reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 268a § 19 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 19 - Municipal Employees, Relatives or Associates; Financial Interest in Particular Matter

Section 19. (a) Except as permitted by paragraph (b), a municipal employee who participates as such an employee in a particular matter in which to his knowledge he, his immediate family or partner, a business organization in which he is serving as officer, director, trustee, partner or employee, or any person or organization with whom he is negotiating or has any arrangement concerning prospective employment, has a financial interest, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years, or both.  (b) It shall not be a violation of this section (1) if the municipal employee first advises the official responsible for appointment to his position of the nature and circumstances of the particular matter and makes full disclosure of such financial interest, and receives in advance a written determination made by that official that the interest is not so substantial as to be deemed likely to affect the integrity of the services which the municipality may expect from the employee, or (2) if, in the case of an elected municipal official making demand bank deposits of municipal funds, said official first files, with the clerk of the city or town, a statement making full disclosure of such financial interest, or (3) if the particular matter involves a determination of general policy and the interest of the municipal employee or members of his immediate family is shared with a substantial segment of the population of the municipality.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 21 - Avoiding, Rescinding or Canceling Municipal Action Resulting From Violations of Chapter; Restitution and Damages

Section 21. (a) In addition to any other remedies provided by law, a finding by the commission pursuant to an adjudicatory proceeding that there has been any violation of sections 2, 3, 8, 17 to 20, inclusive, or section 23, which has substantially influenced the action taken by any municipal agency in any particular matter, shall be grounds for avoiding, rescinding or canceling the action of said municipal agency upon request by said municipal agency on such terms as the interests of the municipality and innocent third persons require.  (b) In addition to the remedies set forth in subsection (a), the commission may, upon a finding pursuant to an adjudicatory proceeding that a person has acted to his economic advantage in violation of sections 2, 3, 8, 17 to 20, inclusive, or section 23, may issue an order (1) requiring the violator to pay the commission on behalf of the municipality damages in the amount of the economic advantage or $500, whichever is greater; and (2) requiring the violator to make restitution to an injured third party. If there has been no final criminal judgment of conviction or acquittal of the same violation, upon receipt of the written approval of the district attorney, the commission may order payment of additional damages in an amount not exceeding twice the amount of the economic advantage or $500, and payment of such additional damages shall bar any criminal prosecution for the same violation. The maximum damages that the commission may order a violator to pay under this section shall be $25,000. If the commission determines that the damages authorized by this section exceed $25,000, it may bring a civil action against the violator to recover such damages.  (c) The remedies authorized by this section shall be in addition to any civil penalty imposed by the commission in accordance with clause (3) of subsection (j) of section 4 of chapter 268B.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 21a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 21a - Members of Municipal Commission or Board; Restrictions on Appointments to Certain Positions

Section 21A. Except as hereinafter provided, no member of a municipal commission or board shall be eligible for appointment or election by the members of such commission or board to any office or position under the supervision of such commission or board. No former member of such commission or board shall be so eligible until the expiration of thirty days from the termination of his service as a member of such commission or board.  The provisions of this section shall not apply to a member of a town commission or board, if such appointment or election has first been approved at an annual town meeting of the town.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 21b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 21b - Prospective Municipal Appointees; Demanding Undated Resignations Prohibited

Section 21B. No mayor, city manager, or town manager shall require a prospective appointee to a board, commission or position under his jurisdiction to submit as a condition precedent to said appointment an undated resignation from said board, commission or position. Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 22 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 22 - Opinions of Corporation Counsel, City Solicitor or Town Counsel

Section 22. Any municipal employee shall be entitled to the opinion of the corporation counsel, city solicitor or town counsel upon any question arising under this chapter relating to the duties, responsibilities and interests of such employee. All requests for such opinions by a subordinate municipal employee shall be made in confidence directly to the chief officer of the municipal agency in which he is employed, who shall in turn request in confidence such opinion of the corporation counsel, city solicitor or town counsel on behalf of such subordinate municipal employee, and all constitutional officers and chief officers or heads of municipal agencies may make direct confidential requests for such opinions on their own account. The town counsel or city solicitor shall file such opinion in writing with the city or town clerk and such opinion shall be a matter of public record; however, no opinion will be rendered by the town counsel or city solicitor except upon the submission of detailed existing facts which raise a question of actual or prospective violation of any provision of this chapter.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 23a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 23a - Trustees of Public Institutions of Higher Learning; Prohibited Positions

Section 23A. No trustee of any public institution of higher education operated by the commonwealth shall be eligible to be appointed to or hold any other office or position with said institution for a period of three years next after the termination of his services as such trustee, or in the case of an elected student trustee at said institution, for a period of one year next after the termination of his services as such trustee; provided, however, that any such elected student trustee may accept and hold part-time employment at said institution while a student thereat, and provided further, that a trustee may be appointed to or hold an unpaid office or position with said institution after his services as such trustee.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 24 - Disclosures and Certifications; Form; Public Inspection

Section 24. All disclosures and certifications provided for in this chapter and made in accordance with its provisions shall be made in writing and, unless otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, shall be kept open to inspection by the public by the official with whom such disclosure has been filed.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 26 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 26 - Penalty for Violations of Clause (B)(2) or (B)(4) of Sec. 23

Section 26. (a) Any person who, directly or through another, with fraudulent intent, violates clause (2) or (4) of subsection (b) of section 23, or any person who, with fraudulent intent, causes any other person to violate said clauses (2) or (4) of said subsection (b) of said section 23 or with fraudulent intent offers or gives any privileges or exemptions of substantial value in violation of said clause (2) or (4) of said subsection (b) of said section 23, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years, or both, if the unwarranted privileges or exemptions have a fair market value in the aggregate of more than $1,000 in any 12 month period.  [There is no subsection (b).]
MA Gen L ch 268a § 27 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 27 - Publication of Summaries of Chapter 268a; Filing of Acknowledgment by Employees

Section 27. The commission shall prepare, and update as necessary, summaries of this chapter for state, county, and municipal employees, respectively, which the commission shall publish on its official website. Every state, county and municipal employee shall, within 30 days of becoming such an employee, and on an annual basis thereafter, be furnished with a summary of this chapter prepared by the commission and sign a written acknowledgment that he has been provided with such a summary. Municipal employees shall be furnished with the summary by, and file an acknowledgment with, the city or town clerk. Appointed state and county employees shall be furnished with the summary by, and file an acknowledgment with, the employee's appointing authority or his designee. Elected state and county employees shall be furnished with the summary by, and file an acknowledgment with, the commission. The commission shall establish procedures for implementing this section and ensuring compliance.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 28 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 28 - Online Training Programs

Section 28. The state ethics commission shall prepare and update from time to time the following online training programs, which the commission shall publish on its official website: (1) a program which shall provide a general introduction to the requirements of this chapter; and (2) a program which shall provide information on the requirements of this chapter applicable to former state, county, and municipal employees. Every state, county, and municipal employee shall, within 30 days after becoming such an employee, and every 2 years thereafter, complete the online training program. Upon completion of the online training program, the employee shall provide notice of such completion to be retained for 6 years by the appropriate employer.  The commission shall establish procedures for implementing this section and ensuring compliance.
MA Gen L ch 268a § 29 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268a - Conduct of Public Officials and Employees|Section 29 - Municipal Liaisons to State Ethics Commission

Section 29. Each municipality, acting through its city council, board of selectmen, or board of aldermen, shall designate a senior level employee of the municipality as its liaison to the state ethics commission. The municipality shall notify the commission in writing of any change to such designation within 30 days of such change. The commission shall disseminate information to the designated liaisons and conduct educational seminars for designated liaisons on a regular basis on a schedule to be determined by the commission in consultation with the municipalities.
MA Gen L ch 268b § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268b - Financial Disclosure by Certain Public Officials and Employees|Section 6 - Gifts From Executive or Legislative Agents; Exclusions to Be Established by State Ethics Commission

Section 6. No executive or legislative agent shall knowingly and willfully offer or give to any public official or public employee or a member of such person's immediate family, and no public official or public employee or member of such person's immediate family shall knowingly and willfully solicit or accept from any executive or legislative agent, any gift of any kind or nature; provided, however, that the state ethics commission shall promulgate regulations: (i) establishing exclusions for ceremonial gifts; (ii) establishing exclusions for gifts given solely because of family or friendship; and (iii) establishing additional exclusions for other situations that do not present a genuine risk of a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest.  For the purposes of this section, a person who holds a license issued by the Massachusetts gaming commission, who was required to apply for that license pursuant to section 14 of chapter 23K, shall be considered a legislative agent.
MA Gen L ch 268b § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268b - Financial Disclosure by Certain Public Officials and Employees|Section 7 - Penalties for Violation of Confidentiality and for Perjury

Section 7. Any person who violates the confidentiality of a commission inquiry under the provisions of paragraph (a) of section four of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.  Any person who willfully affirms or swears falsely in regard to any material matter before a commission proceeding under paragraph (c) of section four of this chapter, or who willfully files a materially false statement of financial interests under section five of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years, or in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years, or both.
MA Gen L ch 268b § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 268b - Financial Disclosure by Certain Public Officials and Employees|Section 8 - Retribution for Engaging in Commission Proceedings

Section 8. No officer or employee of the commonwealth or of any county, city or town shall discharge an officer or employee, or change his official rank, grade or compensation, or deny him a promotion, or threaten so to do, for filing a complaint with or providing information to the commission or testifying in any commission proceeding.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 1 - Dispensing and Suppressing Unlawful Assembly; Arresting Persons

Section 1. If five or more persons, being armed with clubs or other dangerous weapons, or if ten or more persons, whether armed or not, are unlawfully, riotously or tumultuously assembled in a city or town, the mayor and each of the aldermen of such city, each of the selectmen of such town, every justice of the peace living in any such city or town, any member of the city, town, or state police and the sheriff of the county and his deputies shall go among the persons so assembled, or as near to them as may be with safety, and in the name of the commonwealth command all persons so assembled immediately and peaceably to disperse; and if they do not thereupon immediately and peaceably disperse, each of said magistrates and officers shall command the assistance of all persons there present in suppressing such riot or unlawful assembly and arresting such persons. For the purposes of this section, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst shall be considered to be a town.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 2 - Refusing or Neglecting to Depart or to Assist in Suppressing Assembly or in Arresting Persons

Section 2. Whoever, being present and being so commanded to assist in arresting such rioters or persons so unlawfully assembled, or in suppressing such riot or unlawful assembly, refuses or neglects to obey such command, or, if required by such magistrate or officer to depart from the place, refuses or neglects so to do, shall be considered one of the rioters or persons unlawfully assembled, and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars, or both.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 3 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 3 - Neglect or Refusal to Exercise Authority to Suppress Assembly

Section 3. A mayor, alderman, selectman, justice of the peace, sheriff or deputy sheriff who, having notice of any such riotous or tumultuous and unlawful assembly in the city or town where he lives, neglects or refuses immediately to proceed to the place of such assembly, or as near thereto as he can with safety, or omits or neglects to exercise the authority conferred upon him by this chapter for suppressing such assembly and for arresting the offenders, shall be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 4 - Requiring Aid; Dispersing and Suppressing Assembly; Seizure of Persons

Section 4. If any persons who are so riotously or unlawfully assembled, and who have been commanded to disperse, as before provided, refuse or neglect to disperse without unnecessary delay, any two of the magistrates or officers before mentioned may require the aid of a sufficient number of persons, in arms or otherwise as may be necessary, and shall proceed, in such manner as they deem expedient, forthwith to disperse and suppress such assembly, and seize and secure the persons composing the same, so that they may be proceeded with according to law.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 5 - Armed Forces Obeying Orders for Suppressing Riot and Dispersing and Arresting Persons

Section 5. When an armed force, called out under chapter thirty-three to suppress a tumult or riot, or to disperse a body of men acting together by force and with intent to commit a felony, or to offer violence to persons or property, or with intent by force or violence to resist or oppose the execution of the laws of the commonwealth, arrives at the place of such unlawful, riotous or tumultuous assembly, its members shall obey such orders for suppressing the riot or tumult, and for dispersing and arresting all persons who are committing any of said offences, as they have received from the governor, or a judge of a court of record, or the sheriff of the county, and also such orders as they there receive from any two of the magistrates or officers before mentioned.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 6 - Person Killed or Wounded as Result of an Assembly; Guilt and Responsibility

Section 6. If, by reason of the efforts made by any two or more of said magistrates or officers or by their direction to disperse such assembly, or to seize and secure the persons composing the same who have refused to disperse, though the number remaining may be less than five, any such person or any other person then present is killed or wounded, the magistrates and officers, and all persons acting by their order or under their direction, and all persons acting under the two preceding sections, shall be held guiltless, and fully justified in law; and if any of said magistrates or officers, or any person acting under or by the direction of any of the officers before mentioned, is killed or wounded, all persons so assembled, and all other persons who, when commanded or required, refused to aid and assist said magistrates or officers, shall be held answerable therefor.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 7 - Injury to Building or Vessel by Persons Unlawfully Assembled

Section 7. If any of the persons so unlawfully assembled demolishes, pulls down or destroys, or begins to demolish, pull down or destroy, a dwelling house or other building, or a ship or vessel, he shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail for not more than two years, and shall also be liable in tort to any person for all damages sustained by him thereby.
MA Gen L ch 269 § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases|Title I - Crimes and Punishments|Chapter 269 - Crimes Against Public Peace|Section 8 - Destruction of or Damage to Property by Persons Riotously Assembled; Liability of Town

Section 8. If property of the value of fifty dollars or more is destroyed or if property is damaged to that amount or to a value in excess thereof by fifteen or more persons who are riotously or tumultuously assembled and provided that the activities of such riotous or tumultuous group are observed and reported to the police during the period that such activities are occurring, the town within which the property was situated shall, if the owner of such property uses all reasonable diligence to prevent said destruction or damage and to procure the conviction of the offenders, be liable to indemnify the owner thereof in tort to the amount of three-fourth's of the value of the property destroyed or of the amount of such damage thereto, and may recover the same against any or all of the persons who so destroyed or damaged such property.