reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 18b § 14 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 14 - Area Boards; Selection Committee; Lists of Prospective Members; Approval; Appointment

Section 14. To facilitate the appointment of the members of the area board, the commissioner shall appoint in each area a selection committee of seven members, who shall be residents of or workers in the area, and who shall be interested in and knowledgeable about social services. No employees of the department shall be on said selection committee. The selection committee shall file a list of not more than fifty names, selected in accordance with the provisions of section 13, with the commissioner. If said committee fails to file such list within thirty days of its appointment, the commissioner shall within thirty days appoint the members of the area board, subject to the provisions of section 13. If said list is so filed, the commissioner shall approve and appoint from said list twenty-one persons as members of the area board. If the commissioner disapproves of any name on said list, another person or persons not on said list may be appointed to the area board, subject to the provisions of section 13.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 15 - Area Boards; Powers and Duties

Section 15. The area board shall have the following duties and powers:  (a) to act as the representative of the citizens of the area;  (b) to advise regarding local needs and resources in the development of comprehensive social services for children and families;  (c) to advise in the recruitment and selection of the area director and assistant area director to be appointed by the commissioner; provided that the commissioner may designate a person to act as area director for a period not to exceed three months in any case in which such office shall be vacant, and  (d) to review and approve the annual area plan and to make recommendations concerning the annual budget for the comprehensive social services for children and families of the area;  (e) to review arrangements and contracts for programs and services which are a part of the program of the area;  (f) to consult with the commissioner and area director in personnel recruitment and appointment policies within the area, in the establishment of program priorities for the area, and in policies regarding relationships with other agencies and organizations;  (g) to receive funds under contracts or other agreements from community sources, including municipalities, as authorized for the rendering of services in collaboration with such municipal or other community or private agencies providing cooperative or complementary services;  (h) to discuss any matters concerning the area program;  (i) to hold at least four regular meetings in each year and to convene special meetings on the call of the president, or ten members of the board, or the area director. The area director shall be notified of, and may participate in, all meetings, but shall not vote;  (j) to select from their members annually a president and such other officers as they may deem appropriate. The area board shall adopt rules for their proper organization and for procedures at meetings. Such rules and any subsequent amendments thereto shall be submitted to the commissioner for approval.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 16 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 16 - Statewide Advisory Council

Section 16. There shall be a statewide advisory council which shall consist of one member from each area board, elected by the members thereof, to serve for a term of one year. Said council shall advise the commissioner in matters of statewide interest relating to the delivery of social services for children and families. At least one such member shall be a member from the financial or business professions with special fiscal or budgetary skill.  The council shall work to facilitate the medical evaluation process and recruitment of physicians, dentists and mental health professionals to medically screen and evaluate children newly admitted to foster care. To accomplish this goal the council shall consult with pediatricians, family practice physicians or a nurse practitioners, dentists, psychiatrists, psychologists or licensed independent clinical social worker therapists, the family and probate court, the juvenile court, and the Massachusetts medical assistance program. The council shall report annually on or before December 31 to the commissioner any recommended changes to the department's regulations or policies that would facilitate the medical evaluation process and recruitment of necessary personnel.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 17 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 17 - Centers for Children and Families

Section 17. The department may establish centers for children and families in any facility owned or rented by the commonwealth other than state schools, hospitals or prisons, in any area if space is available or suitable for the purpose and shall, if feasible, locate these centers in a facility utilized by an agency of the commonwealth providing human services. If suitable space is not available, the department may acquire adequate space for such centers by renting, leasing or other available means. Each area shall be responsible for the delivery of services within its area. The centers shall be of sufficient number and so located as to be readily accessible to the people throughout the commonwealth.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 18 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 18 - Trust Funds; Investment Deposits; Expenditures

Section 18. The commissioner may receive funds in trust for the use of children born out of wedlock or other persons under the care or supervision of the department. The commissioner shall deposit such funds in savings banks in the commonwealth or in savings accounts in trust companies or national banks therein, or in paid-up shares and accounts of and in co-operative banks, or may use said funds to purchase share accounts of federal savings and loan associations located in the commonwealth and, when necessary, make expenditures from said funds for the benefit of or on behalf of the ward. All such funds received by the commissioner under this section shall be deposited in interest bearing accounts.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 19 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 19 - Unclaimed Money of Former Wards; Annual Pay Over to State Treasurer; Disposition

Section 19. Annually on or before November thirtieth, the commissioner shall pay to the state treasurer all unclaimed money held by the department for the benefit of any former ward of the department whose whereabouts is then unknown and has been unknown for seven years subsequent to his coming of age. At the time of so paying over any such money, the commissioner shall certify to the comptroller the amount of such money then held for the benefit of each former ward, his full name, age, if known, and last known address, the names of his parents, if known, and such further information as the commissioner deems relevant; and said comptroller shall make and keep a record thereof.  The state treasurer may receive from the commissioner the unclaimed money paid over under this section and shall hold it as a separate fund. Upon certificate of the comptroller that a claim thereto satisfactory to him shall have been established and approved in writing by the attorney general, the state treasurer shall pay to any former ward, or to his guardian or conservator in case of his mental or other legal disability, or to his legal representatives in case of his death, the amount of money held for his benefit and paid over to the state treasurer under this section, without any accumulations accruing thereto after such payment, out of the principal of the fund in which the money so claimed was held as aforesaid. The said funds, if in cash, shall be invested safely by the state treasurer, or, if in securities he may hold them in their original form or, upon the approval of the governor sell them and reinvest the proceeds in securities which are legal investments for the commonwealth sinking funds. He shall be held responsible for the faithful management of said trust funds in the same manner as for other funds held by him in his official capacity.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 20 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 20 - Funds; Advancement and Disbursement; Reports

Section 20. Notwithstanding section 22 of chapter 29 or any other law, funds made available by appropriation or otherwise for enabling the department to carry out the provisions of this chapter may be advanced to the department in such sums and subject to such rules and regulations as the comptroller may determine. The department shall make a monthly report to the comptroller of the amount of funds disbursed by the department subsequent to the previous monthly report and shall certify to the comptroller that such disbursements are substantiated by detailed records and vouchers retained in the custody of the department.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 21 - Adoption Subsidy Program

Section 21. The department shall establish an adoption subsidy program for the purpose of facilitating the adoption of children with special needs who are in substitute care and who would not otherwise be placed in an appropriate adoptive home or be adopted. The department acting under such program shall take into consideration the circumstances of the adopting parents and the needs of the child being adopted and the department shall determine the amount to be paid by the department to the adoptive parents.  The department shall promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this section.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 24 - High-Risk Children; Racial Disproportion; Procurement of Services; Children Transitioning Out of System; Semi-Annual Report

Section 24. The commissioner shall report semi-annually on: (i) the status of high-risk children and the department's efforts to identify such children and address their needs for child protection; (ii) the status of racial disproportionality and disparity of the department's client population and its efforts, including the use of culturally competent staffing, resources and practices, to reduce overrepresentation of children of color in the child welfare system; (iii) the status of the department's procurement of services; and (iv) the status of children who, due to their age, are transitioning out of the child welfare system. The reports shall be filed with the clerks of the senate and the house, the senate and house committees on ways and means, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, the office of the child advocate, and the governor.
MA Gen L ch 18b § 25 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18b - Department of Social Services|Section 25 - Multiple 51a Reports; Quarterly Report

Section 25. In addition to the immediate notification required under subsection (n) of section 7, the commissioner shall report quarterly on the total number of cases of multiple 51A reports reviewed by the department under subsection (r) of section 51B of chapter 119, the types of those cases, and their resolutions. The report shall be filed with the governor, the clerks of the senate and the house, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, and the child advocate.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 1 - Definitions

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:  ''Advisory council'', the child advocate advisory council established in section 4.  ''Child advocate'', the child advocate appointed under section 3.  ''Critical incident'', (i) a fatality, near fatality or serious bodily or emotional injury of a child who is in the custody of or receiving services from an executive agency or a constituent agency; or (ii) circumstances which result in a reasonable belief that an executive agency or a constituent agency failed in its duty to protect a child and, as a result, the child was at imminent risk of, or suffered serious bodily or emotional injury or death.  ''Department'', the department of children and families.  ''Executive agency'', a state agency within the office of the governor, including the executive office of education, the executive office of public safety and security, executive office of health and human services, and their constituent agencies, the Massachusetts interagency council on housing and homelessness and the executive office of housing and economic development.  ''Office'', the office of the child advocate.  ''Serious bodily or emotional injury'', an injury which involves a substantial risk of death, extreme physical pain, protracted and obvious disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ or mental faculty or emotional distress.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 2 - Office of the Child Advocate; Duties

Section 2. There shall be an office of the child advocate which shall be independent of any supervision or control by any executive agency. The office shall:  (a) ensure that children involved with an executive agency, in particular, children served by the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, receive timely, safe and effective services;  (b) ensure that children placed in the care of the commonwealth or receiving services under the supervision of an executive agency in any public or private facility shall receive humane and dignified treatment at all times, with full respect for the child's personal dignity, right to privacy, and right to a free and appropriate education in accordance with state and federal law;  (c) examine, on a system-wide basis, the care and services that executive agencies provide children;  (d) advise the public and those at the highest levels of state government about how the commonwealth may improve its services to and for children and their families; and  (e) impose temporary cost share agreements, as necessary pursuant to section 16R of chapter 6A to ensure children's timely access to services.  The office shall act to investigate and ensure that the highest quality of services and supports are provided to safeguard the health, safety and well-being of all children receiving services. The office shall examine systemic issues related to the provision of services to children and provide recommendations to improve the quality of those services in order to give each child the opportunity to live a full and productive life.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 4 - Child Advocate Advisory Board; Duties and Salary of Child Advocate

Section 4. There shall be a 25–member child advocate advisory council. The advisory council shall consist of the child advocate, who shall serve as chair, the secretary of health and human services, the secretary of public safety and security, the secretary of education, the commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services, the undersecretary of criminal justice from the executive office of public safety and security, the commissioner of early education and care, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of developmental services, the commissioner of public health, the commissioner of children and families, the commissioner for the deaf and hard of hearing, the commissioner for the blind, the commissioner of transitional assistance, the commissioner of youth services, the deputy commissioner of the child support enforcement division within the department of revenue, the president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, the commissioner of probation, the chief counsel of the committee for public counsel services, the chief justice of the superior court department, the chief justice of the juvenile court department, the chief justice of the probate and family court department, the executive director of the child abuse prevention board, and 3 persons appointed by the governor.  The child advocate shall meet with the advisory council at least annually and shall present to the advisory council the annual goals of the office and its plans for monitoring the work, including the continuing quality improvement, of the child service agencies and the identification of any critical gaps and issues relating to interagency collaboration. The child advocate may consult with or request the assistance of members of the advisory council with respect to the duties and responsibilities of the office; provided however, that any request for assistance shall not place requirements on any member of the council to fulfill the request.  The advisory council shall annually set the salary of the child advocate; provided, however, that such salary shall not exceed 90 per cent of the salary of the chief justice of the supreme judicial court.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 6 - Access to Facilities and Records; Release of Information

Section 6. The child advocate or his designee shall have access at any and all reasonable times to any facility, residence, program, or portion thereof, that is operated, licensed or funded by an executive agency, and shall have unrestricted access to all electronic information systems records, reports, materials and employees in order to better understand the needs of children in the custody of the commonwealth or who are receiving services from an executive agency. The child advocate shall have access to relevant records held by the clerk of the juvenile court and the clerk of the probate and family court, including the right to inspect and copy, without cost. The child advocate shall be bound by any limitations on the use or release of information imposed by law upon the party furnishing such information, except as provided in subsection (e) of section 12.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 7 - Witnesses; Documents; Subpoenas

Section 7. The child advocate may request the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents, papers, books, records, reports, reviews, recommendations, correspondence, data and other evidence that the child advocate reasonably believes is relevant. If a request is denied, the child advocate shall have the power to issue a subpoena for witnesses and the production of documents and any other data and evidence that the child advocate reasonably believes is relevant.  If any person to whom a subpoena is issued fails to appear or, having appeared, refuses to give testimony or fails to produce the evidence required, the child advocate may apply to the Suffolk county superior court to issue an order to compel the testimony and production of documents of any such witnesses. A failure to obey the order may be punished as contempt.  The district attorney may seek injunctive relief in Suffolk county superior court to defer a subpoena issued by the child advocate.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 8 - Discrimination or Retaliation; Penalties

Section 8. No discriminatory or retaliatory action shall be taken against any person who communicates with or provides information to the office. Any person who knowingly or willfully discriminates or retaliates against such a person shall be liable to such person for treble damages, costs and attorney's fees.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 9 - Procedures for Performance of Duties; Rules and Regulations

Section 9. The child advocate shall develop internal procedures appropriate for the effective performance of his duties.  The child advocate may, subject to chapter 30A, adopt, amend or repeal such rules and regulations as are deemed necessary to carry out the functions of the office.
MA Gen L ch 18c § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth|Chapter 18c - Office of the Child Advocate|Section 10 - Annual Report

Section 10. The child advocate shall report annually to the governor, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house, the senate and the house committees on ways and means, and the chairs of the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities on the activities of the office, including an analysis of the delivery of service to children, activities undertaken to implement subsection (d) of section 5, recommendations for changes in agency procedures which would enable the commonwealth to better provide services to and for children and their families and priorities for implementation of those changes to services. The report shall be made public.