Chapter 9

Section 1. (a) There shall be a department of the state secretary under the supervision and control of the state secretary, which shall be organized as provided in this chapter. The state secretary shall make a quarterly return on oath to the governor of all fees of office receiv…

Section 10A. For the administration and enforcement of chapter one hundred and ten A the state secretary may employ such assistants and other employees as are required.

Section 11. The state secretary shall have the custody of the great seal of the commonwealth; and copies of records and papers in his department, certified by him and authenticated by said seal, shall be evidence like the originals.

Section 12. He shall have the custody of the books of records of grants and conveyances of land formerly held by the commonwealth situated in the state of Maine, and of all other books and records relative thereto.

Section 13. He shall, except as otherwise provided by section four of chapter sixty-four, have the custody of all stereotype, electrotype, steel and copper plates and woodcuts, owned by the commonwealth, and may dispose of them as in his judgment the best interests of the commonw…

Section 15. The secretary shall send by first class mail to every justice of the peace or notary public a notice of the time of expiration of his commission, not more than thirty nor less than fourteen days before such expiration.

Section 15A. If a notary public, whose name has been changed by marriage or decree of court and who has failed to re-register as required by law, or a notary public or justice of the peace whose commission has expired, continues to act as such after such change of name or expirat…

Section 16. He shall annually in January send to the town clerks and registrars a list of all justices of the peace designated under section thirty-nine of chapter two hundred and seven, with the dates of expiration of their commissions and notice of any revocation of a designati…

Section 17. The state secretary shall, in addition to the special reports required by law, make an annual report describing the work of his department for the preceding fiscal year.

Section 19. The state secretary may destroy or sell such documents, records and papers as in his judgment are of no value; and if sold, the proceeds thereof shall be paid to the commonwealth. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any provision of section forty-two of chapter thirty, i…

Section 2. He may appoint a first deputy, a second deputy, and a third deputy and a fourth deputy each of whom shall perform the duties of a division head, a director of the corporation division who shall be an attorney at law, a cashier for whose conduct he shall be responsible …

Section 20A. The department of the state secretary shall publish a central register listing all notices of contracting opportunities estimated to be in excess of a sum to be determined by the secretary offered by any public agency or authority of the commonwealth or any political…

Section 20B. In order to assist in the education of citizens relating to government activities including but not limited to voter registration the department may accept gifts, contributions and bequests and in-kind contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations and fro…

Section 21. There shall be in the department of the state secretary, but in no way subject to his control, a commission on interstate co-operation, in this and the four following sections called the commission. The commission shall consist of nine members of the general court, of…

Section 22. The commission may establish such committees and advisory boards as appear desirable, to conduct conferences and formulate proposals concerning subjects of intergovernmental co-operation. Subject to the approval of the commission, the members of every such committee a…

Section 23. It shall be a primary function of the commission to further the participation of the commonwealth as a member of the council of state governments, both regionally and nationally, to confer with officials of other states and of the federal government, to formulate prop…

Section 24. The commission shall report to the general court with its recommendations for legislation, if any, annually during the month of December, and at other times when the status of its negotiations may make such report desirable.

Section 26. There shall be in the department of the secretary of state a Massachusetts historical commission, hereinafter and in sections twenty-six A to twenty-seven D, inclusive, called the commission. Said commission shall consist of the state secretary, or an officer or emplo…

Section 26A. It shall be the duty of the state archeologist to: (1) Compile and maintain an inventory of historical and archeological sites and specimens, which inventory shall not be a public record. (2) Conduct surveys and field investigations relative to the recovery and prese…

Section 26B. The following definitions shall apply to section twenty-six A, section twenty-six C, and to sections twenty-seven to twenty-seven C, inclusive:— ''Adverse effect'', (1) the destruction or alteration of all or part of a site, (2) the isolation or alteration of a site'…

Section 26C. The commission shall establish and maintain a state register of historic places, known as the state register. The state register shall contain the following properties: (1) all districts, sites, buildings, or objects determined eligible for listing or listed in the N…

Section 26D. The commission shall promulgate regulations as may be necessary for:— (1) nominating properties for listing in and removal from the state register of historic places; and (2) establishing criteria for properties to be listed in the state register of historic places. …

Section 27. The commission may request the chairman to examine certain sites and structures in the commonwealth and to make recommendations concerning their historical significance. Any such site or structure deemed by the commission to be of substantial historical significance t…

Section 27A. The commission may hold hearings, may enter into contracts with individuals, organizations and institutions for services furthering the objectives of the commission's program; may enter into contracts with local or regional associations for cooperative endeavors furt…

Section 27B. The commission shall develop historical surveys and plans in accordance with the requirements of the federal historic preservation act (Title 16, U.S.C. sections 470–470N). The commission shall be the sole agency of the commonwealth for administration of said act. Th…

Section 27C. As early as possible in the planning process of a project undertaken by a state body, or prior to a state body's funding or licensing, in whole or in part, a private project, the state body undertaking, funding or licensing such project shall notify the commission of…

Section 27D. Any person owning or in possession of a homestead or tract of land which has been owned or in the possession of his family for one hundred years or more may apply to the commission to list the homestead or tract of land in a register to be maintained by the commissio…

Section 28. The state secretary may cause either black and white or colored photographs to be made of such portraits and other important art objects in the state house as he shall determine. The original negatives of such photographs shall be stored by the Massachusetts historica…

Section 29. The state ballot law commission and the records conservation board shall be within the department of the state secretary; provided, that nothing herein shall be construed as diminishing the powers and duties conferred and imposed upon the foregoing agencies by any pro…

Section 2A. There shall be in the department of the state secretary an archives advisory commission, hereinafter called the commission. Said commission shall consist of seven members, broadly representative of the public, and of public and private institutions concerned with the …

Section 2B. The secretary shall file an annual report not later than the first Wednesday in February with the senate and house committees on ways and means containing the job classification, duties and salary of each officer and employee within the department and all personnel re…

Section 2C. The state secretary may receive and expend grants, gifts, contributions, bequests, and in-kind contributions from individuals, corporations or other business entities, foundations and from state or other governmental bodies for the purpose of furthering, expanding and…

Section 3. If the secretary is disabled from performing his official duties, his deputies shall perform the same during such disability. In the event of a vacancy in the office of secretary, the first deputy shall be continued in office, and shall perform all statutory duties of …

Section 30. There is hereby established the voting equipment loan program which shall be under the control of the state secretary. The sole purpose of said program shall be to provide, subject to appropriation, loans to municipalities to replace punch card voting systems, so-call…

Section 31. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the fees of the registers of deeds and of the assistant recorders, except as otherwise provided, to be paid when the instrument is left for recording, filing or deposit shall be subject to a surcharge of $5. …

Section 32. (a) As used in this section, the words, ''covered employer'', ''EEO–1 data report'', ''EEO–3 data report'', ''EEO–4 data report'', ''EEO–5 data report'' and ''wage data report'' shall have the same meanings as defined in section 105E of chapter 149, unless the context…

Section 4. The secretary shall appoint, and may remove, a competent person to be known as supervisor of public records. Said supervisor, under the supervision of the secretary, shall perform the duties required of the supervisor by law, and such other duties as the secretary dete…

Section 4A. The state secretary shall, at the close of each regular session of the general court, collate and cause to be printed in a single volume the following: (1) All acts and resolves passed at such session. (2) All amendments to the constitution referred at such session to…

Section 4B. The state secretary shall, at the close of each regular session of the general court, publish in pamphlet form up to 20,000 copies, of the acts and resolves passed and of any proposed amendments to the constitution passed during such session. The secretary may also ap…

Section 4C. The state secretary shall print from time to time during the session of the general court a cumulative table of changes in the general statutes, up to the date of publication, to be prepared by the counsel to the senate and the counsel to the house of representatives.

Section 4D. The state secretary shall furnish to each city and town of the commonwealth, to be preserved in a public place in the city or town, 1 copy of each of such report included in the public document series as the city or town clerk may apply for. The state secretary shall …

Section 4E. The state secretary shall annually procure copies of the proceedings of the annual encampments of the departments of Massachusetts, Grand Army of the Republic, United Spanish War Veterans, The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, Marine Corps …

Section 4F. The state secretary shall furnish to every city and town the reports of the decisions of the supreme judicial court from time to time, as published, and shall furnish to every town hereafter incorporated a full set of said decisions, the index-digest of those decision…

Section 4G. A city or town which has once been furnished with such books and documents shall not again be supplied with the same at the expense of the commonwealth. Towns may effect insurance on the books and documents for their own benefit.

Section 4H. The state secretary shall, in the distribution of laws and documents to members of the general court, effect such exchanges among members as they shall direct; and the secretary may employ such additional clerical or other assistance as may be necessary for the purpos…

Section 5. The secretary may expend not more than three thousand dollars annually for such traveling, clerical and other necessary expenses in connection with the duties required of the supervisor of public records under chapter 66.

Section 8. The secretary shall make available for inspection and copying by the federal authorities charged with the taking of the United States census such information in his possession as said authorities may desire.

Section 9A. There shall be in the department of the state secretary, but not under his supervision or control, a local election districts review commission consisting of the attorney general or his designee, the state secretary or his designee, and a person appointed by the gover…