| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 116 FILED ON: 1/10/2023 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1589 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Bruce E. Tarr |
|---|
| 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 relative to the use of green lights for municipal emergency management vehicles. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Bruce E. TarrFirst Essex and Middlesex 1 of 3 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 116 FILED ON: 1/10/2023 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1589 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Tarr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1589) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | relative to the use of green lights for municipal emergency management vehicles. Public Safety |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | and Homeland Security. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 1458 OF 2019-2020.] |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (2023-2024) |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to the use of green lights for municipal emergency management vehicles. |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 90 as appearing in the 2020 official edition is hereby amended by |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 2inserting after section 7E the following new section: 7E1/2.. No motor vehicle operated pursuant |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 3to section seven other than municipal emergency management vehicles shall mount or display a |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 4flashing, rotating or oscillating green light in any direction, except as herein provided; provided, |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 5however, that nothing in this section shall prohibit an official police vehicle from displaying a |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 6flashing, rotating or oscillating red light in the opposite direction in which the vehicle is |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 7proceeding or prohibit fire apparatus from displaying a flashing, rotating or oscillating blue light |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 8in the opposite direction in which the vehicle is proceeding. |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 9 A vehicle owned or operated by the municipal emergency management as appointed by |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 10the municipal governing body may have mounted thereon flashing, rotating or oscillating green 2 of 3 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 11lights. Such lights shall only be displayed when such owner or operator is proceeding to an |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 12emergency or in response to an alarm and when the official duty of such owner or operator |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 13requires them to proceed to said emergency or to respond to said alarm, and at no other time. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 14 No such green light shall be mounted or displayed on such vehicle until proper |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 15application has been made to the registrar by the emergency management director as appointed |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 16by the municipalities governing body and a written permit has been issued and delivered to the |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 17owner and operator. In the event that the operator is not the registered owner of the vehicle, no |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 18permit shall be issued until said owner forwards to the registrar a written statement certifying |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 19that he has knowledge that such red light will be mounted and displayed on said vehicle. |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 20 Any person operating a vehicle upon which flashing, rotating or oscillating green lights |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 21herein authorized are mounted shall have the permit for said lights upon their person or in the |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 22vehicle in some easily accessible place. Upon termination of the duties which warranted the |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 23issuance of the permit, the mayor or chair of the board of selectmen shall immediately notify the |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 24registrar who shall forthwith revoke such green light permit. Upon the written request of the |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 25mayor or board of selectmen of the municipality in which such permitted vehicle is registered, |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 26the registrar may revoke such permit. The registrar shall revoke such permit for the unauthorized |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | 27use of such green lights and the owner and operator shall be subject to a fine as hereinafter |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | 28provided. |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | 29 Upon revocation, the registrar of motor vehicles shall notify forthwith the owner and |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 30operator of the vehicle for which such permit was issued and the head of the police department |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | 31and fire department of the town in which his original permit was issued. 3 of 3 |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | 32 The registrar may also make such rules and regulations governing or prohibiting the |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | 33display of such other lights on motor vehicles as he may deem necessary for public safety. |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | 34 Any person who violates any provision of this section for which a penalty is not |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | 35otherwise provided shall be subject to a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | 36three hundred dollars. |
|---|