reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 180 § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 4 - Purposes

Section 4. A corporation may be formed for any one or more of the following purposes:  (a) for any civic, educational, charitable, benevolent or religious purpose;  (b) for the prosecution of any antiquarian, historical, literary, scientific, medical, chiropractic, artistic, monumental or musical purpose;  (c) for establishing and maintaining libraries;  (d) for supporting any missionary enterprise having for its object the dissemination of religious or educational instruction in foreign countries;  (e) for promoting temperance or morality in the commonwealth;  (f) for fostering, encouraging or engaging in athletic exercises or yachting;  (g) for encouraging the raising of choice breeds of domestic animals and poultry;  (h) for the association and accommodation of societies of Free Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias or other charitable or social bodies of a like character and purpose;  (i) for the establishment and maintenance of places for reading rooms, libraries or social meetings;  (j) for establishing boards of trade, chambers of commerce and bodies of like nature;  (k) for providing nonprofit credit counseling services, as defined in section four A;  (l) for encouraging agriculture or horticulture; for improving and ornamenting the streets and public squares of any city or town by planting and cultivating ornamental trees therein and also otherwise improving the physical aspects of such city or town and furthering the recreation and enjoyment of the inhabitants thereof;  (m) for the purpose of purchasing, holding, preserving and maintaining burial grounds in accordance with the provisions of chapter one hundred and fourteen;  (n) for establishing a not-for-profit association of employers as authorized by section twenty-five E of chapter one hundred and fifty-two, including such not-for-profit associations of employers organized as nonprofit corporations.  If a corporation is formed under this chapter for the purpose of rendering one or more professional services as defined in chapter one hundred and fifty-six A, the relationship between the corporation or an employee thereof rendering professional service and the person receiving such service shall be the same as if such corporation or employee rendered such service to said person as an individual practitioner, including any liability arising out of the rendering of such service.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 4a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 4a - Credit Counseling Services; Practice of Law

Section 4A. Credit counseling services as used in this chapter shall mean (a) the providing of financial and budgetary advice and judgment to individuals in connection with the creation of a budgetary plan; or (b) the creation of a plan whereby an individual turns over an agreed amount of his income to a nonprofit credit counseling corporation which distributes it to his creditors in accordance with a plan which they have approved and which may provide for smaller payments or a longer term than the original contract; or (c) the providing of educational services relating to the use of credit; or (d) any combination of these.  No person, other than an attorney or a nonprofit charitable corporation organized under the provisions of this chapter, shall render those credit counseling services specified in clause (b). Each such corporation shall comply with the provisions of section eight F of chapter twelve.  Any such corporation formed for credit counseling purposes shall not engage in the practice of law. If it appears that an individual receiving credit counseling services needs legal advice or counsel, he shall be referred to an attorney of his own choice, the local bar association referral service, or a local legal aid program, whichever course may seem most appropriate.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 5 - Investigation by Local Authorities of Proposed Corporation or Corporations Seeking Change of Location or Name

Section 5. Before making and issuing a certificate of incorporation to or approving a change of location of the principal office of a corporation formed for any of the purposes described in section four or approving the change of name of any corporation formed as aforesaid which is subject to section twenty-six, the state secretary may forward a statement to the aldermen of any city, except Boston, or to the selectmen of any town, where such corporation occupies or uses or is to occupy or use any premises for the transaction of any of its corporate activities, and, if such premises are or are to be in Boston, to the police commissioner, giving a list of the applicants for incorporation or the officers of the corporation seeking to change its name or location, the purposes of such proposed incorporation or change of name as stated by them, the location of the premises occupied or used or proposed to be occupied or used, which shall include the street and number, if any, and all other facts which may be stated in the application for incorporation or the petition for approval of change of name or location. The mayor and aldermen, selectmen or police commissioner, upon the receipt of such statement, shall immediately make investigation for the purpose of ascertaining whether any of the proposed incorporators, or officers of the petitioning corporation, or any other persons known to be, or apparently, identified with the said proposed or petitioning corporation as members, employees or otherwise, and actually participating or to participate in the management of its affairs, or in the direction of its business, have been engaged in the illegal selling of alcoholic beverages, as defined in section one of chapter one hundred and thirty-eight, or in keeping places or tenements used for illegal gaming, or any other business or vocation prohibited by law, or are persons of ill repute, or whether any location to be occupied is unsuitable, and shall forthwith report to the state secretary all the facts ascertained. If, in his opinion, it appears from said report or otherwise that a probable purpose or probable result of the formation of the proposed corporation or of the proposed change of name or location is or will be to cover or shield any illegal business or practices, or any business not within the scope of the expressed corporate purposes, he shall refuse to issue a certificate of incorporation or approve the change of name or location, as the case may be.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 6 - Corporate Powers; Religious Corporations; Indemnification of Officers, Et Al.

Section 6. A corporation shall have in furtherance of its corporate purposes the powers specified in paragraphs (a) to (d), inclusive, and clause (k) of section nine of chapter one hundred and fifty-six B and the power to convey land to which it has a legal title. Except as otherwise provided in its articles of organization, a corporation shall have in furtherance of its corporate purposes all of the other powers specified in said section nine except those provided in paragraph (m). To the extent provided in its articles of organization, a corporation shall have the powers specified in sections nine A and nine B of said chapter one hundred and fifty-six B, except that a corporation which constitutes a public charity shall not have the power specified in said section nine B. No power referred to above shall be exercised in a manner inconsistent with this chapter or any other chapter of the General Laws, but this chapter shall not limit or reduce any powers of corporations whether general or special existing on October first, nineteen hundred and seventy-one.  Corporations organized under this chapter or corresponding provisions of earlier laws exclusively for religious purposes shall have the right to purchase, hold, preserve and maintain burial grounds; provided, that no land shall be so used for burial purposes unless such use shall have been permitted and approved in accordance with the provisions of chapter one hundred and fourteen.  Any corporation may hold real and personal estate to an unlimited amount, which estate or its income shall be devoted to the purposes set forth in its charter or articles of organization or in any amendment thereof, and it may receive and hold, in trust or otherwise, funds received by gift or bequest to be devoted by it to such purposes; this provision shall be applicable notwithstanding the specification of a limited amount in any special law.  Indemnification of directors, officers, employees and other agents of a corporation and persons who serve at its request as directors, officers, employees or other agents of another organization or who serve at its request in a capacity with respect to any employee benefit plan may be provided by it to whatever extent shall be specified in or authorized by (i) the articles of organization or (ii) a by-law adopted by the incorporators pursuant to section three or by the members or (iii) a vote adopted by a majority of the members entitled to vote on the election of directors.  The provisions of this section shall apply to by-laws adopted by the incorporator regardless of whether such by-laws were authorized or adopted at any time prior to the effective date of this act.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 6a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 6a - By-Laws; Contents

Section 6A. A corporation may make, amend and repeal by-laws in the manner prescribed in and subject to sections sixteen and seventeen of chapter one hundred and fifty-six B, substituting members for stockholders. A corporation may prescribe by its by-laws the manner in which and the officers and agents by whom its purposes may be accomplished. Instead of the directors and other officers to be elected at the first meeting, the corporation may have a board of other officers with the powers of directors, and presiding, financial and recording officers with the powers of president, treasurer and clerk.  The clerk shall be a resident of the commonwealth unless the corporation shall have a duly appointed resident agent. Any corporation which shall fail to have either a clerk of the corporation who is a resident of the commonwealth or a duly appointed resident agent shall forfeit not more than five hundred dollars to be recovered in the manner described in section one hundred and thirteen of chapter one hundred and fifty-six B.  Except as otherwise expressly provided, a corporation may by its by-laws determine the manner of calling and conducting its meetings; the number of members which shall constitute a quorum; the mode of voting by proxy; and the tenure of office of the directors and officers and the manner of their selection and removal; and may annex suitable penalties to such by-laws, not exceeding twenty dollars for one offense; but no by-law inconsistent with law shall be made by a corporation. Special meetings of the members may be called by the president or the directors, and shall be called by the clerk, or in the case of the death, absence, incapacity or refusal of the clerk, by any other officer, upon written application of members representing at least ten percent of the smallest quorum of members required for a vote upon any matter at the annual meeting of members. In case none of the officers is able and willing to call a special meeting, the supreme judicial or superior court, upon application of said number of members, shall have jurisdiction in equity to authorize one or more of such members to call a meeting by giving such notice as is required by law.  Unless the corporation's articles of organization or by-laws otherwise provide, a member may vote in person or by proxy. No proxy dated more than six months before the meeting named therein shall be valid and no proxy shall be valid after the final adjournment of such meeting. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a member shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 6b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 6b - Notice of Actions Proposed Under Sec. 7 or Sec. 8a; Notice to Certain Non-Voting Members

Section 6B. If members of a corporation are entitled to vote on any corporate action but are not entitled to vote on action proposed under section seven or eight A, the corporation shall give to such members prior notice of any action proposed under said section seven or eight A. Such notice shall be given in any manner reasonably likely to make such members aware of the proposed action, and a defect in the giving of such notice shall not invalidate or otherwise affect such action.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 6c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 6c - Directors, Officers or Incorporators; Good Faith Performance of Duties; Liability

Section 6C. A director, officer or incorporator of a corporation shall perform his duties as such, including, in the case of a director, his duties as a member of a committee of the board upon which he may serve, in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation, and with such care as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position with respect to a similar corporation organized under this chapter would use under similar circumstances. In performing his duties, a director, officer or incorporator shall be entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or records, including financial statements, books of account and other financial records, in each case presented by or prepared by or under the supervision of (1) one or more officers or employees of the corporation whom the director, officer or incorporator reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented, or (2) counsel, public accountants or other persons as to matters which the director, officer or incorporator reasonably believes to be within such person's professional or expert competence, or (3) in the case of a director, a duly constituted committee of the board upon which he does not serve, as to matters within its delegated authority, which committee the director reasonably believes to merit confidence, but he shall not be considered to be acting in good faith if he has knowledge concerning the matter in question that would cause such reliance to be unwarranted. A director, officer or incorporator of a corporation shall not be liable for the performance of his duties if he acts in compliance with this section.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 6d (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 6d - Filing Certificate of Change Regarding Powers of Directors, Etc.

Section 6D. Following any change in the board with the power of directors, and presiding financial and recording officers with the powers of president, treasurer, and clerk, the corporation may file in the office of the state secretary a certificate of such change signed under penalties of perjury by the recording officer.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 7 - Amendment or Restatement of Articles of Organization; Change of Purposes or Name; Approval

Section 7. A corporation may authorize, by vote of two-thirds of its members entitled to vote thereon or, in the case of a corporation having capital stock, the holders of two-thirds of its capital stock entitled to vote thereon at a meeting duly called for the purpose, with notice given as provided in section six B, any amendment of its articles of organization, including a change of its purposes or name, or a restatement of its articles of organization which restatement may affect any permitted amendment; provided, however, that any provision added to or change made in its articles of organization by such amendment could have been included in, and any provision deleted thereby could have been omitted from, original articles of organization filed at the time of such meeting; and provided also, that no articles of amendment or restated articles of organization shall be approved and filed by the state secretary (i) if as a result thereof the name of a corporation subject to section twenty-six would be changed, until after approval of such change by the state secretary, or (ii) if the purposes of any corporation are to be amended to include purposes which are such that the articles of organization of a corporation newly organized under this chapter for such purposes must be approved by any department or officer of this commonwealth as a condition of organization under this chapter, until after approval of the articles of amendment or the restated articles of organization by such department or officer. Articles of amendment shall be signed and submitted to the state secretary in the manner prescribed in and subject to section seventy-two of chapter one hundred and fifty-six B, and restated articles of organization shall be signed and submitted to the state secretary in the manner prescribed in and subject to section seventy-four of said chapter one hundred and fifty-six B.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 7a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 7a - Amendment or Restatement of Articles of Organization, or Articles of Consolidation or Merger; Inability to Comply With Sec. 7 or Sec. 10; Approval

Section 7A. A corporation that is unable to comply with section seven or section ten may petition the state secretary for any amendment to its articles of organization, or for a restatement of its articles of organization, authorized by said section seven or for approval of articles of consolidation or merger authorized by said section ten. The petition shall state the relief sought and the reason for inability to comply, shall contain a list of the officers and members of the corporation, so far as they are known, and shall be signed under the penalties of perjury by an officer or member. The state secretary may require the petitioner to supply information as to what attempt, if any, has been made to secure the vote required to comply with said section seven or said section ten with respect to the proposed action, as well as any other pertinent information, and may direct the petitioner to give further notice to the persons entitled to vote, so far as they are known, by publication or otherwise, in such manner as he shall specify. If the state secretary becomes satisfied that the proposed action is approved by such persons entitled to vote as have expressed an opinion in relation thereto, or of a reasonable proportion thereof, and if he finds that the petition otherwise conforms to the provisions of law, he shall endorse his approval thereon, and the document shall be filed and otherwise dealt with in accordance with section seven or section ten as the case may be and other applicable provisions of law, and shall be treated in all respects as an amendment to or restatement of the articles of organization, or as articles of consolidation or merger as the case may be.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 9 - Evidence of Corporate Existence

Section 9. Any civic, educational, charitable, benevolent, church or cemetery organization created or organized under the laws of the commonwealth, the evidence of the corporate existence of which is not on file in the records of the state secretary by reason of the destruction of records or by reason of the fact that it was organized before such recording was required, may file such evidence with the state secretary. The evidence of corporate existence shall include, so far as originals are available, copies of agreements of association and articles of organization or similar documents, and a certificate executed by the president, treasurer, clerk and a majority of the directors, setting forth, so far as known, the history and present status of the corporation and its structure such as would have been disclosed by the filing of the original corporation documents and amendments thereto. The state secretary, if satisfied of its corporate existence, shall endorse his approval upon such copies of the agreement of association and articles of organization or similar documents and upon such certificate, and, upon receipt of a filing fee of five dollars, shall file the same in his office, and shall issue a certificate of incorporation, in such form as he shall determine, dated as of the earliest date upon which such documents shall indicate the corporation to have been in existence. Any civic, educational, charitable, benevolent, church or cemetery organization to which a certificate of incorporation is so issued shall thereafter comply with the provisions of the general laws relating to similar corporations.
MA Gen L ch 180 § 10b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XXII - Corporations|Chapter 180 - Corporations for Charitable and Certain Other Purposes|Section 10b - Consolidation and Merger; Effect; Amendments

Section 10B. Any consolidation or merger carried out in the manner specified in section ten or ten A shall have the effect set forth in section eighty of chapter one hundred and fifty-six B and the articles of merger or articles of consolidation, as the case may be, may thereafter be amended in the manner provided in this chapter.