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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1571 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3680 |
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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 | | Natalie M. Higgins and Michael P. Kushmerek |
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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 fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund. |
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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:Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester1/15/2025Michael P. Kushmerek3rd Worcester1/15/2025 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1571 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3680 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Kushmerek of Fitchburg, a petition (accompanied |
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| 19 | 19 | | by bill, House, No. 3680) of Natalie M. Higgins and Michael P. Kushmerek relative to the |
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| 20 | 20 | | creation of a fund to finance rail and transportation related projects. Transportation. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act fostering intercity Passenger Rail Fund. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 29 of the General Laws shall be amended by adding the following |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2section:- |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3 2EEEEEE. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4separate fund to be known as the InterCity Regional Passenger Rail Fund, which shall be used |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5exclusively for financing rail transportation-related projects to expand and support |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6passenger/commuter rail throughout the Commonwealth, beginning with the Route 2 Corridor. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7The fund shall be subject to appropriation and shall be used for transportation related expenses of |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8the executive office of transportation or any successor agency or authority to pay for contracts, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9services and debt service on bonds issued by, the Commonwealth for InterCity Passenger Rail |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10expansion or improvements. Funds may also be expended for contract assistance for providing |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11such services. 2 of 3 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12 SECTION 2. Chapter 23K of the General Laws shall be amended by adding the |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13following section:- |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14 Section 59A. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15New Gaming Revenue Fund which shall receive twenty-five percent of the gross gaming |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16revenues collected from the Region D gaming licensee. The commission shall be the trustee of |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17the fund and shall transfer monies in the fund as follows: |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18 (1) 100 per cent of the revenue received from a category 1 licensee shall be transferred to |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19the InterCity Passenger Rail Fund established pursuant to section 2EEEEEE of chapter 29; |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20 (2) new gaming tax revenue from other licensed gaming operations as deemed by the |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21legislature. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22 SECTION 3. Subsection (a) of section 19 of chapter 23K of the general laws is hereby |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23amended by striking out clause (1) and inserting in place thereof the following clause (1): |
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| 52 | 52 | | 24 “(1) region A: suffolk, middlesex, essex and norfolk counties;” |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25 SECTION 4. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26is hereby further amended by striking out, at the end of clause (2), the word “and”. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27 SECTION 5. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28is hereby further amended by striking out, at the end of clause (3), the word “counties“ and |
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| 57 | 57 | | 29inserting in place thereof the following words:- |
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| 58 | 58 | | 30 “counties; and” 3 of 3 |
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| 59 | 59 | | 31 SECTION 6. Said subsection (a) of said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, |
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| 60 | 60 | | 32is hereby further amended by inserting after clause (3) the following clause (4): |
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| 61 | 61 | | 33 “(4) region D: consisting of the cities and towns located in the Worcester Northern |
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| 62 | 62 | | 34District Registry of Deeds, being Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg, and |
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| 63 | 63 | | 35Westminster.” |
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| 64 | 64 | | 36 SECTION 7. Said section 19 of said chapter 23K, as so appearing, is hereby further |
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| 65 | 65 | | 37amended by inserting a new subsection (h), which shall provide as follows: |
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| 66 | 66 | | 38 “(h) No gaming license shall be issued by the commission in region D unless it shall be |
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| 67 | 67 | | 39situated on a site containing not less than 70 contiguous acres.” |
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