Chapter 23D

Section 1. As used in this chapter the following words shall, unless the context requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Applicant'', any legal entity, or person seeking assistance pursuant to this chapter for an employee involvement or employee ownership project, or, …

Section 16. There shall be established within the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation a separate fund to be known as the Employee-Ownership Revolving Loan Fund, the proceeds of which shall be used to provide low interest long term loans to individuals for the purchase of suc…

Section 17. (a) There is hereby established a Massachusetts center for employee ownership within the Massachusetts office of business development established pursuant to section 1 of chapter 23A. The Massachusetts center for employee ownership shall provide education, conduct out…

Section 18. (a) The duties of the program of employee involvement and ownership shall be consistent with the provisions of section seventeen and shall include, but not be limited to: (1) promotion of employee involvement and employee ownership; (2) coordination with other availab…

Section 19. The director may promote and accept requests for grants for start-up employee involvement programs in state agencies, the majority of whose employees are not subject to the provisions of chapter one hundred and fifty E, authorities of the commonwealth, the Massachuset…

Section 1A. It is hereby found and declared that: There exists in the commonwealth a critical shortage of training and education programs necessary to meet the growing needs of business and industry for skilled employees and the corresponding needs of our people for opportunities…

Section 2. A Massachusetts industrial service program shall be established in the executive office of economic development, under the joint supervision of the director of business and technology, the director of the department of labor, and the director of workforce development. …

Section 21. No applicant shall receive assistance or funding from the program of employee involvement and ownership without the written consent and participation of any collective bargaining agent for the employees of the applicant's employer and, where said employees are not rep…

Section 22. The program of employee involvement and ownership shall promote the creation of area labor-management committees and assist said committees in promoting employee involvement and ownership activities in manufacturing, service, and technical industries as well as in the…

Section 23. No employee shall be disciplined, suspended, terminated, retaliated against or otherwise affected because of the employee's participation or nonparticipation in any employee involvement or employee ownership project or program or activity related to such project or pr…

Section 24. The industrial service program may, subject to appropriation or from funds made available from any other public or private source and pursuant to rules and regulations adopted pursuant to section two, provide grants-in-aid to educational institutions, not in excess of…

Section 25. Upon approval of a grant-in-aid application by the director, the program shall immediately provide notification of its decision to the department of transitional assistance and the department of labor and workforce development. Such notification shall include the foll…

Section 26. As used in sections twenty-seven to twenty-nine, inclusive, the following term shall have the following meaning:— ''Displaced homemaker'', an individual who has worked in the home for a substantial number of years providing unpaid household services for family members…

Section 27. The director of the industrial service program shall appoint members of a state-wide advisory council on displaced homemakers hereafter referred to as the advisory council established for the purpose of making recommendations relative to the implementation and monitor…

Section 28. The director with advice from the displaced homemaker advisory council shall provide for the establishment of not less than five multi-purpose service centers, designed to meet the demographic and geographic needs of the displaced homemaker population. These multi-pur…

Section 29. The director shall report annually to the governor and file a copy thereof with the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate and the advisory council on the work of the program. Such report shall include the number of people served at each cen…

Section 3. Subject to appropriation, the secretary of economic development and the secretary of labor and workforce development shall hire an executive director and such other employees as they may from time to time find necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the p…

Section 30. (a) As used in this section the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise have the following meanings:— ''Manufacturing network'', a group of five or more private sector firms engaged in trade which work cooperatively to improve competitiven…

Section 31. The industrial service program shall annually submit a complete and detailed report of the program's activities within ninety days after the end of the fiscal year to the clerk of the house of representatives, the clerk of the senate, and the governor. The annual repo…

Section 32. The books and records of the industrial service program shall be subject to an audit by the state auditor, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards, as often as the state auditor determines is necessary.

Section 33. This chapter shall be liberally construed to effect its purpose.

Section 4. The powers and duties of the Massachusetts industrial service program shall include but not be limited to: (a) assisting, upon the request of a private business, in alleviating, adverse conditions which threaten to cause a large loss of employment, plant closure, or fa…

Section 5. In performing the duties pursuant to clause (a) of section four the director may contract with private consultants either for the purpose of assessing the viability of a business likely to experience a large loss of employment, plant closure, or failure, and developing…

Section 6. In any case where the program, pursuant to clause (a) of section four is assisting a business to locate new owners, the office shall give priority to effectuating the sale of said business either to its employees or to a resident of Massachusetts. In such cases, the di…

Section 7. Any documentary materials, data, or conversations whatsoever made or received by any employee of the program and consisting of, or to the extent that such materials, data, or conversations consist of, trade secrets or commercial or financial information regarding the o…