Massachusetts Statutes

Section 23A. No trustee of any public institution of higher education operated by the commonwealth shall be eligible to be appointed to or hold any other office or position with said institution for a period of three years next after the termination of his services as such truste…

Section 24. All disclosures and certifications provided for in this chapter and made in accordance with its provisions shall be made in writing and, unless otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, shall be kept open to inspection by the public by the official with whom su…

Section 25. An officer or employee of a county, city, town or district, howsoever formed, including, but not limited to, regional school districts and regional planning districts, or of any department, board, commission or agency thereof may, during any period such officer or emp…

Section 26. (a) Any person who, directly or through another, with fraudulent intent, violates clause (2) or (4) of subsection (b) of section 23, or any person who, with fraudulent intent, causes any other person to violate said clauses (2) or (4) of said subsection (b) of said se…

Section 27. The commission shall prepare, and update as necessary, summaries of this chapter for state, county, and municipal employees, respectively, which the commission shall publish on its official website. Every state, county and municipal employee shall, within 30 days of b…

Section 28. The state ethics commission shall prepare and update from time to time the following online training programs, which the commission shall publish on its official website: (1) a program which shall provide a general introduction to the requirements of this chapter; and…

Section 29. Each municipality, acting through its city council, board of selectmen, or board of aldermen, shall designate a senior level employee of the municipality as its liaison to the state ethics commission. The municipality shall notify the commission in writing of any chan…

Section 3. (a) Whoever knowingly, otherwise than as provided by law for the proper discharge of official duty, directly or indirectly, gives, offers or promises anything of substantial value to any present or former state, county or municipal employee or to any member of the judi…

Section 4. (a) No state employee shall otherwise than as provided by law for the proper discharge of official duties, directly or indirectly receive or request compensation from anyone other than the commonwealth or a state agency, in relation to any particular matter in which th…

Section 5. (a) A former state employee who knowingly acts as agent or attorney for, or receives compensation directly or indirectly from anyone other than the commonwealth or a state agency, in connection with any particular matter in which the commonwealth or a state agency is a…

Section 6. (a) Except as permitted by this section, any state employee who participates as such employee in a particular matter in which to his knowledge he, his immediate family or partner, a business organization in which he is serving as officer, director, trustee, partner or …

Section 6A. Any public official, as defined by section one of chapter two hundred and sixty-eight B, who in the discharge of his official duties would be required knowingly to take an action which would substantially affect such official's financial interests, unless the effect o…

Section 6B. Each candidate for employment as a state employee shall be required by the hiring authority as part of the application process to disclose, in writing, the names of any state employee who is related to the candidate as: spouse, parent, child or sibling or the spouse o…

Section 7. A state employee who has a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract made by a state agency, in which the commonwealth or a state agency is an interested party, of which interest he has knowledge or has reason to know, shall be punished by a fine of not…

Section 8. No state, county or municipal employee and no person acting or purporting to act on behalf of such employee, or any state, county or municipal agency, shall with respect to any public building or construction contract which is about to be or which has been competitivel…

Section 8A. No member of a state commission or board shall be eligible for appointment or election by the members of such commission or board to any office or position under the supervision of such commission or board. No former member of such commission or board shall be so elig…

Section 8B. No member of the commonwealth utilities commission, appointed pursuant to section 2 of chapter 25, or the commissioner of telecommunications and cable shall, within one year after his service has ceased or terminated on said commission, be employed by, or lobby said c…

Section 9. (a) In addition to any other remedies provided by law, any violation of sections 2 to 8, inclusive, or section 23 which has substantially influenced the action taken by any state agency in any particular matter, shall be grounds for avoiding, rescinding or canceling th…

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise have the following meanings: ''Amount'', a category of value, rather than an exact dollar figure, as follows: greater than $1,000 but not more than $5,000; greater than $5…

Section 2. (a) There is established a state ethics commission composed of five members. At no time shall more than three members be from the same political party. (b) Three members of the commission shall be appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be designated as chair, and…

Section 3. The commission shall: (a) prescribe and publish, pursuant to chapter 30A, rules and regulations: (1) to carry out this chapter, including rules governing the conduct of proceedings hereunder; and (2) to carry out chapter 268A; provided, however, that the rules and regu…

Section 4. (a) Upon receipt of a sworn complaint signed under the penalties of perjury, or upon receipt of evidence which is deemed sufficient by the commission, the commission shall initiate a preliminary inquiry into any alleged violation of chapter 268A or 268B. At the commenc…

Section 5. (a) Every candidate for public office shall file a statement of financial interest for the preceding calendar year with the commission on or before the date on which a certificate of nomination or nomination papers for such candidate are submitted to the state secretar…

Section 6. No executive or legislative agent shall knowingly and willfully offer or give to any public official or public employee or a member of such person's immediate family, and no public official or public employee or member of such person's immediate family shall knowingly …

Section 7. Any person who violates the confidentiality of a commission inquiry under the provisions of paragraph (a) of section four of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. Any perso…

Section 8. No officer or employee of the commonwealth or of any county, city or town shall discharge an officer or employee, or change his official rank, grade or compensation, or deny him a promotion, or threaten so to do, for filing a complaint with or providing information to …

Section 1. If five or more persons, being armed with clubs or other dangerous weapons, or if ten or more persons, whether armed or not, are unlawfully, riotously or tumultuously assembled in a city or town, the mayor and each of the aldermen of such city, each of the selectmen of…

Section 10. (a) Whoever, except as provided or exempted by statute, knowingly has in his possession; or knowingly has under his control in a vehicle; a firearm, loaded or unloaded, as defined in section one hundred and twenty-one of chapter one hundred and forty without either: (…

Section 10A. Any person, other than a federally licensed firearms manufacturer, an authorized agent of the municipal police training committee, or a duly authorized sworn law enforcement officer while acting within the scope of official duties and under the direct authorization o…

Section 10C. Whoever uses tear gas cartridges, or any device or instrument which contains a liquid, gas, powder, or any other substance designed to incapacitate for the purpose of committing a crime shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than seven yea…

Section 10D. Whoever, while in the commission or attempted commission of a felony, uses or wears any body armor, so-called, or any protective covering for the body or any parts thereof, made of resin-treated glass-fiber cloth, or of any other material or combination of materials,…

Section 10E. Whoever, except as provided by law, in a single transaction or occurrence or in a series of transactions within a 12 month period, knowingly or intentionally distributes, sells, or transfers possession of a quantity of firearms, as defined in section 121 of chapter 1…

Section 10F. (a) Any person who sells, keeps for sale, or offers or exposes for sale, gives or otherwise transfers any large capacity firearm or large capacity feeding device, both as defined in section 121 of chapter 140, to a person 18 years of age or over, except as permitted …

Section 10G. (a) Whoever, having been previously convicted of a violent crime or of a serious drug offense, both as defined herein, violates the provisions of paragraph (a), (c) or (h) of section 10 shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than three yea…

Section 10H. Whoever, having in effect a license to carry firearms issued under section 131 or 131F of chapter 140, carries on his person, or has under his control in a vehicle, a loaded firearm, as defined in section 121 of said chapter 140, while with a percentage, by weight, o…

Section 10I. (a) Whoever transports a firearm, as defined in section 121 of chapter 140, into the commonwealth to use the firearm for the commission of criminal activity shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 5 years nor more than 10 years. (b) Whoever transports a f…

Section 10J. (a) Whoever in the nighttime or the daytime breaks and enters a building, ship, vessel or vehicle to steal a firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or by imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 21/2 y…

Section 10K. (a) Whoever in the nighttime or the daytime breaks and enters any building in which a firearm retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer conducts business shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 10 years or by imprisonment in the house of co…

Section 11. The state secretary shall, annually, cause to be printed, in English and in such other languages as he may deem necessary, and in large letters so as to be easily read, for use as a poster, section one hundred and thirty-one of chapter one hundred and forty and sectio…

Section 11A. For the purposes of sections 11A to 11C, inclusive, the terms ''firearm'', ''serial number'' and ''untraceable firearm'' shall have the same definitions as section 121 of chapter 140.

Section 11B. Whoever, while in the commission or attempted commission of a felony, has in their possession or under their control an untraceable firearm, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 21/2 years. Upon a conviction of a violation of this section, said firearm…

Section 11C. Whoever, by themself or with another, knowingly manufactures, assembles, imports, sells or transfers ownership of an untraceable firearm, or knowingly participates in the manufacture, assembly, import, sale or transfer of an untraceable firearm or purchases or receiv…

Section 12. Whoever manufactures or causes to be manufactured, or sells or exposes for sale, an instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as a dirk knife, a switch knife or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, ha…

Section 12A. Whoever sells to a minor under the age of eighteen or whoever, not being the parent, guardian or adult teacher or instructor, furnishes to a minor under the age of eighteen an air rifle or so-called BB gun, shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more …

Section 12B. No minor under the age of eighteen shall have an air rifle or so-called BB gun in his possession while in any place to which the public has a right of access unless he is accompanied by an adult or unless he is the holder of a sporting or hunting license and has on h…

Section 12D. (a) Except as exempted or provided by law, no person shall carry on his person on any public way a loaded rifle or shotgun having cartridges or shells in either the magazine or chamber thereof. For purposes of this section, ''loaded shotgun or loaded rifle'' shall me…