Rep. Rich Haggerty

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts election laws to mandate that official ballots must be identical to the standard paper ballots used in previous elections. By updating specific sections of the General Laws, the legislation ensures that all voting materials remain consistent with established formats. The change directly affects election officials who prepare and distribute ballots, as well as voters who rely on familiar ballot designs. The act requires no new materials or processes, simply enforcing the continued use of existing official ballot specifications.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an Energy Facilities Siting Board within the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to oversee the approval of major energy projects. The board will evaluate the environmental and public health impacts of transmission lines, gas pipelines, storage facilities, and oil facilities while considering costs and local resident wellbeing. For generating facilities like power plants, the board will focus solely on environmental impacts, leaving market forces to determine the need and cost. The legislation also requires the board to consult with the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Public Health when specific environmental or health concerns are raised.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies state education laws to impose a three-year waiting period if the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education rejects a charter school's request to expand into new school districts. The key provision ensures that a rejected expansion application automatically pauses any future attempts to add new districts to the school's charter for three years. This change directly affects charter schools seeking to grow their geographic reach and the state agency responsible for reviewing those requests.

By Representative Haggerty of Woburn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2189) of Richard M. Haggerty relative to utilization of the prescription monitoring program. Public Health.

Maddy summaryThis law establishes a mandatory educational diversion program in Massachusetts for minors charged with specific offenses related to possessing or sharing sexual images, commonly known as sexting. The Attorney General will lead the creation of this program in collaboration with various state agencies and community groups, focusing on informing youth about legal penalties, social consequences, and the risks of online image sharing. If a child is charged with these offenses, the court will typically pause legal proceedings to require the completion of this program instead of immediate prosecution, unless the district attorney objects. Successful completion of the program allows the case to be dismissed, while failure to participate results in the case being restored for standard legal processing. Additionally, the bill expands the legal definition of abuse to include "coercive control" and requires schools to teach media literacy skills using materials from the new diversion program.

By Representative Haggerty of Woburn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2821) of Richard M. Haggerty for legislation to establish a special commission (including members of the General Court) to conduct a comprehensive study relative to generating revenue from digital advertising. Revenue.

By Representative Haggerty of Woburn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2820) of Richard M. Haggerty for legislation to further reduce the property tax liability in exchange for volunteer services. Revenue.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to prohibit the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops in Massachusetts. It achieves this by amending state laws to ban licensed pet shops from selling or offering these specific animals for adoption. The legislation directly affects businesses that operate as new pet shops and would prevent them from acting as sources for these pets. By restricting sales in this manner, the bill aims to reduce the number of animals sold in commercial settings.

Senate, 13, 2024 -- The committee on Environment and Natural Resources, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 549) of Patrick M. O'Connor, Adam Scanlon, Jack Patrick Lewis, Michael O. Moore and other members of the General Court for legislation to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in new pet shops; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 550) of Patrick M. O'Connor, Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., Steven S. Howitt, John F. Keenan and other members of the General Court for legislation banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet shops; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 826) of Natalie M. Higgins, Kimberly N. Ferguson and others for legislation to further regulate the retail sale of certain domestic animals in new pet shops, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2820).

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a comprehensive educational diversion program to address the legal and social consequences of adolescents sharing sexual images, commonly known as sexting. It requires the Attorney General to create this curriculum in collaboration with state education and youth services departments, which will be used to divert minors from court proceedings if they are charged with related offenses. The program also mandates that schools integrate media literacy instruction using the same materials to help students understand the risks of online image sharing. Additionally, the legislation expands the legal definition of abuse to include coercive control and increases fines for certain offenses.