861) of Joan |
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| 20 | 20 | | Meschino and others relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought |
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| 21 | 21 | | management. Environment and Natural Resources. |
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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 relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management. |
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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 Chapter 21A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2amended by inserting after section 2A the following section:- |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 Section 2B. |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4 (a) There shall be established within the office the drought management task force. The |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5secretary and the director of the Massachusetts emergency management agency shall appoint to |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6the task force officials from state agencies and professional organizations with responsibility for |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7areas likely to be affected by drought conditions; representatives of agencies that provide data |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8used to assess drought conditions or that have the ability to respond to drought conditions; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9public health and safety and environmental professionals, and may invite officials from federal |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10agencies to participate. The secretary and the director shall have joint responsibility for |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11coordinating the task force. The task force shall meet at least quarterly, but it shall meet at least |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12monthly during drought. The task force shall be staffed by a director appointed by the secretary. 2 of 2 |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13 (b) The task force shall assist in collecting and assessing technical information, |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14facilitating coordination and communication among task force members, agencies and the public, |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15and provide recommendations to the secretary, the secretary of public safety and security and the |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16governor on the level of drought and responses thereto. The task force shall also make |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17recommendations for the end of drought, or reduction of the drought level. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18 (c) The task force shall maintain and periodically update a statewide drought |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19management plan that addresses preparedness and response to drought conditions and protects |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20public health, public safety, and the environment. The task force may update the statewide |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21drought management plan at any time; provided, that the plan shall be updated at least every 5 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22years. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23 (d) The secretary may order water conservation measures, including limits on |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24nonessential outdoor water use, based on the severity of drought in drought regions to protect |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25public health, safety or the environment. Such water conservation measures by the secretary shall |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26apply uniformly to all water users within a drought region. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27 (e) Notwithstanding section 27C of chapter 29 of the General Laws or any ordinance, by- |
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| 57 | 57 | | 28law, rule or regulation to the contrary, cities and towns shall enforce, water conservation |
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| 58 | 58 | | 29restrictions issued by the secretary to the fullest extent permitted by law. |
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