reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 13 - Financing of the Interstate Commission

Section 13. (a) The interstate commission shall pay, or provide for the payment of, the reasonable expenses of its establishment, organization and ongoing activities.
(b) The interstate commission may levy on and collect an annual assessment from each member state to cover the cost of the operations and activities of the interstate commission and its staff which must be in a total amount sufficient to cover the interstate commission's annual budget as approved each year. The aggregate annual assessment amount shall be allocated based upon a formula determined by the interstate commission, which shall promulgate a rule that is binding upon all member states.
(c) The interstate commission shall not incur obligations of any kind prior to securing the funds adequate to meet that obligation; nor shall the interstate commission pledge the credit of any of the member states, except by and with the authority of the member state.
(d) The interstate commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements. The receipts and disbursements of the interstate commission shall be subject to the audit and accounting procedures established under its by-laws. All receipts and disbursements of funds handled by the interstate commission shall be audited yearly by a certified or licensed public accountant and the report of the audit shall be included in and become part of the annual report of the interstate commission.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 14 - Member States, Effective Date and Amendment

Section 14. (a) Any state shall be eligible to become a member state.
(b) The compact shall become effective and binding upon legislative enactment of the compact into law by no less than 10 states. The effective date shall be no earlier than December 1, 2007. Thereafter it shall become effective and binding as to any other member state upon enactment of the compact into law by that state. The governors of non-member states or the designees of non-member states shall be invited to participate in the activities of the interstate commission on a non-voting basis prior to adoption of the compact by all states.
(c) The interstate commission may propose amendments to the compact for enactment by the member states. No amendment shall become effective and binding upon the interstate commission and the member states unless it is enacted into law by unanimous consent of the member states.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 15 - Withdrawal From Compact

Section 15. (a) Once effective, the compact shall continue in force and remain binding upon each and every member state; provided, that a member state may withdraw from the compact by specifically repealing the statute that enacted the compact into law.
(b) Withdrawal from this compact shall be by the enactment of a statute repealing this compact, but shall not take effect until 1 year after the effective date of such statute.
(c) The withdrawing state shall immediately notify the chairperson of the interstate commission in writing upon the introduction of legislation repealing this compact in the withdrawing state. The interstate commission shall notify the other member states of the withdrawing state's intent to withdraw within 60 days of receiving notice.
(d) The withdrawing state shall be responsible for all assessments, obligations and liabilities incurred through the effective date of withdrawal, including the performance of obligations which extend beyond the effective date of the withdrawal.
(e) Reinstatement following withdrawal of a member state shall occur upon the withdrawing state reenacting the compact or upon such later date as determined by the interstate commission.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 16 - Dissolution of Compact

Section 16. (a) This compact shall dissolve upon the date of the withdrawal or default of the member state which reduces the membership in the compact to 1 member state.
(b) Upon the dissolution of this compact, the compact shall become null and void and shall be of no further force or effect. The business and affairs of the interstate commission shall be concluded and surplus funds shall be distributed in accordance with the by-laws.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 17 - Severability and Construction

Section 17. (a) This compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision is deemed unenforceable, the remaining provisions of the compact shall be enforceable.
(b) This compact shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes.
(c) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to prohibit the applicability of other interstate compacts to which the states are members.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 18 - Enforcement of Other Laws

Section 18. (a) Nothing in this compact shall prevent the enforcement of any other law of a member state that is not inconsistent with this compact.
(b) All member states' laws conflicting with this compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 15e - Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children › Section 19 - Binding Effect of the Compact

Section 19. (a) All lawful actions of the interstate commission, including all rules and by-laws promulgated by the interstate commission, shall be binding upon the member states.
(b) All agreements between the interstate commission and the member states shall be binding in accordance with the terms of the agreement.
(c) In the event any provision of this compact exceeds the constitutional limits imposed on the legislature of any member state, such provision shall be ineffective to the extent of the conflict with the constitutional provision of that member state.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 18 - Definitions Applicable to Secs. 19 to 24

Section 18. As used in sections nineteen to twenty-four, inclusive, the following words shall have the following meanings:—
''Commissioner'', the commissioner of the department of environmental protection.
''Department'', the department of environmental protection.
''Residual waste'', solid waste or combination of solid wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness, or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of or otherwise managed.
''Resource recovery facility'', a solid waste disposal facility utilizing processes for reclaiming the materials or energy values from solid wastes.
''Secretary'', the secretary of the executive office of environmental affairs.
''Sludge'', any solid, semisolid or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility or any other such waste having similar characteristics and effects.
''Solid waste'', garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contaminated gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include solid or dissolved materials in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges, special nuclear, or radioactive byproduct material.
''Solid waste disposal facility'', incinerator, landfill, resource recovery facility, transfer station, composting plant, sorting or processing machine or plant, recycling plant, or other sanitary means of recycling or composting solid waste approved by the department, or any combination of one or more of the above facilities and appurtenant facilities.
''Storage'', when used in connection with residual waste, the containment of residual waste, either on a temporary basis or for a period of years, in such a manner as not to constitute disposal of such residual waste.
''Treatment'', when used in connection with residual waste, any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any residual waste so as to neutralize such waste or so as to render such waste nonhazardous, safer for transport, amenable for recovery, amenable for storage, or reduced in volume. Treatment includes any activity or processing designed to change the physical form or chemical composition of residual waste so as to render it nonhazardous.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 20 - Additional Responsibilities of Department; Rules and Regulations

Section 20. It shall be the responsibility of the department to carry out the provisions of sections eighteen to twenty-four, inclusive. Said department shall conduct research and demonstration projects and shall encourage improved methods of solid waste disposal including recycling. The department may hire such experts, engineers and other personnel from such funds as shall be appropriated, as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of sections eighteen to twenty-four, inclusive. The department may, subject to the provisions of chapter thirty A, promulgate rules and regulations relating to the storage, collection, transfer, and disposal of solid waste with respect to facilities established pursuant to sections eighteen to twenty-four, inclusive.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 22 - District Assessments for Costs; Amounts; Limitations

Section 22. The department shall, after hearing, determine the amount which shall be assessed upon each city or town which is included in a district established under the provisions of section twenty-one to meet the costs, including capital costs, of operating such district. The amount so assessed shall be based upon the amount and category of solid waste originating within such city or town, or the part thereof included in such district, which is disposed of at a facility established under the provisions of this chapter in proportion to the total amount of solid waste originating within such district which is so disposed.
Cities or towns or parts thereof designated as new members of such a solid waste disposal district subsequent to the establishment of such a district will not be assessed costs under this section until such disposal service is actually rendered to that member. Assessments under this section will include a fair and equitable share of capital costs incurred by the district provided such costs can currently be allocated to such member under accepted cost accounting practices. The proportion in which each participating city and town shall annually pay money into the treasury of the commonwealth to meet expenses incurred under sections eighteen through twenty-four, inclusive, and any deficiency in the amounts previously paid in shall reflect appropriate adjustments which take into account fees paid by users other than cities and towns.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 24 - Cost Records and Estimates; Assessment of Municipalities Served; Taxation of Private Facilities; Reimbursements

Section 24. The department shall maintain records of the cost of carrying out the provisions of sections eighteen to twenty-three, inclusive, and shall notify the state treasurer of the estimated amounts of money due the commonwealth from the various municipalities served, and such amounts shall be assessed by the state treasurer and included and made a part of the sum charged to such city or town and shall be paid by such city or town into the state treasury as provided by section twenty of chapter fifty-nine provided that any such city or town may in any year anticipate in whole or in part its assessment and appropriate, raise and deposit the amount thereof with the state treasurer, and any sum so deposited shall be credited against such assessment. The department, after public hearing, shall establish and from time to time amend charges to users other than cities and towns. There shall be an annual reimbursement in lieu of taxes upon the value of any land held by the department for use as a solid waste disposal facility under this chapter to the city or town in which such land is located. The amount of said reimbursement shall be determined in accordance with sections thirteen through seventeen B of chapter fifty-eight.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 24a - Taxation of Private Resource Recovery Facilities or Landfills

Section 24A. The operator of a privately owned or operated resource recovery facility or landfill shall pay to the city or town in which the facility or landfill is located a tax of one dollar per ton of solid waste processed at the facility. Said tax shall be increased every January first, effective January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-one by the percentage increase of the Boston Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for the twelve month period ending the previous October first. Such tax shall be in lieu of all taxes, fees, charges or assessments imposed by the city or town in which the facility or landfill is located, except for real estate taxes imposed solely upon the land on which the said facility or landfill is located. For purposes of this section, a solid waste disposal facility or resource recovery facility shall not include a transfer station.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 16 - Department of Highways › Section 24b - Taxation of Private Residual Waste Treatment Facilities

Section 24B. The operator of a privately owned or operated residual waste treatment facility shall pay to the city or town in which the facility is located a fee based upon the volume of residual waste received at the facility. Such fees shall be in lieu of all taxes, fees, charges or assessments imposed by the city or town in which the facility is located, except for real estate taxes imposed solely upon the land on which the said facility is located, and shall be prescribed by municipal ordinance or by-law within limits established in the rules and regulations of the department.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 2 - Commissioner; Qualifications; Appointment and Term; Salary

Section 2. At the time of appointment, the commissioner shall be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or university and shall have had (a) not less than eight years of administrative experience of which at least three years shall have been in the organization, management or delivery of health care services; or (b) a doctorate or other degree beyond the level of baccalaureate in the field of business, economics, education, government, law, medicine, psychology, public administration, public health, public policy, social work, urban planning, or a field substantially related to one or more of the foregoing, and not less than five years of administrative experience of which at least two years shall have been in the organization, management or delivery of health care services. For the purposes of this section administrative experience shall mean service in a management or supervisory capacity. The secretary of health and human services, with the approval of the governor, shall appoint the commissioner who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor. The position of commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty and, such commissioner shall devote his full time during business hours to the duties of his office. He shall be the executive and administrative head of the department.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 2a - Powers of Commissioner Upon Declaration of Emergency

Section 2A. Upon declaration by the governor that an emergency exists which is detrimental to the public health, the commissioner may, with the approval of the governor and the public health council, during such period of emergency, take such action and incur such liabilities as he may deem necessary to assure the maintenance of public health and the prevention of disease.
The commissioner, with the approval of the public health council, may establish procedures to be followed during such emergency to insure the continuation of essential public health services and the enforcement of the same.
Upon declaration by the governor that such emergency has terminated, all powers granted to and exercised by the commissioner under this section shall terminate.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 4a - Poison Information and Control Center

Section 4A. There shall be in the department a poison information and control center to accept inquiries and provide comprehensive, full-time, centralized professional information to cities and towns of the commonwealth. The department may through agencies of the commonwealth or by contract with private hospitals, institutions, agencies, individuals or groups provide for such facilities and services as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 5 - Deputy Commissioners

Section 5. The commissioner may, with the approval of the public health council, designate the director of one or more, but not more than three, divisions as deputy commissioners, who shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by the commissioner, and he may, with like approval, designate one of the deputy commissioners to perform the duties of the commissioner during his absence or disability.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 6 - Assistant Directors, Treasurers, Superintendents, Inspectors and Other Employees

Section 6. The commissioner may, with the approval of the public health council, appoint assistant directors of divisions and epidemiologists, inspectors and other necessary employees. Persons appointed hereunder shall be subject to chapter thirty-one. The commissioner may require that a physician to be appointed under this section be certified as to his qualifications by one of the physicians' specialty boards approved by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association.
The commissioner, with the approval of the public health council, may appoint a treasurer for each institution, who shall give bond for the faithful performance of his duties, and may appoint a superintendent, physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, student nurses and other employees necessary for the proper administration of the affairs of the institution under the jurisdiction of the department and may incur all expenses necessary for the maintenance of the institutions. Subject to the bylaws of an institution under the control and supervision of the department, the commissioner may admit to the medical staff thereof physicians and other providers of health care who are not compensated by the commonwealth as either salaried employees or consultants. Such physicians and other providers of health care may directly bill patients and their health insurers or other third-party payors for the clinical services they furnish to patients at such institutions.
The superintendent of each hospital or other institution established in the department may act on behalf and in the place of the appointing authority for any action taken under the provisions of sections fifty-three to fifty-seven, inclusive, of chapter thirty and for any action taken under sections nine A, nine B and nine D of chapter thirty and sections forty-three, forty-five and forty-six A of chapter thirty-one, relative to the discharge, removal, suspension and lay-off of a person. For all other purposes, the commissioner shall be the appointing authority; provided, however, that he may delegate preliminary authority to negotiate collective bargaining agreements and other matters relative to the right of employees to organize, negotiate and bargain with employers under section five of chapter one hundred and fifty A and section one hundred and seventy-eight F of chapter one hundred and forty-nine and other applicable statutes.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 6a - Training Programs for Residents in Medical Specialties; Fellowships

Section 6A. Under the supervision of the commissioner, superintendents of hospitals under the control and supervision of the department may establish programs for the training of residents in medicine, and in such other specialties and subspecialties of medicine as he may deem necessary. The persons undergoing such training shall be designated as fellows and shall be eligible for training grants from the commonwealth, which grants shall be exempt from the provisions of chapter sixty-two. Recipients of said grants shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one and shall not be deemed to be employees of the commonwealth. Approval of said training program by the personnel administrator shall be required in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-eight of chapter seven.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 7 - District Health Officers

Section 7. The commissioner, with the approval of the public health council, shall appoint a district health officer for each health district provided in section four of chapter one hundred and eleven. Such officers shall be graduates of incorporated medical schools, admitted to practice in the commonwealth, or shall have had at least five years' experience in public health duties and sanitary science, shall give their entire time to the performance of their duties, and shall be subject to chapter thirty-one.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 7a - Public Health Officers; Eligibility; Salaries

Section 7A. The commissioner, with the approval of the secretary of health and human services, may designate certain physicians and dentists employed by the department as public health officers; provided, however, that there shall be not more than ten public health officers in the department at any one time. In order to be eligible to be designated as a public health officer, an employee shall have received a doctor of medicine, doctor of dental medicine or equivalent degree from an accredited medical or dental school, and shall be fully registered to practice medicine or dentistry in the commonwealth, and shall be serving in a management position classified as a program manager specialist allocated to Job Group M–VII, M–VIII, M–IX, M–X, M–XI or M–XII in the management salary schedule in section forty-six C of chapter thirty. The salaries of the positions in which public health officers are serving shall, however, be determined in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (5A) of said section forty-six C and shall not be subject to paragraph (4) of section forty-five of said chapter thirty.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 11 - Commission on Hypertension

Section 11. There shall be in the department, but in no manner subject to its control, a commission on hypertension, hereinafter called the commission. The commission shall consist of three persons to be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the council, who shall be members of the medical profession experienced in the fields of cardiovascular disease or public health, to serve for terms of one, two and three years, respectively, as he may designate. Upon the expiration of the term of a member, his successor shall be appointed in like manner for a term of three years. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall receive necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties. The chairman of the commission shall be elected by the members. Said commission shall keep informed of the research program relative to high blood pressure and its control established in the Lemuel Shattuck hospital, and may recommend any legislation it deems necessary to assist and promote said program.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 16 - Office of Violence Prevention; Duties

Section 16. There shall be in the department an office of violence prevention whose purpose shall be to coordinate and expand violence prevention activities, to reduce the incidences of interpersonal violence and intentional injury.
The duties of said office shall consist of the following:
(1) To integrate a violence prevention focus within the department of public health and those agencies which receive funding from the department;
(2) To develop collaborative relationships with other state agencies which are interested or active in the reduction of interpersonal violence including child abuse, youth violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and elderly abuse;
(3) To integrate violence prevention education into substance use and abuse prevention programs;
(4) To support the development of comprehensive community-based violence prevention initiatives within cities and towns across the state; and
(5) To develop sources of funding to maintain the office and expand its activities.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 18 - Bureau of Substance Addiction Services; Telephone Helpline; Website

Section 18. (a) There shall be a bureau of substance addiction services within the department.
(b) The bureau shall establish and advertise a free, anonymous and confidential toll-free telephone helpline that provides comprehensive, accurate and current information and referrals related to addiction treatment and prevention services. The helpline shall inform adult and juvenile callers on: (i) acute treatment service facilities and transitional support service facilities that have open beds; (ii) outpatient resources; and (iii) community-based services. The helpline shall be a resource for emergency departments, health centers, families, social workers and medical professionals to obtain information on how to get treatment for an individual who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. The administration of the helpline shall be coordinated with other departments and agencies to prevent the duplication of similar services. The operation of the helpline may be contracted to third parties; provided, however, that any such contracts shall be performance-based and subject to approval by the commissioner.
(c) The bureau shall establish a website that informs the public of acute treatment service facilities and transitional support service facilities that have open beds. The bureau shall update the website daily. The website shall provide the following information about each facility that has an open bed: (i) the name, address, telephone number and website of the facility; (ii) information about the types of payment that the facility accepts; and (iii) a description of the types of programs and services provided at the facility. The website shall also provide information about services available in each region of the commonwealth including, but not limited to, alcohol and drug free housing as defined in section 18A, outpatient services and community-based services.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 19 - Regulations Relative to Coordination of Care and Management; Discharge Planning for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs

Section 19. The department shall promulgate regulations relative to coordination of care and management that includes effective discharge planning for substance use disorder treatment programs subject to licensure or approval under sections 24 and 24D of chapter 90, sections 6 and 6A of chapter 111B and section 7 of chapter 111E. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, a requirement that such substance use disorder treatment providers shall:
(1) provide enhanced care coordination and management, which shall include effective discharge planning that engages and educates the patient and the patient's outpatient medical and psychiatric providers to ensure continuity of care;
(2) provide a discharge plan to each client leaving a licensed substance use disorder treatment program, which shall include recommended follow-up treatment, contact information for certified alcohol and drug free housing pursuant to section 18A, additional resources for substance use disorder treatment, including information on United States Food and Drug Administration-approved medication assisted-treatment and the availability of such treatments in each geographic region of the commonwealth, resources for workforce options, information and links to community and social supports and information on family support services;
(3) provide patient specific treatment that is individualized based on the patient's past history of treatment, medical history, psychiatric history and social history;
(4) facilitate transitions from more intensive to less intensive treatment based on the patient's needs and response to treatment;
(5) upon admission, acquire informed consent from each patient regarding the risk and benefit of all medication assisted treatment options, as well as the risk and benefit of not receiving treatment;
(6) provide information to the patient prior to discharge about the patient's option to file a voluntary non-opiate directive form pursuant to section 18B of chapter 94C; and
(7) provide regular monitoring of patients' behavior and addressing relapse risks.
A discharge plan shall not include a referral or recommendation to alcohol and drug free housing unless such housing is certified pursuant to section 18A.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 20 - Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance Fund

Section 20. There shall be established and placed within the department of public health a fund to be known as the Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance Fund, in this section referred to as the fund, to support innovative practices to prevent domestic and sexual violence and provide assistance to victims of domestic violence in the commonwealth. The fund shall be credited any appropriations, bond proceeds or other monies authorized by the general court, which may properly be applied in furtherance of the objectives of the fund, domestic and sexual violence prevention and victim assistance assessments, as specified in section 8 of chapter 258B, and any other monies which may be available for the purposes of the fund from any other source or sources. Any revenues, deposits, receipts or funds received shall be deposited in the fund and shall be available for the purposes described in this section, without further appropriation. Money remaining in the fund at the end of the year shall not revert to the General Fund.
The fund shall be under the control of the department of public health and not subject to appropriation. The fund shall be used for innovative practices, which shall include, but not be limited to: (i) community-based domestic and sexual violence prevention and assistance programs and service providers; (ii) multi-disciplinary teams addressing victims of domestic and sexual violence at high risk of homicide or fatality; and (iii) other programs and service providers that support victims of domestic and sexual violence.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 17 - Department of Public Health › Section 21 - Promulgation of Regulations Relative to Patient Access to Hospital Emergency Rooms or Departments Requiring Hospitals to Meet Minimum Criteria and Standards That Ensure Safe, Timely and Accessible Patient Access to Hospital Emergency Rooms or Departments at All Times

Section 21. The department of public health shall promulgate regulations relative to patient access to hospital emergency rooms or departments that would require all hospitals in the commonwealth to meet minimum criteria and standards that ensure safe, timely and accessible patient access to hospital emergency rooms or departments at all times. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to: (a) criteria and standards related to: (1) legible indoor and outdoor signage; (2) indoor and outdoor lighting; (3) best-practice wayfinding signage; and (4) security and monitoring of all emergency department access points; (b) minimum requirements for proper security monitoring of any prominent hospital door or entrance that is locked at night and through which a patient may try to enter; and (c) any other safety feature that the department deems necessary to ensure daytime or nighttime entry to an emergency room or department.
In promulgating the regulations, the department shall: (a) ensure that all patients, including patients at all levels of physical, sensory and brain-based function, are able to access hospital emergency rooms or departments; and (b) consider the most-current published industry standards and best practices, including, but not limited to, standards under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, local codes, regulations, including regulations promulgated by the architectural access board, and any guidance or resources from the Facility Guidelines Institute Inc. and the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 2b - Educational Program; Services

Section 2B. (a) Subject to appropriation, the department of transitional assistance shall create an educational program to be implemented in each department of transitional assistance office. The educational program shall: (i) provide financial education information as described in this section and assist in the development of economic independence goals under section 15 of chapter 118; (ii) inform the recipient of available transportation options; (iii) identify available education and training resources available to the recipient; (iv) educate the recipient about proper card usage, card and PIN security and penalties for abuse or fraud associated with trafficking or fraudulent representation of need of transitional aid; (v) educate the recipient about the advantages of having a bank account and basic financial management; (vi) identify local job opportunities, where available; and (vii) educate the recipient about other topics that the department considers appropriate.
(b) As part of the program, in consultation with the department of higher education, the community college system, the public university system, and the University of Massachusetts system, the department shall maintain in each local office an up-to-date list, which shall include: (i) a description of all educational certificate programs and higher education programs, which may be available to the recipient; (ii) financial aid officials at public institutions of higher education; and (iii) financial aid programs, including, but not limited to, scholarships, grants, loans and work study programs. The program shall also counsel children age 14 and older, whose parents receive transitional aid for families with dependent children, on how to access higher education without incurring debt.
(c) As part of the program, the department shall provide recipients with a list of already existing free or low-cost financial education programs. In developing the list of financial education programs, the department shall collaborate with the office of the state treasurer, the Massachusetts Credit Union League, the Massachusetts Bankers Association, the Midas Collaborative, the Moving from Debt to Assets program and the Massachusetts Financial Education Collaborative. Any financial education program included on the recommended program list shall, at a minimum, provide guidance on: (i) tracking daily spending habits; (ii) preparing a monthly budget; (iii) identifying ways to decrease spending; (iv) identifying ways to increase income; (v) listing and prioritizing financial goals; and (vi) recognizing how to create a plan to achieve financial goals.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 3 - Commissioner; Appointment; Qualifications; Salary

Section 3. The department shall be under the direction, supervision and control of a commissioner of transitional assistance, in this chapter called the commissioner. The secretary of health and human services shall appoint, with the approval of the governor, the commissioner who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor. At the time of appointment, the commissioner shall be a graduate of an accredited four-year college or university and shall have had not less than ten years of administrative experience; or not less than eight years of administrative experience of which at least three years shall have been in the organization, management or delivery of human services; or a doctorate or other degree beyond the level of the baccalaureate in the field of business, economics, education, government, law, medicine, psychology, public administration, public health, public policy, social work, urban planning, or a field substantially related to one or more of the foregoing, and not less than five years of administrative experience of which at least two years shall have been in the organization, management or delivery of human services. For the purposes of this section, ''administrative experience'' shall mean service in a management, or supervisory capacity. The position of commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty, and said commissioner shall devote full time during business hours to the duties of the office.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 4 - Deputy Commissioner; Assistant Commissioners; Qualifications; Salaries; Succession; Bond

Section 4. The commissioner shall appoint a deputy commissioner and such assistant commissioners, not to exceed four in number, as the commissioner may determine to be necessary or desirable to carry out the work of the department. The deputy and assistant commissioners shall be assigned areas of responsibility to be specified by the commissioner. At the time of appointment the deputy commissioner and each such assistant commissioner shall possess qualifications of training and experience generally similar to those required of the commissioner or otherwise suitably preparing him for the work of his office. The position of deputy commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty. The positions of assistant commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty.
The deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioners shall devote their full time during business hours to the duties of their respective offices. If the office of the commissioner becomes vacant, the deputy commissioner shall discharge the duties and have the powers of the commissioner. During the absence or disability of the commissioner, the deputy commissioner shall discharge the duties and have the powers of the commissioner; and, if the office of the deputy commissioner is vacant or if the deputy commissioner is absent or disabled at the same time as the commissioner, an assistant commissioner designated by the commissioner shall discharge the duties and have the powers of the commissioner. The deputy commissioner and each assistant commissioner shall give a bond to the state treasurer for the faithful performance of his duties in such sum as the comptroller may prescribe.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 5b - False Representations or Failure to Disclose Facts; Penalty

Section 5B. Any person or institution which knowingly makes a false representation or, contrary to a legal duty to do so, knowingly fails to disclose any material fact affecting eligibility or level of benefits to the department of public welfare or its agents, for the purpose of causing any person, including the person making such representations, to be supported in whole or in part by the commonwealth, or for the purpose of procuring a payment under any assistance program administered by the department, shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year.
Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing the institution of criminal proceedings for the violation of any other law of the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 5c - Vendors' Bill for Services; Perjury

Section 5C. Any vendor under any assistance program administered by the department shall submit to the department, within six months of the last day of the month in which such service was rendered, a bill for the same; except that, in cases in which services have been rendered in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-four A of chapter one hundred and seventeen, said bill shall be submitted to the department within six months after the date on which the request for assistance has been approved. The department shall verify the accuracy of bills submitted under this section through the application of statistical sampling methods. For the purposes of this chapter a vendor shall be any person or institution providing services in connection with any assistance program administered by the department. All vouchers submitted by a vendor shall be signed under the penalties of perjury.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 5d - Vendors; Violations

Section 5D. Any vendor procuring a payment under any assistance program administered by the department who violates any of the provisions of section five B or of sections twenty-one A to twenty-one G, inclusive, of chapter one hundred and eighteen E shall be ineligible to participate further in the program for a period of three years next subsequent to the date of conviction for said violation; provided, however, that a vendor shall not be considered in violation of said section five B or of said sections twenty-one A to twenty-one G, inclusive, upon submission of proof, to the satisfaction of the commissioner, that such violation was due solely to a clerical or administrative error.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 5e - Return of Unlawful Payments

Section 5E. Any recipient or vendor who receives payment under any assistance program administered by the department, to which he is not entitled, shall return such payment to the commonwealth by paying the same to the state treasurer as soon as demand is made upon him.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title II - Executive and Administrative Officers of the Commonwealth › Chapter 18 - Department of Transitional Assistance › Section 5f - Father's Leaving Family to Obtain Assistance; Penalty

Section 5F. A father who leaves his family for the purpose of qualifying them for assistance under any of the programs administered by the department shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than three months.