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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1415 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 68 |
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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 | | Patrick M. O'Connor |
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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 lobstering closure mitigation. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and NorfolkJoan B. LovelySecond Essex2/26/2025 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1415 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 68 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. O'Connor, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 68) of Patrick M. O'Connor and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Joan B. Lovely for legislation relative to lobster closure mitigation. Agriculture. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 21 | 21 | | _______________ |
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| 22 | 22 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | An Act relative to lobstering closure mitigation. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 130 of the general laws is hereby amended by adding the following |
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| 29 | 29 | | 2section:- |
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| 30 | 30 | | 3 Section 37B. Lobstering Closure Mitigation Fund |
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| 31 | 31 | | 4 (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the Commonwealth, subject to |
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| 32 | 32 | | 5appropriation, a fund to be known as the Lobstering Closure Mitigation Fund to be administered |
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| 33 | 33 | | 6by the department of unemployment assistance. |
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| 34 | 34 | | 7 (b) The purpose of the Fund shall be to provide financial assistance to lobstermen to |
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| 35 | 35 | | 8mitigate the financial impacts of fishing area closures due to protection of endangered marine |
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| 36 | 36 | | 9species as they work through the process of incorporation. For the purposes of this act, the term |
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| 37 | 37 | | 10“lobsterman” shall mean a holder of a commercial fisherman permit (lobster) as so appearing in |
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| 38 | 38 | | 11section 38 of this chapter that is deemed to be active and transferable by the director of marine |
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| 39 | 39 | | 12fisheries, and the term “trap” shall mean a lobster tag used to catch lobsters that is owned by and 2 of 3 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 13licensed under and a lobsterman. Any lobsterman who is domiciled in Massachusetts shall be |
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| 41 | 41 | | 14eligible for weekly payments equal to one dollar per lobster trap tag per week. Eligibility for said |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15payments shall be available through January 1 and shall terminate on June 30 annually. |
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| 43 | 43 | | 16 (c) There shall be credited to the Fund all amounts that are, by law, transferred or |
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| 44 | 44 | | 17authorized to be transferred thereto or directed to be deposited therein, and all amounts received |
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| 45 | 45 | | 18as gifts, grants, or contributions for the purposes of the Fund. Amounts credited to the Fund shall |
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| 46 | 46 | | 19not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the Fund at the end of a fiscal |
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| 47 | 47 | | 20year shall revert to the General Fund. |
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| 48 | 48 | | 21 (d) The director of the department shall report annually to the house and senate |
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| 49 | 49 | | 22committees on ways and means and the joint committee on agriculture on income received into |
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| 50 | 50 | | 23the fund and sources of that income, any expenditure from the fund and their purposes, and fund |
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| 51 | 51 | | 24balances. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 25 (e) The department shall promulgate regulations as necessary to implement the provisions |
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| 53 | 53 | | 26of this section, including, but not limited to, regulations pertaining to payment application and |
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| 54 | 54 | | 27disbursement procedures. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 28 SECTION 2. The Secretary of State shall promulgate regulations to determine progress |
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| 56 | 56 | | 29toward incorporation made by all recipients no later than January 1 annually. |
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| 57 | 57 | | 30 (a)Lobstermen who are found to have not made sufficient progress toward |
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| 58 | 58 | | 31incorporation after their first year of receiving closure mitigation payments shall not be eligible |
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| 59 | 59 | | 32for further payments until such progress is made. 3 of 3 |
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| 60 | 60 | | 33 (b)The Secretary of State shall host an annual information session for lobstermen to |
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| 61 | 61 | | 34educate recipients on the incorporation process and provide resources to assist with |
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| 62 | 62 | | 35incorporation. |
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| 63 | 63 | | 36 SECTION 3. 3 fiscal years after the effective date of this act, the Fund shall be dissolved. |
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| 64 | 64 | | 37 SECTION 4. This act shall take effect immediately upon its passage. |
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