reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 23b § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 1 - Department of Housing and Community Development; Appointment, Duties and Salary of Director

Section 1. In the executive office of housing and economic development, there shall be a department of housing and community development, in this chapter called the department, which shall be under the supervision and control of an undersecretary for housing and community development, in this chapter called the undersecretary or the director. The undersecretary shall be appointed by the secretary of housing and economic development, with the approval of the governor, for a term coterminous with that of the governor, shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary, and shall not be subject to section 9A of chapter 30 or chapter 31. Upon expiration of the term of office of the director or in the event of a vacancy, a successor shall be appointed by the governor for a term coterminous with that of the governor. The director shall devote his full time during business hours to the duties of his office. The director shall be the executive and administrative head of the department and shall be responsible for administering and enforcing the provisions of law relative to the department and to each administrative unit thereof, except as provided in subsection (b) of section 2; provided, however, that the director may authorize any officer of the department to exercise in his name any power or to discharge any duty assigned to him by law, and may at any time revoke such authority. The director shall receive such salary as the governor shall determine, provided, however, that such salary is equivalent to the salary received by the director of labor and workforce development, the director of economic development and the director of consumer affairs and business regulation.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 2 - Divisions; Associate Directors; Public Instrumentalities

Section 2. (a) There shall be within the department such divisions as the director may establish for its efficient operation. Each such division shall be under the charge of an associate director who shall be appointed by the director and who shall be subject to the direction, control and supervision of the director. Each associate director shall be a person of skill and experience in the field of his appointment and shall be appointed and may be removed by the director. The position of associate director shall not be subject to the provisions of section 9A of chapter 30 or chapter 31. Each associate director shall devote his full time during business hours to the duties of his office.  (b) There shall also be within the department the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, the Massachusetts Home Mortgage Finance Agency, the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corporation, the manufactured homes commission, the commission of Indian affairs, and the American and Canadian French Cultural Exchange Commission. The department shall provide general policy guidance for these public instrumentalities, but shall not exercise any supervision or control with respect to such instrumentalities, except to the extent otherwise provided by law.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 4 - Bureaus; Department's Description of Organization; Bureau Chiefs

Section 4. There shall be established within the department such bureaus as the director shall from time to time deem necessary. All such bureaus shall be under the direction, control and supervision of the director, who may abolish or merge any such bureaus as he may deem advisable. The director shall prepare and maintain on a current basis a general statement of the organization of the department, of the assignment of functions to its various administrative units, officers and employees, and of the established places at which and the methods whereby the public may receive information or make requests. Such statement shall be known as the department's description of organization. A current copy of the description of organization shall be on file in the offices of the state secretary and in the executive office for administration and finance. Each bureau, subject to appropriation, shall be under the charge of a bureau chief, who shall be a person of skill and experience in the field of his appointment. The position of bureau chief shall not be subject to the provisions of section nine A of chapter thirty or chapter thirty-one, and persons shall be appointed to and may be removed from such position by the director.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 5a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 5a - Housing Appeals Committee

Section 5A. There shall be within the department a housing appeals committee, consisting of three members to be appointed by the director, of whom one shall be an officer or employee of the department, and two members to be appointed by the governor for terms of one year each, of whom one shall be a member of a board of selectmen and one a member of a city council or similar governing body of a city. The members shall serve for terms of one year each, and the director shall designate the chairman. A member of the committee shall receive no compensation for his services, but shall be reimbursed by the commonwealth for all reasonable expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of his official duties. Said committee shall hear all petitions for review filed under section twenty-two of chapter forty B, and shall conduct said hearings in accordance with rules and regulations established by the director.  The department shall provide such space and clerical and other assistance as the committee may require.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 5b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 5b - Joint Task Force on Housing for Persons With Disabilities

Section 5B. There shall be within the department a joint task force on housing for persons with disabilities, consisting of one employee of the department of housing and community development to be appointed by the director of said department; one employee of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency to be appointed by the executive director of said agency; two employees of the executive office of health and human services to be appointed by the secretary of said executive office; two persons, not employees of the commonwealth, from the disability community to be appointed by the secretary of human services, after consultation with the director of housing and community development and the director of the Massachusetts office on disability; and two other persons, not employees of the commonwealth, who are experts in the production or management of such housing to be appointed by the secretary of health and human services, after consultation with the director of housing and community development and with leaders of trade associations and others in the private sector, including the chief executive officer of the Rental Housing Association.  Said joint task force may advise the secretary of health and human services, the director of housing and community development and the executive director of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency on questions relating to the development and management of housing used by persons with disabilities and may act in a consultative capacity to any persons with problems or disputes relating to such housing.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 6 - Annual Report; Regulations

Section 6. The director shall prepare and submit to the governor and the general court an annual report which shall contain the description of organization of the department, and such other matters as he deems appropriate. He shall also include in such annual report such information as may be required by the commissioner of administration.  The director shall make, and from time to time revise, regulations for the conduct of the business of the department, and such other regulations as may be required by law.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 7 - Gifts or Grants

Section 7. The department may accept any gifts or grants of money or property, whether real or personal, from any source, whether public or private, including but not limited to the United States of America or its agencies, for the purpose of assisting the department in the discharge of its duties.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 8 - Employees; Staff Officers; Appointment and Removal

Section 8. The director shall appoint and may remove all employees in the department. Unless otherwise provided by law, all such appointments and removals shall be made in accordance with chapter thirty-one. From time to time the director may, subject to appropriation and regulations pertaining to the employment of consultants, employ such consultants as he may deem necessary.  In addition to associate directors and bureau chiefs, the director may appoint an executive assistant, a chief counsel and experts on urban affairs, public information and intergovernmental relations, to serve in the department, and such other officers, experts and assistants as may be necessary to carry out the work of the department. Any person holding appointment under this paragraph shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one or section nine A of chapter thirty.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 9 - Certifications on Validity or Guaranty of Bonds or Notes of Housing Authorities and Authenticity of Documents on File

Section 9. The director or such person or persons he may designate from time to time may certify to the existence of any fact which may be a condition to the validity of any bond or note of any housing authority as defined in section one of chapter one hundred and twenty-one B or of the guaranty of the commonwealth on any such bond or note, and may certify that instruments and documents are true copies of instruments and documents on file with the department. The director shall file with the state secretary a written statement of any such designation and notice of any revocation thereof. Any person dealing with any such housing authority or with the department shall be entitled to rely on such certification as conclusive evidence of the matters therein certified.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 10 - Construction

Section 10. Wherever, in any general or special law, there are used the following words:— (a) division of housing, (b) division of urban renewal, (c) bureau of relocation, (d) bureau of project development services, (e) bureau of construction services, (f) bureau of property management services, (g) bureau of community programs, (h) bureau of financial assistance, (i) state housing board, (j) bureau of planning assistance, (k) commonwealth service corps, (l) bureau of housing for the handicapped, or (m) words having the same connotation, said words shall, unless the context otherwise requires, mean the department of housing and community development established by this chapter. Any reference in any general or special law to the administrative head of any of the agencies enumerated in the foregoing paragraph, or to the commissioner of community affairs, shall, unless the context otherwise requires, mean the director of housing and community development or such officer or employee of the department of housing and community development as the director from time to time may designate.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 10a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 10a - Contracts for Non-Interest Bearing Advances to Housing Authorities; Construction of Low Rent Housing Projects; Findings; Reimbursement

Section 10A. The department may enter into a contract with a local housing authority for the purpose of assisting housing development by expending such monies as may be appropriated for the purpose of making non-interest bearing advances to housing authorities organized under the provisions of chapter one hundred and twenty-one B to enable them to construct low rent housing projects, as defined in said chapter one hundred and twenty-one B, provided the department shall, pursuant to regulations made by it, make the following findings: (1) there is a reasonable anticipation that financing arrangements satisfying the requirements of chapter one hundred and twenty-one B will be obtained for said project, and, (2) the project site is suitable, the need for housing of the type proposed in the area to be served is demonstrated, and the likelihood that the project will provide low-income housing is great. The proceeds of such advances may be used only to defray the development costs of such project incurred prior to initial advance funds in accordance with the provisions of said chapter one hundred and twenty-one B. Such costs may include, but shall not be limited to (a) payments for options to purchase properties on the proposed housing project site, deposits on contracts of purchase, or with prior approval, payment for the purchase of such properties; (b) legal and organizational expenses including payment of attorney's fees, project manager and clerical staff salaries, office rent and other incidental studies; advances for planning, engineering and architectural work; and, (c) such other expenses incurred by the authority as the department may deem appropriate to effectuate the purposes of this section. The housing authority shall reimburse the commonwealth for all monies advanced under this section from the proceeds of any bonds or notes issued under sections thirty-four or forty-one of said chapter one hundred and twenty-one B of the General Laws.  Any monies so reimbursed shall be credited to the General Fund.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 12 - Urban Job Incentive Bureau; Programs

Section 12. There shall be in the Massachusetts office of business development an urban job incentive bureau. The bureau shall initiate, organize, develop and coordinate a statewide manpower employment assistance and training program designed to enlarge and improve the skills of the work force, especially those within urban areas containing sections of substantial poverty.  In the development of such a manpower program, the bureau shall coordinate with all existing state agencies including, but not limited to, the division of apprentice training in the department of labor and workforce development, the bureau of vocational education in the department of education and the rehabilitation commission, and with all individual or agency manpower and training programs sponsored, directed or funded by the federal government operating within the commonwealth. The bureau shall keep an inventory of all such programs and make an evaluation of their applicability to persons from sections of substantial poverty and the numbers of persons placed in employment during and immediately after the completion of each respective program. It shall, from time to time, determine and designate eligible sections of substantial poverty and it shall approve and certify the training or assistance programs which are to be utilized or undertaken by an eligible business facility.  In addition, it shall submit to the governor and the general court on or before the first Wednesday in December, nineteen hundred and seventy-one, and on an annual basis thereafter, a recommended program for improving state manpower development programs, especially in urban areas containing sections of substantial poverty. In developing such a program, it shall consider, but not be limited to, the advisability and feasibility of adopting or assisting in the adoption of new or more practical methods of vocational training and guidance, rehabilitation methods, special transportation opportunities, training allowances, support for special recruitment by existing agencies and other means of further involving private and public employers in employing persons from areas containing sections of substantial poverty.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 13 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 13 - Eligible Business Facility; Requirements

Section 13. A business facility may not become an eligible business facility for the purposes of this chapter unless it meets each of the following requirements:—  (1) It is a facility which serves an area larger than the eligible section of substantial poverty in which it is located or contiguous to and which does not primarily serve said eligible section. A facility shall be deemed to meet this requirement if it is used primarily in manufacturing or wholesaling, or if it is located in a commercial center revitalization district and is used primarily in manufacturing, wholesaling, or commercial use. A facility other than a facility located in a commercial center revitalization district shall not be deemed to meet this requirement if (a) it is primarily used in making retail sales of goods or services to customers who personally visit such facility to obtain such goods or services, including, but not limited to, banking and insurance services, or (b) it is used primarily as a hotel, apartment house or other place of business which furnishes dwelling space or accommodations to either residents or transients.  (2) It is a facility which creates or retains in the eligible section of substantial poverty in which it is located at least twenty per cent of its employees, but not less than five jobs.  (3) It is a facility in which the corporation operating the same provides an approved training or assistance program which prepares residents of the eligible section of substantial poverty in which such facility is located or contiguous to for jobs created or retained in such section, as required by paragraph (2) and which assures such residents opportunities for job upgrading and for entry into supervisory positions; provided, however, that if a corporation operating a facility shall have provided such a program or programs for as long as the bureau determines to be feasible, the termination of such program or programs, if the bureau consents thereto, shall not terminate the eligibility of such facility.  (4) The facility, except where a corporation is displaced by a public land taking or purchased, shall not be a replacement of an existing place of business or an expansion thereof. The facility shall represent an expansion of employment opportunities in the eligible city or town in which the facility is located and may be either a new place of business or a substantial addition to existing physical facilities.  (5) It is a facility for which on-site construction commenced, or binding contracts for the construction thereof were entered into, or the land or a leasehold interest therein was acquired, prior to January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-three; provided, however, that the on-site construction of such facility has been completed and such facility has become operational prior to June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eighty-five.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 13a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 13a - Eligible Section of Substantial Poverty

Section 13A. For the purposes solely of a determination of the Bureau with reference to an application for a renewal or extension of a certificate of eligibility pursuant to the provisions of clauses (a) and (b) of section fifteen, including, but only insofar as related to such a determination, for the purposes of clauses (c), (d), and (f) of section eleven, section thirteen, clause (d) of section fifteen, and section thirty-eight F of chapter sixty-three, the term ''eligible section of substantial poverty,'' shall include, in addition to the areas currently defined by clause (a) of section eleven, such areas as had formerly been determined by the bureau pursuant to section twelve as satisfying the requirements of said clause (a) of section eleven for a taxable year prior to the taxable year for which such renewal or extension is sought; provided, that the applicant for such renewal or extension had, in such prior taxable year, operated a business facility located in a city or town which contained such eligible section or in a municipality which was contiguous to a city or town which contained such eligible section and, otherwise satisfying the requirements of section thirteen for such prior taxable year, had been properly issued a certificate of eligibility or renewal or extension thereof by the bureau for such prior taxable year.
MA Gen L ch 23b § 14 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 23b - Department of Housing and Community Development|Section 14 - Certificate of Eligible Business Facility; Application

Section 14. Any corporation, with respect to any business facility which it owns or operates and which meets the requirements of section thirteen may file with the bureau an application for a certificate that such facility is an eligible business facility. Such application shall be in such form and shall contain such information, exhibits and supporting data as the bureau may prescribe.