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Public Document
No. 12
®ljr (Eommomuraltl? at MsamttyuBtttB
REPORT
OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FOR THE
Year Ending June 30, 1979
PUBLICATION OF THIS DOCUMENT APPROVED BY JOHN MANTON, ACTING STATE PURCHASING AGENT.
S0G-8- 80- 156726 Estimated Cost Per Copy $2.70
flef
c. I
®I|p (Hommflrmiraltlj of fHaHiiarijuisrttii
To //ie Honorable Senate and House of Representatives:
I have the honor to transmit herewith the report of the Department of
the Attorney General for the year ending June 30, 1978.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
P.D. 12
DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Attorney General
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
First Assistant Attorney General
Thomas R. Kiley
Assistant Attorneys General
Jose R. Allen
Nicholas P. Arenella
Charles Barry
Michael J. Barry
W. Channing Beucler
Robert Bohn
Margot Botsford
John E. Bowman 4
Jonathan Brant
Laurie Burt
James Caruso 26
Robert D. Cohan
Garrick F. Cole
John P. Corbett 21
Charles C. Corkin II
James J. Cotter 23
Leah Crothers 6
Kathleen R. Dacey 16
Stephen R. Delinsky
Ernest DeSimone
Maureen Dewan
Paul Donaher
Michael C. Donahue
Eleanor A. Dwyer 20
Irene Emerson
Joan Entmacher 2
Michael Farrington 5
Charles James Barry
James A. Fox 27
Susan Frey 15
Gloria A. Fry
Carol Fubini
Charles P. Gamer
Frank A. Gaynor
Brian F. Gilhgan
Dwight Golann 5
Paula Gold
Paul Good
Joseph P. Gordon
Alexander Gray, Jr. 9
Robert V. Greco
William F. Green 30
Steven Greenfogel
Richard Gross
Catherine Hantzis
L. Scott Harshbarger 29
Paul D. Hodge 22
William E. Howell
Edward Hughes 7
John F. Hurley
Daniel P. Jaffe
Ellen L. Janos 9
Paul Johnson
Carolyn A. Kelliher
Sally Kelly
Kevin Kirrane
Alan Kovacs 12
Kenneth Lenze 15
Steven M. Leonard
William F. Linnehan
Bernard Manning
Michael McCormack
Andrew McElaney
Denzil McKenzie
Leo McNamara
William McVey 9
James Meehan 10
Barton J. Menitove 17
Michael Meyer
Thomas H. Miller
William Mitchell
Anton T. Moehrke
John T. Montgomery
Paul J. Muello
Henry O'Connell, Jr.
Terence O'Malley
Kathleen Parker
Steven Platten
Alan Posner
Robert S. Potters"
Richard Rafferty
Mary J. Reedy
Louis Rizoli
Robert Rodophele
Barry Rosen 9
S. Stephen Rosenfeld
James. F. Ross
Barbara J. Rouse
Steven Rusconi
Anthony P. Sager
Stephen Schultz
Marc S. Seigle 28
Terry Seligman
Paul W. Shaw
David M. Siegal
Mitchell Sikora
P.D. 12
Susan K. Sloane
E. Michael Sloman 3
Barbara A. Smith
Pirska Soos
Donna Sorgi 9
Jonathan Souweine 24
Timothy Spillane^
Donald Stern 19
Helen Stewart 14
Kevin Suffern
Gail Sullivan 9
John Toomey 1
Terence M. Troyer
Carl Valvo 9
Edward Vena 9
John J. Ward
Betty Waxman
Ellen R. Weiss 18
Catherine A. White
Estelle Wing
Timothy J. W. Wise
Christopher Worthington 1
Francis Wright"
Donald P. Zerendow
Stephen Zeidman
Assistant Attorney General; Director, Division of Public Charities
Susan Sloan
Elizabeth A. Bowen
Edward J. Clancy, Jr.
Allan Gottlieb
James J. Haroulos
Leslie Hedgebeth
F. Timothy Hegarty, Jr
Michael Marks
A ssistant A ttorneys General A ssigned
to Department of Public Works
Robert Mulligan
Dean Nicastro 11
Howard Palmer
Joseph A. Pelligrino
T. David Raftery
John W. Spencer
Joseph S. Ayoub
George J. Mahanna
Assistant Attorneys General Assigned to
the Division of Employment Security
Frank J. Scharaffa
Chief Clerk
Edward J. White
Assistant Chief Clerk
Leo J. Cushing 32
Appointed June 27, 1977
Appointed July 11, 1977
Appointed August 1, 1977
Appointed August 15, 1977
Appointed September 19, 1977
Appointed September 26, 1977
Appointed October 17, 1977
Appointed October 24, 1977
Appointed January 1, 1978
Appointed January 17, 1978
Appointed February 6, 1978
Appointed March 6, 1978
Appointed April 3, 1978
Appointed May 4, 1978
Appointed May 8, 1978
Terminated July 29, 1977
Terminated August 11, 1977
Terminated September 9, 1977
Terminated September 13, 1977
Terminated October 14, 1977
Terminated November 1, 1977
Terminated February 8, 1978
Terminated March 24, 1978
Terminated March 28, 1978
Terminated March 31, 1978
Terminated April 28, 1978
Terminated June 21, 1978
Terminated August 31, 1977
Terminated March 10, 1978
Terminated May 24, 1978
Appointed April 18, 1978
Terminated December 5, 1978
P.D. 12
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P.D. 12 11
Slip (Umnmmuuralth of ittassariuuirtts
In accordance with the provisions of section 11 of chapter 12 and of
section 32 of chapter 30 of the General Laws, I hereby submit the Annual
Report of the Department of the Attorney General. This Annual Report is
my fourth filed as Attorney General of the Commonwealth and covers the
fiscal year from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978. It therefore covers the last
full fiscal year of the term for which I was elected in November of 1974.
As one might expect, the Department functioned at peak efficiency
during the final full year of my term. During the earlier years of this
administration we implemented a number of administrative changes
designed to make this Department the best possible public law office. Last
year those administrative changes were fully in effect and the programmatic
efforts of the staff reflect the success of our earlier administrative
innovations.
Perhaps the best example of this process is in the work of the Criminal
Bureau. Two years ago this Department, in cooperation with his
Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth, worked to create an
internal corruption investigative unit. In the period covered by this report,
and as a result of investigative work by that unit, this Department obtained
more than 100 indictments against fourteen individuals and five
corporations in connection with a major scandal involving the
administration of federal vocational education funds.
As noted in the Annual Report for the last fiscal year this Department
also entered into institutional relationships with the Department of
Corporations and Taxation in the area of tax enforcement and with state
and insurance industry officials involved in the area of arson detection and
prosecution. Those administrative actions bore fruit this past fiscal year.
This Department obtained more than one hundred and ten indictments
against individuals for alleged failure to file tax returns in what was
characterized as the first systematic effort to prosecute state tax delinquents
in the history of the Commonwealth. Our efforts in the area of prosecuting
those engaged in arson for profit were even more successful; in Suffolk
County alone we obtained indictments against thirty-three individuals
allegedly involved in a major arson for profit ring. Those indicted included
building owners, lawyers, insurance adjusters, law enforcement officials
and the actual arsonists. By the close of the fiscal year we had successfully
disposed of more than half of those indictments by obtaining convictions or
guilty pleas.
Our administrative innovations were productive in other areas of the
office as well. In previous reports I have noted the creation of affirmative
litigation components throughout the Department. The most graphic
illustration of the value of these units occurred this past year in the
12 P.D. 12
Government Bureau. We established an Affirmative Litigation Division in
the Bureau in April of 1975, and its single most significant accomplishment
transpired this past year when it challenged a determination by the United
States Department of Health, Education and Welfare not to reimburse the
Commonwealth for expenditures associated with various social services
programs. The Affirmative Litigation Division, acting cooperatively with
the affected agencies and the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, litigated
the validity of the HEW determination and ultimately settled the claim for
$74,701,181.00. It bespeaks the obvious but is worth noting that the monies
recovered in this single action exceed the total operating budget of this
Department throughout my term as Attorney General.
Other highlights within the Government Bureau also resulted in
significant savings for the Commonwealth and its citizens. We prevented
the elimination of the Federal Emergency Energy Assistance Program
which provides financial assistance to the needy who are faced with fuel
emergencies and we obtained an injunction preventing HEW from
eliminating $20 million in Medicaid reimbursements. Both of these matters
were handled by the Affirmative Litigation Division. Another case with
enormous financial ramifications was the successful defense of an
emergency state statute requiring auto insurance companies to return $55
million to its policyholders in the form of rebates.
Some of our successes were equally significant but involved less dramatic
amounts of money. As noted in the Annual Report, we created an Antitrust
Division within the Public Protection Bureau at the end of the last fiscal
year. In its first full year of operation that Division recovered nearly a
million dollars for the Commonwealth, its cities and towns. The
Environmental Protection Division, also within the Public Protection
Bureau, obtained the first civil penalties ever assessed under the
Massachusetts Clean Waters Act and under the state air pollution statute.
These developments augur well for future environmental enforcement
efforts, especially when considered in conjunction with our successful
defense of the State's Coastal Zone Management Plan and our equally
successful suit to enjoin the Secretary of the Interior from proceeding with
oil and gas leases in the fertile George's Bank area off the Massachusetts
coast.
The authority of this office to bring the kind of litigation highlighted in
the preceding paragraphs was also strengthened during the last fiscal year.
In our defense of the so-called "Veterans Preference" statute we faced a
challenge on the issue of whether the Attorney General had the authority to
appeal a case to the Supreme Court of the United States over the expressed
objections of the Governor and the nominal defendants in a particular case.
The Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth, acting on a question
certified to it by the highest court of the land, answered that question in the
affirmative in September of this past year, thus confirming the Attorney
General's control of the course of federal litigation and underscoring the
independence of the Department.
As the above highlights demonstrate, this Department was extremely
aggressive during the past year in its representation of the Commonwealth
and its citizens. It is my belief that our successes are due in part to the
P.D. 12 13
innovative administrative programs we have implemented and that they
should therefore continue through my second term. Obviously I could not
reduce the accomplishments of the past year to the foregoing paragraphs.
The extent of our efforts and accomplishments are really set forth instead in
the pages which follow.
MONEY RECOVERED AND SAVED
FOR THE COMMONWEALTH AND HER CITIZENS
I. MONEY RECOVERED FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TREAS-
URY
1. Rent Collected $ 134,554
2. Collections $ 629,546
3. Medicaid Fraud Restitution $ 130,000
4. Medicaid Fraud Costs & Fines $ 35,000
5. Social Security Reimbursement $74,500,000
6. Civil Penalties in Environ-
mental Protection Cases $ 72,000
7. Public Charities:
(1) Charity Filing Fees $ 85,410
(2) Solicitation Filing Fees $ 10,598
(3) Escheats $ 269,093
8. Employment Security:
(1) Overdue taxes collected $ 1,426,507
(2) Fraudulent claims recovered $ 238,772
TOTAL $77,531,480
II. MONEY RECOVERED AND SAVED FOR THE COM-
MONWEALTH'S CITIZENS
1. Eminent Domain (Difference between
the plaintiffs appraisal of the
land and the Court award) $ 5,000,000
2. Electricity Stealing Restitution $ 250,000
3. Consumer Complaint Recoveries $ 530,751
4. Savings in Rate Cases $68,000,000
5. Antitrust Recoveries $ 913,000
TOTAL $74,693,751
I. CIVIL BUREAU
CONTRACTS DIVISION
The work of the Contracts Division is generally divided into three Areas:
(A) Litigation, (B) Advice and counsel to state agencies, and (C) Contract
review.
A. LITIGATION
The Division represents state officers and agencies at all stages of
litigation involving contracts.
Chapter 258 of the General Laws is, for the most part, the controlling
14 P.D. 12
statute. Essentially, it is mandatory that all actions against the
Commonwealth be brought in Suffolk County, if the amount claimed
exceeds $2,000.00. The cases are tried without a jury and, almost
universally, are referred to a Master for hearing.
At the end of the fiscal year, there are 355 active cases in the Division.
These cases involve state highway, building or public work construction
claims. Most of these cases involve contract or specification interpretation
and entail extensive preparation and investigation. Discovery, principally
depositions and interrogatories, are mandated in all cases. Consultation
with engineers and architects is routine in every instance. The work of the
Division in the preparation and trial of contract matters continues to be
greatly facilitated by the recent augmentation of the staff with the services
of a professional engineer. His assistance in investigation, practical advice
and expertise has been invaluable to the attorneys.
Trials are prolonged, not solely because of the complexity of issues, but
also because of the fact that most cases involve at least three or four parties.
Increasingly, the trend has been toward claims alleging deficiencies in plans
and specifications necessitating separate or third party actions involving
consultant engineers.
The general economic picture has generated litigation in contesting the
award of contracts, resulting in many more allegations of failure to meet
public bidding requirements. There has been an increase in suits in which
preliminary injunctive relief is sought.
The Contracts Division has intensified its opposition to the issuance of
preliminary, or temporary, injunctive relief against the Commonwealth, its
agencies and officers. The allowance of such relief would delay normal
contract procedure and would result in increased costs. To date, we have
succeeded in defeating all attempts at securing injunctive relief.
During the last half of the fiscal year, the judicial drive to clear the back-
log in the Superior Court has resulted in increased trial activity, both in the
Jury Waived Sessions and in hearings before Masters.
BAD VICE A ND CO UNSEL TO STATE A GENCIES
Every day, the Division receives requests for assistance from state
agencies and officials. Their problems involve formation of contracts,
performance of contracts, bidding procedures, bid protests, contract
interpretation, and a myriad of other matters. Many of these agencies have
no counsel or are subdivisions of the Executive Office of Administration &
Finance.
The Division has done a considerable amount of work for the State
Purchasing Agent's Office, the Department of Public Works, Metropolitan
District Commission, Bureau of Building Construction, Group Insurance
Commission, Secretary of Transportation, Regional Community Colleges,
Data Processing Bureau, Mental Health, Youth Services, and Water
Resources.
C. CONTRACT REVIEW
We review all state contracts, leases and bonds submitted to us by state
agencies. During the fiscal year, we approved as to form a total of 2,453
P.D. 12 15
such contracts. In many cases, 285 to be exact, we rejected the documents
and approved them when the deficiencies were eliminated.
All contracts are logged in and out and a detailed record is kept.
The monthly count for the fiscal year was:
July, 1977 233
August 280
September 254
October 193
November 147
December 215
January, 1978 157
February 189
March 206
April 173
May 236
June 170
2,453
Contracts are assigned to the attorneys in rotation. The average contract
is approved within forty-eight hours of its arrival in the Division.
EMINENT DOMAIN DIVISION
The major function of the Eminent Domain Division is the
representation of the Commonwealth in the defense of petitions for the
assessment of damages resulting from land takings by eminent domain. The
Commonwealth acquires land for a variety of purposes, including rights of
way for roads, land for State Colleges, land for recreation and park
purposes, land for flood control and land for easements. The division deals
primarily with the Department of Public Works, Metropolitan District
Commission, Department of Environmental Affairs, State Colleges and
University of Massachusetts.
We also provide a legal advisor to the Real Estate Review Board to assist
in settling damage claims on takings of government-owned land for
highway purposes, and in some instances, we are called upon to testify
before the Executive Council before they will approve land damage
payments.
Advisory services, both written and oral, are rendered to practically
every state agency in existence, whether it be Executive or Legislative in
nature. Every agency which has an eminent domain or real estate question
or problem either writes or calls this division for advice, help or opinion.
Chapter 79 of the General Laws prescribes the procedure in eminent
domain proceedings. Under Chapter 79, when property is taken, the taking
agency makes an offer of settlement known as a Pro Tanto, which makes
available to the owners an amount the taking agency feels is fair and
reasonable, but reserves to the prior owners the right to proceed through the
courts to recover more money. In the event of a finding by the court or jury,
the pro tanto payment is subtracted from the verdict and the taking agency
pays the balance, with interest, running at the rate of 6% from the date of
16 P.D. 12
the taking to the date of the judgment. In years past, during the road
building boom of the sixties, land damage matters caused congestion in the
civil sessions of the Superior Court. Special land damage sessions including
summer sessions were set up to accommodate the trial of these cases and it
was the practice to refer cases to auditors for their findings. The auditor
system was not entirely satisfactory because too many cases previously tried
to auditors were retried to juries. In 1973, the Legislature passed Section 22
of Chapter 79 which provides for the trial of land damage matters to a
judge in the Superior Court jury waived in the first instance; a trial by jury
may be had first only if both parties file waivers, in writing, waiving their
right to a jury waived trial. The statute also requires the court make
subsidiary findings of fact when the case is heard. If either party is
aggrieved by the finding, they may reserve their right to jury trial by so
filing within ten days of the finding.
It has been the practice of our division to try all our matters in accord
with Section 22 before a Justice in a jury waived session. We have found, in
many instances, it is not necessary to retry the case because the findings
usually contain a clear statement of the subsidiary facts to support the
decision for the finding. Section 22 appears to be a vast improvement over
the auditor system and a means of reducing the number of land damage
cases requiring a jury trial for solution.
If occupied buildings are situated on parcels taken by eminent domain,
the occupants become tenants of the Commonwealth and the question of
rent is handled by the division, with the assistance of a Special Assistant
Attorney General plus a Rent Administrator both of whom are on loan
from the Department of Public Works temporarily assigned to the Eminent
Domain Division. It is the function of the Rent Collection staff to work
closely with the trial attorneys of this division to see to it that a proper
accounting for all rent due the Commonwealth is made at the time of the
land damage trial concerning the parcels in question. If there is no land
damage matter pending, then it is the duty of this section to collect monies
due on rent by negotiation or litigation.
Shortly, this section will be reassigned to work at and under the primary
direction of the Department of Public Works at 100 Nashua Street, Boston,
Massachusetts.
The division consists of a Chief, ten trial attorneys, six secretaries, three
investigators, one legal engineer, one rent administrator and one
administrative clerk. In addition to the trial of land damage matters, the
division has the responsibility of reviewing petitions to register land filed in
the Land Court to determine whether the Commonwealth or any of its
agencies or departments has, or may have, an interest which may be
affected by the petition. This responsibility requires the close examination
of the petitions and plans filed in connection therewith. If the
Commonwealth's interest is involved, the division insures that its interest is
fully protected and no decree issues from the Land Court without the
withdrawal of the appearance of the Attorney General.
Rental agreements, contracts, deeds and documents relating to land
under the control of any of the state's departments or agencies find their
way to the Eminent Domain Division to be approved as to form. It is also
P.D. 12 17
the function of the division to make itself available for consultation and the
rendering of advice in connection with the Commonwealth's problems
relating to land.
During the fiscal year July 1, 1977 through June 30, 1978, the following
information figures are indicative of this extremely busy division:
New Land Court Cases 132
Land Court Cases Closed 164
New Land Damage Complaints Received 106
Land Damage Cases Disposed of by Superior Court 173
Total Land Damage Cases Closed 217
Rent Owed to Commonwealth Collected $ 134,554.50
Money Saved the Commonwealth During
this Period as Indicated by the
Difference Between Plaintiffs
Appraisal and Court Award $5 million+
Pending Cases Eminent Domain Division as of
June 30,1978
Eminent Domain Cases
665
Land Court Cases
251
Rent Cases
627
Total
1,543
Breakdown of Pending Superior Court Eminent
Domain Cases by County as of June 30, 1978
Barnstable
20
Berkshire
3
Bristol
29
Essex
122
Franklin
4
Hampden
Hampshire
Middlesex
29
16
135
Norfolk
42
Plymouth
Suffolk
27
121
Worcester
117
During the administration of Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti, great
strides have been taken to make the Eminent Domain Division the most
effective it has been probably in the long history of the Attorney General's
Office. The outstanding caliber of its trial lawyers and staff has resulted in
the closing out of approximately 600 cases, the great majority by Superior
Court trial and the balance by strictly approved negotiated settlements.
Approximately $600,000 has been collected in delinquent rents owed to the
P.D. 12
Commonwealth. For the 1977 - 1978 fiscal period alone, the division's
activities resulted in a savings for the Commonwealth in excess of 5 million
dollars.*
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS DIVISION
The Industrial Accidents Division serves as legal counsel to the
Commonwealth in all workmen's compensation cases involving state
employees. Pursuant to G.L. c. 152, section 69A, the Attorney General must
approve all payments of compensation benefits and disbursements for
related medical and hospital expenses in compensable cases. In contested
cases this Division represents the Commonwealth before the Industrial
Accident Board and in appellate matters before the Superior Court and the
Supreme Judicial Court.
There were 11,742 First Reports of Injury for state employees filed
during the last fiscal year with the Division of Industrial Accidents, an
increase of 1,032 over the previous fiscal year. Of the lost time disability
cases, this Division reviewed and approved 1,777 new claims for
compensation, and 127 claims for resumption of compensation. In addition
to the foregoing, the Division worked on and disposed of 171 claims by
lump sum agreements and 31 by payments without prejudice.
This Division appeared for the Commonwealth on 666 formal
assignments before the Industrial Accident Board and before the Courts on
appellate matters. In addition to evaluating new cases, this Division
continually reviews the accepted cases; that is, those cases which require
weekly payments of compensation, to bring them up to date medically and
to determine present eligibility for compensation.
Total disbursements by the Commonwealth for state employees'
industrial accident claims, including accepted cases, Board and Court
decisions and lump sum settlements, for the period July 1, 1977 to June 30,
1978, were as follows:
General Appropriation (Appropriated to the
Division of Industrial Accidents)
Incapacity Compensation $4,762,415.46
Medical Payments 1,889,994.51
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $6,652,409.97
Metropolitan District Commission
(Appropriated to M.D.C.)
Incapacity Compensation $ 438,680.30
Medical Payments 114,143.85
TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $ 552,824.15
This Division also has the responsibility of collecting payments due the
"Second Injury Fund" set up by Chapter 152, section 65, and defending the
fund against claims for reimbursement made under Chapter 152, section 37
and 37A. During the past fiscal year this Division appeared on 67 occasions
*This figure being the difference between plaintiffs appraised value and final award.
P.D. 12 19
to defend this fund against claims for reimbursement by private insurers.
As of June 30, 1978, the financial status of this fund was:
Unencumbered Balance $ 70,836.01
Invested in Securities 825,000.00
TOTAL $ 895,836.01
Payments made to fund $ 186,703.93
Payments made out of fund 289,251.47
Pursuant to Section 1 1A (Acts of 1950, C. 639, as amended), the Chief of
this Division represents the Attorney General as a sitting member on the
Civil Defense Claims Board. This involved reviewing and acting upon
claims for compensation to unpaid civil defense volunteers who were
injured while in the course of their volunteer duties. During the past fiscal
year the Chief of this Division appeared at both sittings of this Board and
acted on 3 1 claims.
This Division also represents the Industrial Accident Rehabilitation
Board. When an insurer refuses to pay for rehabilitative training for an
injured employee, this Division presents the case to the Industrial Accident
Board on behalf of the Industrial Accident Rehabilitation Board.
During the past fiscal year the attorneys of this Divison were called upon
numerous times to assist workers in private industry who contacted this
Division regarding problems they were having with their compensation
claims against private industry and their insurers. Every effort was made to
assist these employees in resolving their difficulties or in referring them to
persons or agencies wherein the solution to their particular problems lay.
TORTS DIVISION
The Torts Division is composed of three sections: Torts, Collections, and
Petitions for Compensation for Victims of Violent Crimes.
We presently have five lawyers in addition to the Chief. There are four
investigators assigned to this division. We have a total of seven secretaries
and clerk typists. One legal assistant is presently on leave.
The procedural operation of the division continues to work efficiently
and all matters are handled on an up-to-date and current basis.
We have had favorable results for the most part in our defense and
handling of our many Tort cases. We opened 328 Tort cases in this fiscal
year. Law suits brought against the Commonwealth and its employees
totaled 173. Releases and executions received were in the sum of
$292,186.41.
There were 353 Violent Crime cases opened during the period. We have
been successful in all cases heard before the Appellate Division of the
District Courts. We desire that victims be compensated in accordance with
the provisions of the law, but we resist and defend against those we consider
to be unfounded and unwarranted.
After working with the Administrative Office of the District Courts for
almost two years, the new procedural rules that we proposed were finally
20 P.D. 12
promulgated on May 8, 1978. The necessity of court appearance on
uncontested cases is now eliminated.
The total collections received during this fiscal period amounted to
$629,546.38. A complete report of collections follows.
Departments Amount No. of Claims
Collected Processed
Mental Health $160,700.15 37
Public Health 86,232.62 227
D.P.W. 69,597.60 306
M.D.C. 8,157.68 10
Education 18,523.21 282
State Colleges 19,020.10 360
Administration & Finance 3,245.23 6
Commission for the Blind 61.80 1
Corporation & Taxation 18,769.41 1
Corrections 1,705.05 12
Environmental Management 10,100.00 2
Industrial Accidents 1,240.36 2
Labor & Industries 125.00 4
Military Division 320.00 5
Milk Control Commission 400.00 1
Public Safety 6,561.85 16
Retirement Board 150.00 5
Secretary of State 394.72 7
Soldiers' Home 4,974.32 1
Treasury 79,896.44 8
Treasury
(Probate Collection) 139,370.83 —
TOTAL $629,546.38 1,293
NOTE: 929 No. of claims being paid on account
364 No. of completed claims (paid & closed)
553 No. of claims opened
1,597 No. of claims referred
2,319 No. of claims disposed of as being uncollectible
II. CRIMINAL BUREAU
In fiscal 1977-1978, the Criminal Bureau was comprised of the following
components: Trial Section, Appellate Section, Nursing Home Task Force,
Organized Crime Unit, Violent Crime Unit, Drug Abuse Division and
Division of Employment Security. The traditional responsibilities
continued, but with greatly expanded efforts in the prosecution of arson,
public corruption, tax violation and nursing home fraud.
Trial Section: In addition to prosecuting economic crime cases ranging
from welfare provider fraud, insurance fraud, banking law violations,
conflict of interest violations, larceny and small loans violations, the Trial
Section launched a massive attack on the problem of arson, particularly in
Suffolk County. In the Fall of 1977, this investigation culminated in the
return of 121 indictments against 33 individuals. Among the crimes charged
were arson, burning to defraud and murder, and among the defendants
were attorneys, real estate investors and public officials. There have already
been several convictions after trial, and several more pleas of guilty, with
sentences being meted out of up to 18 to 20 years.
In the preceding fiscal year, a major investigation into the abuses of the
Commonwealth's state tax system had been undertaken. That investigation
has now seen greater activity in the prosecution of tax violations than had
ever occurred in the history of the Department. In a twelve month period.
P.D. 12 21
113 indictments were returned containing 1,230 counts against 56
individuals and corporations, involving over $900,000.
New ground was also broken in the prevention of "electricity stealing."
During the fiscal year, 57 indictments were returned related to the
tampering with electric meters in order to defraud the electric company. A
conservative estimate would indicate that over a quarter of a million dollars
has been recovered by way of restitution and fines. Also of note is the
exhaustive investigation into corruption within the Commonwealth's
Vocational Education program. Over 100 indictments were returned
against 14 individuals and 5 corporations. As to those defendants already
convicted, dispositions have involved incarceration, restitution and fines.
Organized Crime Unit: In addition to its participation in the arson
investigation and prosecutions, the Organized Crime Unit continued to be
involved in such diverse areas as gaming, bribery, cigarette smuggling and
theft from state agencies. This Unit also cooperates with other agencies in
combating the activities of criminal organizations and provides technical
assistance to law enforcement officers and district attorneys. Included in the
technical assistance supplied are photographic aid and advice and expert
testimony in such novel areas as voice print identification.
Nursing Home Task Force: The Attorney General's Nursing Home
Task Force represents an effort to establish a comprehensive approach to
attacking what national statistics have shown to be the lucrative crime of
medicaid fraud. With the passage of a package of federal legislation known
as the Medicare-Medicaid Anti-Fraud and Abuse Amendment, federal
funding is now available to states which establish Medicaid fraud
programs. Pursuant to this legislation, the Attorney General's Office has
sought approval of a plan for a Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Control
Unit which would qualify for federal funding. At present, the Nursing
Home Task Force employs four Assistant Attorneys General, one auditor
and two secretaries. With the proposed federal funding, this staff will be
greatly expanded to include at least 13 attorneys, 19 auditors and 19
investigators with appropriate support staff.
Over the last year, as presently constituted with its limited staff, the
Nursing Home Task Force has successfully prosecuted several nursing
homes in cases that netted over $130,000 in restitution and over $35,000 in
costs and fines.
Appellate Section: The Appellate Section continues to maintain a
substantial caseload both in the state and federal courts. The bulk of these
cases consists of post-conviction claims of persons convicted of criminal
activity. In fiscal 1977-1978, 41 new suits were filed in the Federal District
Court; 30 challenged the constitutionality of custody, 1 1 were civil rights
suits brought by inmates of correctional institutions. Forty-nine suits,
including 38 habeas corpus petitions, were filed in the Superior Court.
On the appellate side, 10 new cases were filed in the Court of Appeals for
the First Circuit; 4 cases in the Supreme Judicial Court (Full Bench) and
one in the Appeals Court; 25 cases were filed in the Single Justice Session.
Attorneys for the section successfully opposed 10 petitions for writs of
certiorari filed in the Supreme Court of the United States. Of four petitions
for certiorari filed by the section, one was granted and will be argued in the
22 PD. 12
Fall. The case involves the use of statements obtained in violation of
Miranda v. Arizona, for the purpose of securing a search warrant.
Substantial resources of the section continue to be devoted to class action
suits brought by prisoners in the various institutions, for example, the
Bridgewater Treatment Center and the "protective custody" cases.
The Appellate Section also processes demands for the rendition of
fugitives from justice. The section examines demands from both law
enforcement officials of the Commonwealth and from governors of other
states and renders an opinion as to the legal adequacy of each demand.
Approximately 166 rendition demands were processed during fiscal 1977-
1978. In addition, an attorney must appear in court whenever a rendition
warrant is challenged.
The Appellate Section also administers the Commonwealth's criminal
usury laws.
Violent Crime Unit: This Unit was active in two separate areas in 1977-
1978. In Suffolk County, the Unit concentrated on assisting the Boston
Police Department in evaluating cases of racial violence. In connection with
these investigations, the Unit coordinated police activities with the efforts of
the district attorney in Dorchester, West Roxbury and South Boston. The
Unit recommended the direct indictment of several individuals involved in
an assault on school children visiting the Bunker Hill Monument in
Charlestown. The Unit participated with and assisted in the formation of
the Boston Police Department's Community Disorder Unit. Staff attorneys
from the Attorney General's Office presented a prosecution perspective in a
series of lectures to members of the tactical patrol force at the Boston Police
Academy. The Unit assisted the Metropolitan District Commission police
in the incidents at Carson Beach in August, 1977, and monitored the
prosecution of the more than fifty people arrested as a result of these
incidents.
In April of 1978, the Unit terminated the Attorney General's
involvement with the screening unit in Norfolk County as District Attorney
Delahunt assumed full management responsibility. During fifteen months
of operation, intake screening procedures were established in all the district
courts of Norfolk County and twelve separate categories of felony cases
were designated for priority handling throughout the county. During the
period in which Unit attorneys were assigned to the district attorney's
office, the average time from arrest to disposition was reduced to less than
ninety days in Superior Court. Initial statistics for the district court program
indicated that many cases were handled from arrest to disposition in less
than thirty days.
Drug Abuse Division: During the past year, the Drug Abuse Division
continued to engage in its two primary activities; the Drug Education
Seminar, and the Speakers Program.
The Drug Education Seminar is a two-week program which addresses
the problem of drug abuse through the means of education. Although
geared primarily for those in law enforcement related positions, it also
serves other professionals working in drug-related fields. The program is
designed to educate those involved in dealing directly with drug-related
P.D. 12 23
matters and on a broader plane to train these professionals who in turn can
educate others in their respective fields.
In conjunction with state and community colleges, 12 such seminars were
held throughout the Commonwealth during the year for which academic
credits were awarded.
We have engaged the services of experts in the various related fields to
implement this course. These individuals donate their time on a regular
basis and represent a wide range of agencies and institutions including the
Massachusetts State Police, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the
United States Treasury Department, United States Customs Bureau,
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, as well as, various drug and
alcohol rehabilitation programs.
Over the past year, representatives of the Drug Abuse Division addressed
over fifty civic, professional, social and educational organizations on
various aspects of drug abuse. The majority of these requests were carried
out during the evening hours. It has been our experience that many groups
will request speakers on a semi-annual or annual basis. From the requests
and attendance at these various functions, it is evident there is a great deal
of interest by the general public in the drug abuse problem.
Employment Security Division: The purpose and intent of the Attorney
General's office in the Employment Security Division is to provide its
Director with whatever legal assistance and representation is necessary to
enforce the Employment Security Law, otherwise known as Chapter 151 A
of the General Laws, and designated in Section 42A of the Law.
The Employment Security Law is highly complex. Under the Law,
employers with one or more employees become subject to it and are
expected to comply with its provisions. The efficient and economical
administration of the employment security program in Massachusetts
depends in large measure on the cooperation and compliance of well-
informed employers throughout the Commonwealth, for it is they who pay
the entire cost of its operation. The employment security program also
insures individuals who become unemployed through no fault of their own
a weekly benefit check paid on a claim filed with the Division of
Employment Security.
Whenever an employer fails to comply with the Employment Security
Law and does not file the necessary reports or pay the taxes due on his
account with this Division, the matter is referred to the Attorney General
for criminal prosecution under the provisions set forth by the Law. The
Assistant Attorneys General make every effort to fully inform the
employers of their rights and obligations under the Law. As a result, a
certain percentage of the tax matters are settled immediately thereby
avoiding the expense of prosecuting the offender and collecting the taxes
owed through court action, representing a savings to the Commonwealth
and its taxpayers.
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, 961 employer tax cases were
handled by this Division. 596 cases were on hand July 1, 1977. 365
additional cases were received during the fiscal year, and 134 cases were
closed leaving the balance of 827 employer tax cases on June 30, 1978.
24 P.D. 12
$1,426,507.16 in overdue taxes was collected during fiscal year ending June
30, 1978. Monies collected were deposited to the Unemployment
Compensation Fund.
Criminal complaints were brought in the Boston Municipal Court,
charging 374 individuals with non-payment of taxes totaling $2,052,893.61,
owed on 261 delinquent tax accounts. 30 criminal indictments were brought
in the Suffolk Superior Court charging 15 nursing homes owners with
failure to pay taxes due the Division of Employment Security.
Whenever individuals are found to be collecting unemployment benefits
fraudulently on claims they filed while gainfully employed and earning
wages, the fraudulent matters are referred to the Attorney General's office
for prosecution of the criminal offense. Criminal complaints are brought
only when the facts surrounding the offense have been investigated and
reviewed with the individual involved and criminal intent is found. Action
is brought in the court holding jurisdiction over the offense, under G.L. c.
266, s. 30 or G.L. c. 151 A, s. 47, to reclaim monies stolen from the Division
of Employment Security.
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, 1061 fraudulent claims
matters were handled by this Division. 898 cases were on hand July 1, 1977.
163 additional cases were received during the fiscal year, and 131 cases
were closed leaving a balance of 930 cases on hand June 30, 1978. Criminal
complaints were brought in the courts holding jurisdiction over the
offenses, charging 137 individuals with larceny of $218,415.00 in
unemployment benefits fraudulently collected from the Division of
Employment Security. The amount of $238,772.54 was collected during the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1978, and returned to the Division of
Employment Security for deposit to the Unemployment Compensation
Fund.
In addition, the Division investigated and prosecuted cases involving
internal fraud and CETA fraud, appeared in actions brought by or against
the Director of the Division of Employment Security challenging various
provisions of G.L. c. 151 A, and handled appellate matters in the Supreme
Judicial Court.
III. GOVERNMENT BUREAU
The Government Bureau has four main responsibilities:
(1) defense of state officials and state agencies, principally in state and
federal lawsuits raising issues of administrative law, constitutional law,
and statutory interpretation;
(2) initiation of affirmative litigation on behalf of state agencies covering a
broad span of public issues, but focusing primarily on the conduct of
the federal government;
(3) preparation of Opinions of the Attorney General; and
(4) legal review of all newly enacted municipal by-laws pursuant to G.L. c.
40, § 32.
A report on these functions as well as several additional responsibilities
follows.
DEFENSE OF STA TE A GENCIES
The Government Bureau represents the Commonwealth and its officials
P.D. 12 25
and agencies in defensive litigation in state and federal courts, and, in
exceptional cases, before certain state and federal administrative agencies.
These proceedings typically involve administrative law and constitutional
issues in diverse areas of public law. In the 1977-1978 fiscal year (FY 1978)
Government Bureau attorneys maintained an average caseload of 50 to 90
defensive lawsuits.
During FY 1978, the Division received 522 new cases. By quarters, the
breakdown was the following:
(1) July - September, 1977 139
(2) October- December, 1977 103
(3) January - March, 1978 121
(4) April -June, 1978 159
522
By subject matter and client, these new cases fell into the following
categories (with miscellaneous and non-current cases omitted):
Class of Law Suit Number
Civil Service Appeals 79
Alcoholic Beverages Control
Commission Appeals 42
Registry of Motor Vehicles 37
Department of Public Utilities 3 1
Education 28
Auto Surcharge Appeals 28
Rate Setting Commission 27
Taxation 21
Insurance 2 1
Personnel Administration
(non-civil service) 19
Defense of Cases Brought Against Judges 20
Defense of Boards of Professional
Registration 19
Welfare 18
Civil Rights (42 U.S.C. § 1983) 16
Public Health 10
Housing (chiefly Department of
Community Affairs) 7
Mental Health 6
The relative time spent representing particular agencies cannot be
measured accurately by the number of cases. The representation of certain
agencies involves a substantial commitment to individual pieces of
complex, major litigation, although the total number of lawsuits involving
those agencies may be quite small. For example, as in fiscal year 1976-1977,
substantial Bureau resources in FY 1978 were devoted to negotiating and
overseeing implementation of consent decrees in five cases seeking
improvement in the conditions and treatment in state institutions for the
mentally retarded. Four Bureau lawyers had responsibility for these cases.
During FY 1978, a final personnel decree was reached which provides for a
substantial increase in personnel providing direct care to residents at these
26 P.D. 12
institutions. Moreover, Bureau lawyers carried on lengthy negotiations to
determine the extent of capital improvements to buildings at three of the
five institutions.
During FY 1978, lawyers from the Government Bureau argued a
number of cases before the United States Supreme Court. These included a
case in which the Bureau successfully defended the constitutionality of a
state statute which taxes federal savings and loan institutions located in
Massachusetts. It also included an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the
federal government from imposing a tax on an essential state function — the
operation of the state police helicopter and airplanes — on the grounds that
the tax violated the doctrine of intergovernmental tax immunity.
Government Bureau lawyers also argued a substantial number of cases
before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. One of the most
significant was the so-called "auto insurance rebate" case, American
Manufacturers Mutual Ins. Co. v. Commissioner of Ins., Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1978) 58. In that case, Bureau lawyers successfully defended an emergency
state statute which required auto insurance companies to return to
policyholders fifty-five million dollars collected in premiums for 1977.
Insurance companies leveled many arguments against the law, with
primary weight on the claim that it unconstitutionally impaired the
companies' existing contracts with Massachusetts drivers. The SJC accepted
the arguments presented on behalf of the statute and upheld it.
In another important case, Lahey Clinic Foundation, Inc. v. Health
Facilities Appeals Board, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 2523, the Lahey Clinic
sought to enjoin the Government Bureau's client, the Health Facilities
Appeals Board, from considering whether Lahey's planned construction of
a major new facility in Burlington, Massachusetts, was in keeping with the
certificate of need — a form of prior permission health care providers must
obtain prior to making large capital expenditures — which Lahey received in
1972. The trial court found the HFAB to be without jurisdiction, a
determination which the Government Bureau appealed to the Supreme
Judicial Court. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment below
in a decision which considered a number of important administrative law
and health care cost issues.
A third significant Supreme Judicial Court case which the Bureau
argued concerned the nature and scope of special education services to be
provided to a child with special educational needs. The Bureau defended
two policies of the Department of Education concerning the placement of a
child with special needs in a private school program when the school
committee fails to develop an adequate educational program for the child.
A town challenged those policies and the court ultimately upheld the
Department of Education in a decision which has had a direct effect on
many similar cases now pending in state courts. Amherst- Pelham Reg'l Sch.
Comm. v. Department ofEduc, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 2673.
Finally, Bureau lawyers argued a number of significant cases in the
Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of the Alcoholic Beverages Control
Commission. For example, in Board of Selectmen of Barnstable v. A.B.C.C.,
the court reiterated that the Commission has broad powers to control
alcoholic beverages and determined that they could overrule a local
P.D. 12 27
licensing board's grant of licenses because of procedural irregularities
which occurred before the local board. Moreover, in Aristocratic Restaurant
of Massachusetts, Inc. v. A.B.C.C. (No. 1), Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 558, the
court upheld the Commission's authority to construe local licensing board
regulations prior to their having been construed by the local board. The
Court also upheld the A.B.C.C.'s defense of the Boston Licensing Board's
anti-mingling regulations against vagueness, overbreadth, free speech, and
free association attacks under the Massachusetts and United States
Constitutions.
An important case argued by Bureau attorneys in the United States
Court of Appeals for the First Circuit was Arthurs v. Stern, 560 F. 2d 477
(1977). This case was an appeal from a judgment of the District Court
declaring G.L. c. 112, § 63 unconstitutional. Section 63 provides that the
pendency of criminal proceedings against a person registered to practice
one of the professions licensed under c. 1 12 is not a basis for postponing the
conduct of disciplinary proceedings. The District Court held the statute
unconstitutional as violative of the right against self-incrimination. The
court of Appeals reversed and declared the statute constitutional.
Another important federal case was Massachusetts General Hospital v.
Weiner, 569 F. 2d 1156 (1st Cir. 1978). There, the hospital brought suit in
the District Court for injunctive and declaratory relief challenging on
statutory and constitutional grounds Medicaid rate regulations promul-
gated by the Rate Setting Commission and approved by the United States
Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The regulations established
a plan of prospective reimbursement for hospital charges. The District
Court granted summary judgment for defendants and the First Circuit
affirmed.
In addition to the cases mentioned, the Bureau also committed
significant amounts of time to a number of other civil actions: first,
settlement of a federal court class action discrimination suit which alleged
that the state civil service system discriminated in all its phases against
racial minority applicants. The final settlement of this case committed the
Commonwealth to continue many of the affirmative action reforms it had
begun or planned to initiate, set deadlines for such reforms and tied the
program to specific hiring goals and timetables; second, successful defense
in the Supreme Judicial Court of the Department of Public Utilities'
discretion in a number of rate regulation matters; third, successful defense
of the Personnel Administration's newly adopted examination practice of
rounding-off exam scores to the nearest whole number, thus permitting
appointing authorities wider latitude in hiring.
The primary administrative development of the year was the
implementation of a computer-assisted case management system. All
Bureau cases and opinions are now indexed in the Department of the
Attorney General's computer data base. Thereafter significant actions,
pleadings, and hearings are added to the computer record. The computer
system provides a quick, uniform, up-to-date record of the Bureau's case
load in a manner previously unavailable.
28 P.D. 12
AFFIRM A TIVE LITIGA TION
The Attorney General established the Affirmative Litigation Division
within the Government Bureau in April, 1975. The Division's purpose is to
provide agencies of the Commonwealth with litigation services when
performance of their statutory functions requires resort to the state and
federal courts. During its third full year of existence, the Affirmative
Litigation Division increased its activity, commenced a number of major
actions, and brought to conclusion significant litigation begun in prior
years.
Cases which the Affirmative Litigation Division brings may be divided
into three broad, and often overlapping, categories: ( 1 ) advocacy litigation;
(2) grant-in-aid related litigation; and (3) enforcement litigation. The first
category subsumes cases which the Attorney General commences either on
behalf of a state agency with an advocacy responsibility or in furtherance of
his own obligation to advance the public interest. In prior years, suits
related to the imposition of taxes by the state and federal governments and
increases in postal rates have comprised a large portion of this category of
litigation, and similar matters were the subject of litigation during FY 1978.
Litigation related to grant-in-aid programs, most significantly the various
public assistance programs operated by the Department of Public Welfare,
accounted for a substantial portion of the Affirmative Litigation Division's
efforts. These cases also tend to be the Division's most significant ones
when financial value is the dominant consideration. Finally, the Division
continued to perform the Attorney General's traditional enforcement
function by commencing suit on behalf of state regulatory and licensing
agencies. The following paragraphs contain brief descriptions of
representative cases drawn from each of these broad categories.
Advocacy Litigation
The Attorney General continued to litigate several substantial advocacy
matters begun in prior years during the reporting year. Brouillette v. New
Hampshire, an action which the Attorney General commenced against the
State of New Hampshire to recover tax payments made by Massachusetts
residents pursuant to an unconstitutional commuter tax, progressed with
the addition of the Commonwealth as a party plaintiff and the preparation
of the case for decision in the New Hampshire Superior Court on the
defendant's motion to dismiss. This case involves a dispute with the State of
New Hampshire which the Attorney General values at several million
dollars.
Commonwealth v. U.S. Postal Service, a proceeding which the Attorney
General commenced in the United States Court of Appeals for the First
Circuit and which was subsequently transferred to the District of Columbia
Circuit late in the reporting year, seeks judicial review of the Postal
Service's decision to increase first class mail rates from thirteen to fifteen
cents. In commencing this litigation, the Attorney General sought to protect
both the interests of the Commonwealth and of its citizens from unfair
allocations of the costs of postal service to the users of first class mail.
Finally, a significant controversy arose during the reporting year
between the United States Internal Revenue Service and the Com-
P.D. 12 29
monwealth's hundred-odd retirement systems over the reporting require-
ments imposed by the Employees' Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
(ERISA). The Affirmative Litigation Division undertook representation of
the Retirement Law Commission and assisted the agency in making its
position known to the Service. As a result of a series of meetings, the
Service altered its reporting requirements by deleting several of the requests
for information which the Commission believed would impose significant
burdens upon it and the individual retirement boards of the Com-
monwealth's counties, cities, and towns.
Grant-in- Aid Litigation
The Affirmative Litigation Division's most significant grant-in-aid
litigation, In re Masssachusetts Social Security Services Claims, an
administrative proceeding before the United States Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare, was settled during the fall of the reporting year.
This case, involving a dispute with the United States over its obligation to
reimburse the Commonwealth for expenditures incurred to provide social
services to eligible recipients under the Social Security Act, included claims
totaling one hundred forty-five million dollars. HEW had refused to make
any payments to the Commonwealth since 1974, and some of the debt was
derived from services rendered as early as 1971-72. The national nature of
this controversy (virtually all of the fifty states had similar claims against
HEW) and the enormous sums involved (HEW's total liability exceeded
one billon dollars) made this litigation one of principal concern to the
Carter Administration. Ultimately, the Attorney General, after consulting
with the Governor, agreed to settle the Commonwealth's claim for seventy-
four and a half million dollars. Receipt of these funds was expected soon
after the commencement of the 1979 federal fiscal year.
Another significant case was brought against another federal agency, this
time the Community Services Administration, to protect the right of
Massachusetts citizens entitled to assistance under the federal Emergency
Energy Assistance Program (EEAP). This program provides financial help
to poor and near-poor families who encounter fuel emergencies such as
utility cutoffs during the coldest months. CSA had determined to end
operation of the program on May 1, 1978, despite the availability of
appropriated funds and a clear need for the funds to help families hard hit
by the 1978 winter season. The Government Bureau filed suit in the United
States District Court for the District of Columbia and, before a hearing
could be scheduled, CSA agreed to extend the program.
A third substantial grant-in-aid controversy involved the Com-
monwealth's administration of its medical assistance program for the poor
(Medicaid) and the United States Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare's interpretation of certain utilization review requirements
applicable to nursing homes and other facilities participating in the
Medicaid program. This controversy arose during the prior reporting year
and resulted in the Commonwealth's filing two federal lawsuits, one in
Boston and one, in conjunction with four other states, in the District of
Columbia. During the reporting year, this litigation concluded when the
Congress amended Title XIX of the Social Security Act to preclude HEW
30 P.D. 12
from imposing penalties upon the states. The Commonwealth was able to
avoid the loss of twenty million dollars in federal Medicaid reimbursement
funds by the Attorney General's obtaining a preliminary injunction against
HEW from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
pending Congressional action.
A dispute with the United States Department of Agriculture prompted
the Department of Public Welfare to seek the Affirmative Litigation
Division's assistance during the winter of the reporting year. As a result of a
decision in Aiken v. Obledo, 442 F. Supp. 628 (E.D. Cal. 1977), USDA
directed the Commissioner of Public Welfare to adopt procedures for
making retroactive benefits payments to certain food stamp recipients. The
Commissioner determined that compliance with USDA's directives would
be expensive and burdensome and sought the Attorney General's assistance
in preventing USDA from requiring compliance with them. In response to
the Commissioner's request, the Attorney General sought to intervene as a
defendant in Aiken v. Obledo, then still pending in the Eastern District of
California, and to assert cross-claims against USDA. At the close of the
reporting year, it appeared likely that USDA would modify its instruction
to states to avoid imposing the burdens which the Commonwealth found
objectionable and that the litigation would be settled.
A final grant-in-aid dispute in which the Attorney General became
involved concerned the effort of the Department of Public Works to
maintain the Commonwealth's eligibility for federal highway assistance
funds. In this case, the Federal Highway Administration threatened to
terminate highway assistance because the Commonwealth had allegedly
failed to perform adequate truck weighing inspections. However, after an
administrative hearing, the Federal Highway Administrator was convinced
that the Massachusetts truck weighing program satisfied federal standards.
Regulatory Enforcement
The Affirmative Litigation Division commenced a number of significant
regulatory enforcement actions during the reporting year. These cases
sought judicial enforcement of state agency determinations or compliance
with statutory requirements by private entities and units of local
government.
In Commonwealth v. Town of Andover, the Affirmative Litigation
Division commenced an action to require an initial group of twenty-three
cities and towns in the Commonwealth to appropriate funds required by
their boards of assessors to perform revaluation of real property as directed
by the Commissioner of Corporations and Taxation (now the Commis-
sioner of Revenue). Through this litigation, the Attorney General has
sought a declaration that the Commissioner may contract with independent
appraisal firms to perform revaluations in cities and towns which refuse to
appropriate funds and deduct the costs of these contracts from local aid
distributions. At the close of the reporting year, it appeared that several
municipalities would voluntarily comply with the Commissioner's directive
but that the litigation would continue as to a number of other defendants,
would continue as to a number of other defendants.
The Affirmative Litigation Division also: (1) commenced suit against the
Mayor of the City of Boston on the Attorney General's behalf in order to
P.D. 12 31
compel the Mayor to appoint members of the Boston Redevelopment
Authority to their statutory five year terms; (2) commenced suit in the name
of the Commonwealth against the Norwood Housing Authority in order to
require members of the Authority and its staff to make restitution to the
Commonwealth of Authority funds which they improperly spent for
personal purposes; and (3) commenced a series of actions on behalf of the
Department of Public Health to enforce the state's Determination of Need
law. Suits for violating the statute were filed against the Newton-Wellesley
Hospital, the Waltham Hospital, and Wing Memorial Hospital.
OPINIONS
The Attorney General's responsibility for rendering legal opinions is
defined by G.L. c. 12, §§ 3, 6 and 9, and, until November 1, 1978, by G.L. c.
268 A, § 10. Pursuant to c. 12, §§ 3 and 9, he renders written legal opinions
to state agencies and administrative officials, the Governor, either branch
of the General Court, and to legislative committees with respect to pending
legislation. Under c. 12, § 6, the Attorney General provides legal opinions
and advice to District Attorneys; these opinions, however, are most often
furnished on an informal basis. Finally, G.L. c. 268A, § 10 directed the
Attorney General to give conflict of interest opinions to state employees.
Formal Opinions
( 1 ) General comments:
During the 1978 fiscal year, the Attorney General sought to reaffirm and
clarify the standards that the Department uses to determine which opinion
requests are appropriate for answering with formal opinions and which are
not. The most important standards governing formal opinions are that (1)
the Attorney General will render legal opinions solely to state officers and
agencies — he does not have the responsibility or authority to give opinions
to municipal or county officials, or to private citizens; and (2) opinion
requests received from state officers or agencies themselves will not be
answered by an opinion of the Attorney General if they raise hypothetical
or abstract questions, or relate to pending litigation.
Applying these standards, the Attorney General issued 31 formal
opinions during FY 1978. Two of these were in fact declinations, but they
were rendered in opinion form so that state officials would have explicit
statements as to why the Attorney General sometimes cannot answer
questions posed. In one case the reason was that the questions related to
litigation pending in various federal courts; in the other, the questions were
too general and abstract for a proper response. During FY 1978, the
Attorney General additionally declined to issue opinions in response to
over 100 opinion requests submitted by private citizens and municipal and
county officials.
The Attorney General continued to publish during FY 1978 the Opinion
Digest, a summary of all formal opinions issued. (The Opinion Digest was
first published in FY 1977.) The Digest is prepared every four months, and
is distributed to state agencies and officers, county libraries, and other
interested individuals and organizations.
32 P.D. 12
(2) Summary description of opinions rendered:
Turning to the formal opinions themselves, three of the 3 1 issued during
FY 1978 were addressed to the legislative branch. The first of these
concerned the constitutionality of a proposed statute giving immunity from
civil and criminal liability to the members of the Board of Registration and
Discipline in Medicine; the other two opinions, issued in response to
requests by the House of Representatives, involved: (1) the authority of
executive officials to spend certain appropriated funds on particular types
of advertising for the Commonwealth; and (2) the power of the State Fire
Marshall under designated fire prevention regulations to approve a specific
type of heating apparatus.
By far the largest majority of opinions issued in FY 1978, 27 out of the
31, were rendered to the heads of state agencies. These covered a broad
range of subject matters and legal issues. Among the areas most touched
upon was education, the subject of four different opinions. In the first of
these, at the request of the Commissioner of Education, the Attorney
General rendered an opinion construing the term "teacher" in G.L. c. 71, §
38, a statute which requires that every school committee limit its
appointment and promotion of teachers to those recommended by the
superintendent. The Attorney General interpreted the word "teacher" in a
broad fashion to cover a variety of professional positions in addition to the
traditional classroom teacher. In another education opinion, the Attorney
General returned to the subject of the "grandfather clauses" in St. 1972, c.
766, concluding that the Governor can designate which agency shall bear
the responsibility for satisfying the Commonwealth's financial obligations
for "grandfathered" special education students.
Issues concerning environmental protection were the subject of three
opinions during FY 1978. In one, the Attorney General considered whether
Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution,
guaranteeing certain rights to environmental protection, would preclude
without additional legislation the transfer of land owned by the
Department of Environmental Management to the Southeastern Massachu-
setts University. The Attorney General concluded that Article 97 did not
require further legislative action to authorize this transfer. Another
environmental opinion ruled that the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and
Recreational Vehicles had the requisite authority to issue fee regulations
that would govern designated public access sites and facilities owned by
municipalities.
Several areas which were the subject of significant opinions in the
previous fiscal year were again important during FY 1978. In the field of
public records, the Attorney General issued an opinion which sought to
clarify what information held by the Division of Industrial Accidents
qualified as "public records," subject to public inspection, and what type of
information was deemed exempt from disclosure, primarily for reasons of
privacy. Another opinion concerned the power of the Supervisor of Public
Records to adopt regulations establishing fee schedules for custodians of
public records; the Attorney General determined that the Supervisor
possessed the necessary rule-making power.
P.D. 12 33
In the area of campaign and political finance, the Attorney General
issued an opinion defining the responsibility of candidates and political
committees to keep records of contributors. Another opinion related to the
duty of the Director of Campaign and Political Finance to respond to
inquiries concerning the validity of reports filed by candidates and political
committees. On the latter issue, the Attorney General determined that the
Director was responsible for answering general questions about the
campaign finance law, G.L. c. 55. However, he could not substitute his
judgment as to the accuracy or completeness of filed reports for that of the
appropriate prosecuting officers.
Certain opinions deserve mention because of their individual
significance. One concerned the interpretation of the word "compensation"
in the retirement law applicable to municipal teachers. The question was
whether severance payments made to teachers for unused sick leave
pursuant to collective bargaining agreements should be considered as
"compensation" for purposes of computing the teachers' retirement
allowances. The Attorney General answered that "compensation" did
include such bargained-for severance payments. A lawsuit is pending which
challenges this construction of the statutory phrase.
A second significant opinion dealt with the relation between the Division
of Hearing Officers (DHO) and the Rate Setting Commission (RSC). The
statute defining that relation, G.L. c. 6A, § 36, is highly ambiguous and the
power of the DHO to order that the RSC adopt DHO rate decisions in
administrative appeals brought by health care providers was contested. The
Attorney General interpreted the statute to mean that the DHO had no
such expansive authority. Rather, its hearing officers could recommend rate
decisions to the RSC, but the Commission in turn was empowered to reject
them. This opinion is the subject of an appeal now pending before the
Supreme Judicial Court.
Other opinions rendered by the Attorney General in FY 1978 concerned:
the authority of the Department of Public Health to apply the state's
Determination of Need law to a specific hospital; the power of the
Commissioner of Mental Health to designate mental health area directors
as "superintendents" of units in state hospitals, with the resulting authority
to hire and fire staff working in those units; the jurisdiction of the Civil
Service Commission to hear appeals that now fall within the scope of the
state employees' collective bargaining agreements; the power of the
Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission to regulate sales of liquor on
military bases; and the application of the prison "furlough" statute to those
convicted of violating the mandatory gun law.
Conflict of Interest Opinions
FY 1978 was the last full year in which the Attorney General was
responsible for rendering conflict of interest opinions to state employees. By
St. 1978, c. 210, effective November 1, 1978, the Legislature vested sole
authority to issue such conflict opinions in the new State Ethics
Commission. During FY 1978, the Attorney General issued 50 conflict
opinions to state employees and declined over 50 improper requests
received from individuals who were not state employees.
34 P.D. 12
Each conflict of interest opinion necessarily turns on the individual facts
and circumstances presented by the requesting state employee. However,
during FY 1978, the Attorney General attempted to develop a greater depth
and consistency of response in his conflict of interest opinions so that,
despite their individual orientation, the opinions could serve as prospective
guides to the conduct of all state employees.
BY-LAWS
The By-Laws Division is responsible for reviewing all newly enacted
town by-laws to determine whether they conform to statutory and
constitutional requirements. During FY 1978, 710 general by-law and 933
zoning by-law submittals were reviewed. In addition, 9 home rule charter
actions from cities and towns were examined.
The high increase of zoning by-laws was caused by the new Zoning Act
which required that all local zoning by-laws be brought into conformity
with the Act's provisions by June 30, 1978. Many of the zoning by-laws
were complete revisions of the municipality's existing zoning by-law.
Town Meeting procedures and local administrative organization along
with public drinking were the dominant themes in the general by-law area.
CO UNSELING TO STA TE A GENCIES
In addition to the major responsibilities described above, the
Government Bureau also counsels 30 boards of professional registration in
the performance of statutory duties to license, regulate and discipline the
members of the professions. Each Government Bureau attorney on the
average advises two boards concerning the boards' administrative
rulemaking and adjudicatory proceedings, and represents them in all court
proceedings as well.
This counseling function extends to all state clients needing guidance on
questions likely to generate litigation. The Bureau is especially available to
agencies lacking their own counsel, and will assist others on serious matters
when they have exhausted the resources of their own attorneys. The
objective is to obviate litigation wherever possible and to prevent
administrative error. In particular, a number of boards of registration have
adopted the Rules of Adjudicative Procedure drafted by the Government
Bureau in an effort to improve the hearings process and make adjudicative
rules uniform from board to board.
THE CLINICAL PROGRAM
The Bureau continued its successful clinical program with law students
from Boston College Law School. Fifteen third-year students participated
in the Government Bureau's clinical program. The students assisted in all
phases of litigation and generated a substantial work product, including a
number of excellent — and winning — briefs. Bureau attorneys served as
instructors in the daily handling of particular cases and in formal seminar
sessions which taught pleading, discovery practice, motion practice,
appellate argument, trial preparation, negotiation, as well as substantive
issues of special importance.
P.D. 12 35
IV. PUBLIC PROTECTION BUREAU
ANTITRUST DIVISION
I. Introduction
The Antitrust Division of the Department of the Attorney General was
formed in March, 1977 with the hiring of one full-time attorney to handle
the ever-increasing level of antitrust work coming into the Department of
the Attorney General.
The division is responsible for representing the Commonwealth, both in
its proprietary capacity and as parens patriae on behalf of the citizens of the
Commonwealth, in Federal Court for violations of the antitrust laws of the
United States (15 U.S.C. §1, et seq).
Prior to the establishment of this division, all antitrust cases brought by
the Commonwealth were handled by special assistant attorneys general
who had expertise in such matters. The increasing level of antitrust activity,
however, clearly indicated the need for in-house capability to deal with the
pressing economic issues raised by the violation of the Federal Antitrust
Laws.
In addition to the Federal Antitrust Laws, the Attorney General is
charged pursuant to c. 12, §10 with protecting the citizens of the
Commonwealth from unfair trade practices engaged in within the
Commonwealth. Under c.93 of the General Laws, the Attorney General has
broad criminal responsibility to prosecute for monopolization, tie-ins, price
fixing of necessaries and bid rigging. The Attorney General also has
authority under C.93A of the General Laws to bring actions for unfair
methods of competition affecting the citizens of the Commonwealth. Unfair
methods of competition include the traditional antitrust violation.
In addition to bringing affirmative litigation on behalf of the
Commonwealth and its citizens, the Antitrust Division is also actively
involved with counselling business and state agencies insofar as the
antitrust laws are concerned. The purpose of this counselling is to try to
achieve the maximum amount of competition compatible with the free
economic system of the Commonwealth.
To help states achieve a higher level of effectiveness in their antitrust
enforcement, the United States Congress enacted section 116 of the Crime
Control Act of 1976, which provided for 30 million dollars antitrust seed
money to be given to states to increase their capabilities in combatting
antitrust violations on a state and local level. Ultimately, Congress
appropriated 21 million of the authorized 30 million dollars. In September
of 1977, the Attorney General received a grant for $320,681 from the
Department of Justice Antitrust Division to fully develop the enforcement
capabilities within the Division. The funds have been earmarked for hiring
staff, purchase of equipment, litigation expenses and general expenses
associated with day to day operations of a law office. The grant is for a
period of 18 months commencing September 1, 1977 and terminating April
1, 1979. It is anticipated that an additional grant for approximately the
same amount of money will be issued as of April 1, 1979 and which should
extend into 1981.
36 P.D. 12
At the close of the fiscal year, the Division which started with one
attorney was staffed by a chief, three assistant attorneys general, an
administrative assistant, an economic consultant on a retainer basis and one
legal secretary.
II. Litigation
Commonwealth v. NBMA, et al. (NDGA) — During the course of the
year this litigation was basically concluded by the reaching of settlement
agreements among all plaintiffs' counsel and 36 of the 38 defendants. The
final settlement amounts were in excess of 31 million dollars and with
interest at time of distribution, it is expected that the settlement fund will
exceed 38 million dollars. The governmental share of the settlement will be
either 9.4% or 15% depending upon the Congressional resolution of Illinois
Brick. In either event, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will receive
2.8% of the allocation to governmental entities. In addition, we can
anticipate a recovery of our costs in this action as well as a fairly substantial
amount for attorneys fees.
Commonwealth v. Amstar Corporation, et al. (EDPA) — We are
representing the Commonwealth, the City of Boston and the City of
Cambridge for proprietary purchases of sugar during the period 1970
through 1975. Through June of 1978, there were 3 million dollars in
settlements in the overall litigation. The case is in a discovery phase and
trial is anticipated in the fall of 1979.
Commonwealth v. Brinks, Inc., et al. (NDGA) — This suit involving
armored car services has been settled on a global basis for 11.8 million
dollars. Because of the vast size of the claiming universe, the claim of the
governmental entities in the Commonwealth will be extremely small.
Nevertheless, it is anticipated that the Commonwealth will recover more
than 40 to 50 thousand dollars in this litigation. It is also anticipated that
the Commonwealth will receive attorneys fees and costs in this matter.
Commonwealth v. Medical Oxygen Service, Inc. et al. (D. Mass.) — The
Commonwealth brought suit on its own behalf and as parens patriae on
behalf of all users of medical oxygen equipment against four companies
dispensing specialized medical oxygen apparatus. The charge was price
fixing and territorial allocation among the competitors. The case is
presently in the discovery phase.
Commonwealth v. Ahem Corporation, et al. (D. Mass.) The Com-
monwealth brought suit on behalf of its public agencies and political
subdivisions alleging that seven suppliers of liquid asphalt in the
Commonwealth had conspired since at least as early as 1960 to fix prices
and rig bids to the Commonwealth and its public agencies and political
subdivisions. The case is in class action discovery phases and is presently
awaiting a number of rulings which, when made, will allow the case to
proceed.
Commonwealth v. Leviton Corp., et al. (EDNY) — The Commonwealth
brought suit against a number of wiring device manufacturers alleging that
they had conspired to fix prices on wiring devices throughout the United
States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This case was recently
transferred by the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation from the
District of Massachusetts to the Eastern District of New York.
P.D. 12 37
III. Other Activities
1. Trade Association Survey — During the fiscal year, the Antitrust
Division commenced a survey of all trade associations within the
Commonwealth to determine whether or not certain of their by-laws violate
the federal and/or state antitrust laws. This is part of an on-going program
which is being done in conjunction with an analysis of all state regulatory
bodies to determine whether certain of their by-laws may violate antitrust
standards as used by the Department of Justice.
2. New England Bid Monitoring Project — As part of the Federal
Antitrust Seed Money, the Commonwealth has undertaken a project to
collect and analyze bid materials submitted to the various municipalities of
the Commonwealth, as well as the Commonwealth itself. The project
anticipates collecting data on over 150 products from more than 100
collection stations throughout the Commonwealth. This data will then be
computerized and an economist will devise programs to test the data for
indications of collusive bid activities. While this program is still at an early
stage of development, it is anticipated that it will become a regional project
for all of New England with data being collected from over 300 collection
stations in the six state region. This is the most ambitious computer bid
detection program of its type. The Department of Justice and the L.E.A.A.
have expressed great interest in the future development of this program.
CIVIL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES DIVISION
I. Introduction
The Civil Rights and Liberties Division, established by G.L. c.12, § 11A,
is one of the five Divisions within the Public Protection Bureau of the
Department of the Attorney General. The Division operates to protect the
civil rights and civil liberties of citizens in the Commonwealth. Specifically,
the Division initiates affirmative litigation on behalf of citizens, citizen
groups, agencies and departments of the Commonwealth in matters
involving constitutional protections, and defends government agencies in
cases which raise constitutional issues. In addition, staff of the Division
advise the Attorney General of developments and issues in the area of civil
rights, draft legislation, comment on agency regulation and investigate
complaints of violations of civil rights brought to the attention of the
Division by citizens of the Commonwealth. Finally, the Division is given
the authority pursuant to the provisions of G.L. c. 15 IB, §5 to initiate
complaints before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
(MCAD) and to represent that agency before trial and appellate courts
when judicial review of MCAD decisions is sought.
The Division is presently staffed by a Chief, five Assistant Attorneys
General, one of whom directs the Women's Rights Unit and another of
whom heads a Privacy and Public Records Section, and appropriate
support personnel including three paralegals who staff a citizen complaint
unit. In addition, the general counsel to the Security and Privacy Council is
located physically within the Division and is available for specific case
assignments in areas consistent with her expertise.
38 P.D. 12
II. Description of Activities
Through Fiscal Year 1978, the activities of the Division were catalogued
according to the nature of the Division's involvement in any one of several
areas involving the protection of civil rights and civil liberties.
Activity on the part of Division attorneys generally took the form of
litigation, non-litigation activity, or affirmative action. Cases in litigation
were those cases in which a Division attorney represented a plaintiff or a
defendant in a legal cause of action before a court or an administrative
agency. Non-litigation activities included cases disposed of through
preliminary negotiations, or activities not of a litigation nature, such as the
drafting of legislation or position papers. Affirmative actions generally
involved lawsuits or administrative matters initiated by the Division in
response to perceived patterns and practices of discrimination. Such
patterns were generally found to exist following self-initiated investigations
or were brought to the Division's attention through citizens' complaints.
Matters in which staff of the Division were involved, whether through
litigation or non-litigation, occurred in the following areas:
Equal Educational Opportunities
Correctional/Youth Services
Employment Discrimination
Privacy Matters
Matters Involving Public Records
Health Matters
Discrimination Against Physically Handicapped
Age Discrimination
Problems Involving Migrant Laborers
Developmentally Disabled
Women's Rights
Housing
A representative description of cases in each of the several areas of
involvement follows.
1. EDUCATION
Department of Education v. New Bedford School Committee.
On behalf of the Commissioner of the Department of Education, we
brought an administrative action against the New Bedford School
Committee for failure to implement M.G.L. C.71A, the Transitional
Bilingual Education Act. The suit's objective was to ensure that every
student within the New Bedford School system had access to education in
his or her primary language, as required by law. After extensive
negotiations, the School Committee agreed to implement the statute.
Morgan v. Kerrigan.
The Division continues to represent the State Board of Education in the
implementation of Phase II and Phase IIB of the United States District
Court's decision and order requiring the establishment of a unified school
system in the City of Boston.
Katz v. Garrity.
Dismissal of Collateral Attack on Morgan Order
P.D. 12 39
2. CORRECTION/YOUTH SERVICES
Inmates of the John Connolly Detention Center v. Dukakis.
Youths incarcerated at the Department of Youth Services Detention
Center in Roslindale brought a class action suit against the Department of
Youth Services alleging that unconstitutional conditions existed at the
Detention Center. After numerous hearings, at which we represented the
state defendants, the parties were able to negotiate a consent decree which
remedied the alleged abuses and which also provided the Commonwealth
with the flexibility necessary to administer the detention center. Ongoing
monitoring continues.
3. EMPLOYMENT
Bellotti v. Allyn and Bacon, Addison- Wesley and Houghton Mifflin.
These are three employment cases alleging that publishing companies
discriminate in their employment practices on the basis of sex and race.
After receiving right to sue letters from the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission, the cases were filed in the United States District Court.
Extensive discovery continues.
Garden, et al. v. Houghton Mifflin.
We intervened in this case alleging sex-based employment discrimination
in the publishing industry. After extensive negotiations, a settlement was
reached providing for implementation of an affirmative action plan and
payments to members of the class. The total award in the case is for
$880,000 back pay plus $65,000 in attorneys fees.
Nardini v. Daka
Complaint filed in MCAD on behalf of person alleging dismissal on
account of race,
a. WOMEN'S RIGHTS/EMPLOYMENT
Grass Instruments v. MCAD
Settlement of appeal from MCAD finding for woman dismissed from her
job. She received cash payment because of the past discrimination.
Attorney General v. Youth Enrichment Commission
Complaint filed in MCAD alleging sexual harassment of women
employees.
Smith College v. Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Our appeal of an adverse Superior Court decision was argued before the
Supreme Judicial Court in this case involving whether a decision not to
grant tenure was discriminatory against women. The Supreme Judicial
Court reversed and remanded the case to the Commission, setting a
difficult standard for future determinations of discrimination.
4. PRIVACY
Police Commissioner of Boston v. Municipal Court of the Dorchester District
The Supreme Judicial Court issued a comprehensive opinion upholding
the power of a juvenile court judge in appropriate circumstances to expunge
the court records of juveniles found not delinquent after a hearing.
New Bedford Standard Times v. Clerk of the Third District Court of Bristol
The newspaper brought suit alleging that it was improperly denied access
to the alphabetical index of criminal offenders. We represented the judge in
40 P.D. 12
the action and defended the lawsuit on the grounds that the information
sought was Criminal Offender Record Information. The Superior Court
held that part of the Criminal Offender Record Information Act was
unconstitutional as a violation of the doctrine of separation of powers and
ordered access for the plaintiff. Our appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court is
pending.
Swan; v. Department of Banking and Insurance
Plaintiff alleged a violation of the Fair Information Practices Act on the
grounds that records pertaining to his insurance agency were improperly
disseminated. Our motion to dismiss was granted on the grounds that
plaintiff could not sue under FIPA. Plaintiffs appeal is pending.
Commonwealth v. Doe
The Third District court of Bristol granted a motion to expunge the
record of a state trooper who was convicted of an offense while undercover.
5. PUBLIC RECORDS
Attorney General v. Assessors of Woburn
We brought suit in the Superior Court seeking an order that field
assessment cards were public records. The Superior Court found in our
favor and the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed overturning a 1972 decision
on the same subject.
Attorney General v. Collector of Lynn
We brought suit in the Superior Court seeking an Order that lists of
delinquent tax records are public. Worcester. Clinton, and Adams
intervened. The Superior Court held the records not to be public. Our
appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court is pending.
Hatch v. Commissioner of Revenue
We unsuccessfully defended a public records case seeking lists of
delinquent state taxpayers. No appeal was taken.
Boston Globe v. Commissioner of Education, and Olympus Research Corp. v.
Attorney General
Defense of public records actions relating to vocational education
records.
Supervisor of Public Records v. City Clerk of Revere
In this action, the Superior Court upheld a regulation of the Supervisor
setting forth the maximum fee which custodians of public records can
charge for providing copies.
Attorney General v. School Committee of Northampton.
This action was commenced in the Superior Court of Hampshire County.
The local newspaper had sought the names and addresses of all applicants
for the position of Superintendent of Schools in Northampton. The School
Committee refused to make such list available and also refused to print the
names of 16 semi-final candidates and the minutes of a subcommittee
meeting. The newspaper appealed to the Supervisor of Public Records. The
Supervisor declared the list to be a public list and ordered its release. When
the School Committee refused, the Supervisor asked the Attorney General
to initiate this action pursuant to the amended G.L. c. 66,§10(b) and the
Open Meeting Law. After argument, the Supreme Judicial Court found a
violation of the Open Meeting Law and held that the privacy exemption
P.D. 12 41
might protect the records of the non-semi-finalists. The Supreme Judicial
Court affirmed.
Hastings Sons Publishing Company v. City Treasurer of Lynn.
The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a Superior Court decision that
salaries paid to police employees are public.
D'Attillo v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
In this case we represented the Supervisor of Public Records relative to
whether the records of the Governor's Special Commission considering the
Sacco and Vanzetti pardon (the Lowell Commission) are public records.
The records are presently housed in the Harvard Archives under a promise
that they not be made public until December 9, 1977. We moved to dismiss
the complaint on the grounds that the Supervisor of Public Records is not a
proper party. The Supervisor was dismissed as a party and the records were
made public on December 9. 1977.
Cunningham v. Health Officer of Chelsea.
We filed an amicus curiae brief in the Appeals Court urging reversal of a
Superior Court determination that housing inspection reports are not public
records. We argued that specific statutory provisions made the records
public and, even in their absence, no exemption to the public records law
would exempt housing inspection reports from public disclosure. The case
awaits argument.
6. HEALTH
Department of Public Health v. Sheriff of Plymouth County.
In FY 1978, we negotiated a settlement with the Sheriff of Plymouth
County who promised to provide complete physical examinations to
inmates committed for more than 30 days and to keep complete medical
records as required by statute. The County Commissioners agreed to
provide the necessary funds.
In re. Ora G.
After a hearing, the Probate Court authorized use of an investigatory
drug to treat an incompetent patient from a state hospital suffering from
advanced cancer.
Green v. Superior Court, and Custody of a Minor
Involvement in first appeal of the Chad Green matter arguing that
parents have no right to withhold necessary chemotherapy for acute
lymphocytic Leukemia where chemotherapy has strong likelihood of saving
child's life and no alternative therapy is offered. The Supreme Judicial
Court agreed, holding that where parents seek to withhold necessary 7 life-
saving medical treatment from a child, the state, acting through the care
and protection process, should intervene to protect the child. Parents cannot
assert privacy interests on behalf of their children where to do so will lead
to the death of the child.
7. PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED
Architectural Barriers Board v. Selectmen of Burlington.
At the request of the Architectural Barriers Board, we filed suit against
the Town of Burlington to enforce state laws prohibiting towns from
building sidewalks and curbs without "curb cuts" to make them accessible
42 P.D. 1:
to the physically handicapped. The Superior Court granted most of th
relief sought. We negotiated settlement of the rest of the issues.
Architectural Barriers Board v. Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse
Suit against restaurant alleging inaccessibility to handicapped. Su
settled when restaurant agreed to make necessary changes.
8. AGE
Lewis v. Massachusetts General Hospital.
Complaint filed in MCAD alleging dismissal because of age.
9. MIGRANT LABOR
Commonwealth v. Cumberland Farms.
Unsuccessful lawsuit seeking determination that single-family housin
provided to farm workers was migrant labor camp subject to Department c
Public Health regulation.
10. DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED.
Superintendent of Belchertown State School v. Saikewicz.
Defendant in this case was a 67 year-old retarded resident of a stat
school for the mentally retarded. He was found to have acute termini
leukemia and was given only months to live. Following the recommenda
tion of a guardian ad litem appointed by the Probate Court, a probate judg
ordered that chemotherapy treatment not be administered because the toxi
side effects of the disease would outweigh any benefits. The judg
concluded that such treatment would have serious debilitating conse
quences for the patient, might prolong his life for a short time but woul
not cure him of the disease, and would cause severe pain and suffering fc
the patient. Further, the patient would not comprehend what wa
happening to him nor would he be able to cooperate with the treatmen
The Probate Court Judge reported the case to the Supreme Judicial Com
and his Order was upheld in a case in which the Division filed an amicu
brief supporting the guardian ad litem. Another bureau of the Departmer
represented the petitioning superintendent and argued in favor c
administering the chemotherapy. After nearly one and one-half years c
consideration, the Supreme Judicial Court issued a comprehensive decisio
describing the rights of competent persons to decline life-prolongin
medical treatment and of incompetent persons not to have intrusiv
medical treatment imposed upon their limited purposes.
In re. Bassett.
A brief was filed in Appeals Court upholding the authority of a Probat
Judge to grant guardianship for persons requiring guardian for som
purposes but not for all.
Ricciv. Greenblatt
With attorneys from the Government Bureau, we continue to represen
the Department of Mental Health, and other state Defendants, in this sui
challenging the conditions of the facility and the nature of care provided t
mentally retarded residents at the Belchertown State School as well as a
four other state institutions for the mentally retarded. Efforts for the pas
six months have concentrated on the implementation of the Consent Deere
P.D. 12 43
entered into in November, 1973, and on the continuation of the transition
from an institution-based to a community-based delivery system.
11. WOMEN'S RIGHTS/OTHER
Secretary of State v. City Clerk of Lowell
The Supreme Judicial Court upheld our position that persons may
choose the name by which they are generally known and that traditions
concerning choice of names for women or children are not legally required.
Opinion of the Justices Concerning H.J 726.
Comment to the Supreme Judicial Court that Bill authorizing a drill
team at a high school to be only for girls would violate State Equal Rights
Amendment. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed.
Opinion of the Justices concerning H.872.
Comment to the Supreme Judicial Court that Bill to forbid girls from
playing on football or wrestling teams would violate State Equal Rights
Amendment. The Supreme Judicial Court agreed.
12. Housing
Department of Community Affairs v. Massachusetts State College Building
Authority
Complaint filed in Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County alleging
that the Authority should be subject to relocation assistance Act requiring
payments to persons displaced by State College construction.
Attorney General v. Orantes.
Suit filed in Superior Court alleging defendant refused to sell apartment
house to interracial couple. A preliminary injunction was issued and
discovery is in process.
Building Inspector of Boston v. Coolidge.
Representation of Commissioner of Youth Services as intervenor in
action by City to close half-way house for delinquent youths. Court refused
action pending decision by Board of Appeal. That decision is under
advisement after a hearing.
13. MISCELLANEOUS
Carr v. Civil Service.
Representation of Superintendent of Belchertown State School in civil
service appeal by dismissed employee. Case is awaiting decision in Superior
Court.
Representative N on- Litigation Activity
1. Beginning in late July, 1977, and continuing through the first several
weeks of August, 1977, considerable effort on the part of all personnel in
the Civil Rights Division was devoted to activities connected to
demonstrations at Carson Beach. Among other things, members of the staff
monitored the activities of various groups at Carson Beach, monitored
prosecutions in the South Boston District Court, and served to coordinate
efforts of the various law enforcement agencies involved, including the
MDC Police, the Boston Police, the FBI, and the United States Department
of Justice.
2. In September, 1977, we concluded an investigation of allegations of
44 P.D. 12
mistreatment of prisoners by staff and administrative officials at the Suffolk
County House of Correction on Deer Island. On September 9, 1977, a
report of our findings and recommendations was presented to Boston City
Officials with a request that the officials continue the investigation of Deer
Island and take whatever action they felt appropriate at the conclusion of
their investigation.
Since the filing of our report with the Boston City Officials and the
conclusion of the Boston City investigation, the Master of Deer Island
House of Correction and four correctional officers have resigned. In
addition, the Penal Commissioner has refused to renew the contracts of
three provisional correction officers.
3. In October, 1977, we were asked by the Governor to investigate
allegations of physical abuse and related matters at MCI Walpole. We
concluded our investigation in April, 1978.
4. In February, 1978, attorneys of the Civil Rights Division investigated
the use of security cells or "Blue Rooms" at MCI- Walpole, including a
review of standards applicable to such cells, inquiries of correctional
administrators in other states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons with
respect to their use of such rooms, interviews with correctional department
personnel and social service professionals familiar with the conditions at
Walpole and on-sight visits. Information developed in our investigation
was presented in a series of meetings with members of the Governor's staff,
the Commissioner of Corrections, the Secretary of Human Services, and the
Chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Corrections.
Following these meetings, the Commissioner of Corrections agreed to
amend a bulletin issued by him on January 26, 1978, restricting the use of
security cells and agreed to install basic furnishings and equipment in all
such cells in Blocks 9 and 10 at Walpole as well as at MCI-Concord.
5. In February, 1978, we learned that certain fuel companies were
refusing to make deliveries in the Roxbury section of Boston following the
murder of a fuel oil company truck driver. It was our belief that fuel oil
companies could not refuse service to any one section of the city strictly on
geographical lines. We were sympathetic, however, with the problem of the
fuel oil companies and offered to assist them. Fuel oil companies who were
reluctant to send their drivers to portions of Roxbury were asked to contact
our office. In turn, we contacted the Boston Police Department and
arranged for a sector car to escort delivery trucks into areas of Roxbury
until streets in those areas became more passable through removal of snow.
6. In March, 1978, staff of the division assisted in the organization and
delivery of a conference held for representatives of law enforcement
agencies on the topic of battered women.
7. Other Non-Litigation Activity included:
a. The completion of an agreement with R.L. Polk that door-to-door
takers of a private city directory will clearly identify that they work for a
private concern and not for a municipality.
b. The drafting of Amendments to the Criminal Offender Record
Information Act, the Fair Information Practices Act, and the Public
Records Law.
P.D. 12 45
c. The completion of an agreement with Lechmere Sales Corporation
concerning illegal use of lie detectors.
d. Notifying high school principals concerning requirements for
notification of parents and students under Chapter 622 providing
opportunity for girls in interscholastic sports.
e. Settlement with various hospitals concerning practice of not fulfilling
responsibilities of providing free care under Hill-Burton program.
f. Investigation into red-lining practices of banks and credit grantors.
g. Comments to MCAD on proposed rules of procedure.
h. Meeting with federal officers concerning the formula for the program
of supplemental food for Women, Infants, and Children.
i. Assistance to persons not properly compensated for work missed as a
result of the blizzard of February, 1978.
j. Agreement with Jordan Marsh, Co. regarding making new main store
available for the handicapped.
k. Comments to Department of Correction on proposed regulations for
standards for county houses of correction.
1. Comments to Department of Correction concerning proposed prison
facility expansion.
m. Comments to legislators concerning proposed amendments to state
school breakfast law which would have made school breakfast programs
optional.
n. Comments to the State Parole Board concerning the Board's proposed
guidelines for release decision-making.
o. An opinion from the Attorney General to the Commissioner of the
Department of Correction concerning inconsistencies between the
mandatory one year sentence gun law and furloughs.
p. Work with the Committee on Criminal Justice concerning affirmative
action requirements of contract agencies.
q. Service on a special DMH task force proposing regulations for the use
of psychotropic drugs in schools for the mentally retarded.
CONSUMER PROTECTION DIVISION
I. LITIGATION
In 1977-1978 we continued strong action in all areas which have become
a hallmark of this Division: litigation; representation of consumers before
the Departments of Public Utilities and Insurance; complaint mediation;
and continued work on the promulgation of new regulations further
defining consumer's rights.
We filed 157 new cases, and 261 were pending from last year.
Specifically we entered into 49 Assurances of Discontinuance, and 34
Consent Judgments.
II. COMPLAINT SECTION
During this period the Complaint Section logged in 12,616 complaints
and closed out 9,584. We recovered $530,751.79 for consumers in refunds,
savings and goods or services. We accomplished this through the
employment of over three hundred (300) volunteer complaint mediators.
46 P.D. 12
The computerization of complaints began on July 1, 1977. A microfiche
reader has been put in the Complaint Section so that the computerized
information can be easily obtainable.
A 100-page training manual was written and is distributed as the new
volunteers arrive.
A total of 5,168 consumer complaints were referred to other state
agencies, local consumer groups and other state attorneys general.
III. INVESTIGATIONS
Investigations have been conducted in the areas of real estate
developments, billing practices, unit pricing, home improvement, swim-
ming pools, textiles and advertising.
Our major investigation this year, however, has centered upon
compliance with the recently promulgated Motor Vehicle Regulations.
Most automobile dealers in the Commonwealth have been visited once, and
some twice thus far. Investigators fill out compliance check lists pertaining
to the various requirements set forth in the regulations. When violations are
found, letters are forwarded to the dealers advising them of our findings. If
after receipt of the second warning letter the dealer fails to correct the
violations, legal proceedings are initiated.
As well as participating in the routine investigations, investigators
continue to work on a day-to-day basis with attorneys obtaining
information, supplying affidavits, and assisting with field work on past,
present and future legal proceedings.
IV. LOCAL CONSUMER GROUPS
We have encouraged the formation of local consumer groups. In 1977-
1978 there were thirty (30) local consumer groups in operation throughout
the state.
Each month meetings were held to allow all the groups to discuss current
consumer issues, train newcomers to the program and exchange ideas.
A Local Consumer Aid Fund in the amount of $250,000 was established
by the Massachusetts Legislature in the Department of the Attorney
General for the purpose of assisting regional consumer groups throughout
the entire Commonwealth. These funds are to supplement local funding
and volunteer efforts. Some of the major benefits this fund will provide are
the computerization of consumer complaints and financial assistance for
supplies and personnel.
Attorney General Bellotti named a seven (7) member advisory
committee to draft guidelines for the disbursement of these funds. The
closing date for applications was December 19,1977.
V. REGULATIONS
Retail Advertising — The Retail Advertising Regulations promulgated
by the Consumer Protection Division became effective on October 17,1977.
These regulations attempt to insure truth-in-advertising. They closely
outline the procedures to be followed by businesses in their advertising,
dealing with pricing, introductory offers and other commonly deceptive
advertising practices. We are in the process of monitoring these regulations
for compliance.
P.D. 12 47
Motor Vehicle — All sections of the Motor Vehicle Regulations became
effective on June 1, 1977 and are being closely monitored for compliance by
our office. These regulations address themselves to all aspects of the sale,
service and repair of automobiles.
Debt Collection — These regulations are currently in the drafting stage.
We anticipate holding public hearings in the Spring of 1979.
Nursing Home — The Consumer Protection Division is investigating
nursing homes in the Commonwealth for possible violations of state and
federal laws prohibiting discrimination against Medicaid recipients, and the
Attorney General's Nursing Home Regulations. Complaints have been
received alleging discrimination against medicaid recipients in regard to
transfer policies.
All regulations are drafted pursuant to G.L. c. 93A with the assistance of
advisory committees whose members are appointed by the Attorney
General. These members are chosen on the basis of the individual's
knowledge in the subject area being addressed. Public hearings are held in
Boston and Springfield prior to the final version affording all concerned
citizens and businesses alike to express their opinions and offer suggestions
on the regulations being proposed.
VI. INSURANCE SECTION
During 1977-1978 the Insurance Section participated in every major
ratemaking and regulatory proceeding before the Division of Insurance. In
addition, a number of major 93A cases were filed against automobile
insurance agents engaging in unfair and deceptive practices.
In the area of automobile rates, the Section played a prominent role as
an intervenor in hearings to fix and establish 1978 rates. The hearings
consumed 24 days, and resulted in a radical new rates design which
eliminates age, sex, and marital status as classification variables. The battle
over competition continued into 1978, with the Commissioner deciding,
consistent with the recommendations of the Insurance Section, to fix and
establish rates for 1979.
The Insurance Section intervened also in hearings considering a license
application by an open panel Health Maintenance Organization. We were
instrumental in changes in the license application which should insure
solvency of the operation.
The Insurance Section has been investigating insurance agencies within
the Commonwealth for overcharging consumers. Suit has been filed against
several of these agencies and there is presently an ongoing investigation
involving other agents.
VII. UTILITIES DIVISION
A. Personnel and General
During the past year, the Utilities Division employed six lawyers, one
accountant, two economist/financial analysts, one group coordinator/
administrator and three secretaries.
The Division represented the public and participated in the hearing of
every general electric and gas rate case before the Department of Public
Utilities during this period and every monthly electric fuel clause case. In
48
P.D. 12
addition, the Division participated in the investigation into generic rate
decision for electric rates before the Department, and also in the
investigation into the propriety of Boston Edison Company's construction
program (Pilgrim II). The Division also participated in the hearings before
the Energy Facilities Siting Council on the long-range demand and energy
forecast of each electric utility in Massachusetts. (In general, the Attorney
General's Utilities Division continued as the most active and most
professional consumer representative in all matters relating to utility rates
and regulations in Massachusetts.)
B. Specific Cases
1. Boston Edison Company - Rate Case - D.P.U. 19300 - decided
February 28, 1978; company requested approximately $70 million and
received approximately $23 million.
2. Boston Edison Company - investigation into the propriety of its
construction program and capacity needs - Phase I (future energy and
demand requirements) completed and briefed; Phase II underway.
3. Massachusetts Electric Company - D.P.U. 19376 - company
requested $18 million and received $2 million.
4. Brockton Edison Company - company requested approximately $4
million and received approximately $ 1 million.
5. New England Power Company - three successive wholesale rate
cases before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in various stages
of discovery, trial and briefing.
6. Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company - company requested
approximately $6 million and received approximately $4 million.
7. Cape Cod Gas Company and Lowell Gas Company - prosecution of
two 93A cases for alleged improper overcharges continued; two appeals
from last pair of rate cases continued; preparation for pending pair of rate
cases begun.
8. Miscellaneous fuel charge cases.
9. Seven long-range demand and energy forecast cases.
VIII. SPECIFIC CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGAL ACTIONS
A. ADVERTISING
Defendant
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
Lloyd O. Appleton & Kingsmount
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Robert P. Auer, d/b/a
Bob Auer & Sons Enterprise
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Bob Auer & Sons Enterprise
Consent Judgment
Middlesex
B&G Industries, Inc.
In Litigation
Norfolk
Richard Boisvert
In Litigation
Hampden
Brigham-Gill Pontiac AMC
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Chala Foods, Inc., Lawrence
Drake, Ind. and as he is
President and Treasurer
of Chala Foods, Inc.,
Charles Waystack
In Litigation
Middlesex
Columbia Research Corp.
In Litigation
Suffolk
Commonwealth Builder's
Supply, Inc.
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
P.D. 12
49
Diversified Products Corp.
d/b/a National Marketing
Corp.
Eardrum of New England,
Inc., d/b/a Eardrum
Edwards Wayside Furniture,
Inc.
Norman Gear, Individually
and as Trustee of 56 & 60
Commonwealth Associates
Trust & Gerald Bern
Golub Furniture, Inc.
The B.F. Goodrich Company
Kaplan's Furniture
Co., Inc.
William Kavanagh
Furniture Company
Lafayette Radio
Electronics Corp.
Lane's Furniture Co.,
Inc. (Brockton)
Leisure Distributors, Inc.,
d/b/a Hi-Fi Buys
Pieraway Electric Co.
Emmanuel Medeiros, d/b/a
TV and Radio Center
Ephram Miller, d/b/a
Miller's Furniture Co.
National Business
Association Directory
New England Audio, Inc.,
d/b/a Tweeter, Etc.
New England Furniture
Corp.
Northeastern Powerguard
Corp., Powerguard Eastern
Corp., Inc. and R.A. Wilson
Contractors, Inc.
Max Okun Furniture Co., Inc.
George O'Neil, d/b/a Ace
Motors
Seiden Sound, Inc.
Seiden Sound, Inc.
Leonard B. Paul, d/b/a
Town & Country Products
Paul E. Petit, d/b/a
TV and Radio Center
Wholesale Furniture and
Carpet Warehouse and
Wholesale Furniture Co.,
Inc.
Peoples Furniture Co.,
Of Everett
Stanley Shuman, d/b/a
Excellent Car Company
Stanley Labovitz Assignee
for Benefit for Andrews
Furniture Creditors
Sunup, Inc.
Videsign, Inc. d/b/a
Amherst Audio
In Litigation
Middlesex
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Hampden
Consent Judgment
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
S.J.C.
Consent Judgment
Consent Judgment
Hampden
Hampden
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Middlesex
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Consent Judgment
In Litigation
Suffolk
Hampden
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
Middlesex
Suffolk
Consent Judgment
Consent Judgment
Hampden
Hampden/
Housing
Dismissed
Bristol
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Middlesex
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
50
P.D. 12
B. ANTI-TRUST
Defendant
Yankee Milk
C AUTOMOBILES
Back Bay Motors, Inc.
Victor Belotti. Inc.
Bonded Motors of Stoughton.
d b a Bonded Dodge
Edward J. Borlen d/b/a
City Auto Sales
Shirley Bragel d/b/a
Avenue Auto Wholesalers
Bob Brest Buick. Inc.
Brockton Dodge. Inc.
Carol Cars. Inc.
Colonial Motor Sales. Inc.
and Bruce Milton
William Desautels
David Eck. d/b/a Eck's
Auto Sales
Elro Enterprises. Inc.
d/b/a Brockton Auto Whole-
salers and Ronald Barreira
Falmouth Datsun
Falmouth Dodge. Inc.
Walter A. Fife
and Barbara A. Fife
Fitchburg Ford Fiat
Foreign Auto Import. Inc.
Freedom Motors. Inc.
In re: Dante E. Gregorie.
Bankrupt
Jay L. Horowitz and
Maria Nunes d/b/a
Gentlemen's Wear House
Don Lamolino and Michael B.
Iscaldi d/b/a Don's Gettv
Service Station
Thomas L. McManus and
128 Sales. Inc.
Main St. Auto Sales
and Sen ice
M.A.R. Auto Wholesalers
Morris Motors. Inc.
Francis A. O'Connor d/b/a
Car Finders
Thomas O'Connor d/b/a
O'Connor Bros.
Perry Pontiac, Inc.
Jim Pierce Ford World
Plaza Oldsmobile
Lawrence A. Robichaud, d/b/a
Robichaud Auto Sales and
Service
Schaffer Motor Car Co.. Inc.
Muzi Motors. Inc.
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
Decision
S.J.C.
In Litigation
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Norfolk
In Litigation
Hampshire
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Hampden
In Litigation
Hampden
In Litigation
Bristol
In Litigation
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
Consent Judgment
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
Norfolk
In Litigation
Plymouth
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Middlesex
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
In Litigation
Middlesex
Consent Judgment
Hampden
U.S.D.C.
Suffolk
Hampden
Middlesex
Suffolk
Berkshire
Suffolk
Hampden
In Litigation
Middlesex
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Consent Judgment
Worcester
In Litigation
Norfolk
In Litigation
Norfolk
P.D. 12
51
Seacrest Cadillac/Pontiac,
Inc.
Smyly Buick, Inc.
Stop & Go Transmissions
of Lawrence, Inc.
Taunton Sales, Inc.
Topor Motor Sales
Two Guys Antique Parts Co.
Chicopee Antique Auto
Supply, Frank H. Parks
Toyota of Falmouth
Kenneth T. Wasil,
Michael Wasil
West Springfield
Chrysler- Plymouth et al
BANKING & CREDIT
Defendant
Allied Bond & Collection
Agency
Rene Beaulieu, Individually
and as President of Enterprise
Cooperative Bank
The Codman Company
First National Bank of New
Bedford
Ford Motor Credit Co.
In the Matter of General
Motors Acceptance
Corporation
In re: Vincent Hale
Margy E. Katzeff, Business
Achievement Corp., and
Julian H. Katzeff, Ind. and
as Trustee
Allen C. Keene (Int'l.
Health Spa)
New England Merchants Bank
Northampton National Bank
Frank Ramos
World of Homes, Inc.
Van Ru Credit Corp.
CONTRACTS
Defendant
Welton Cuffee
Edward Gray, d/b/a Picture
Your World
International Magazine
Service of Boston, Inc.
Kiddy Photographers, Inc.
Suburban Lawn Services
BILLING PRA CTICES/ HEALTH
Defendant
Alan G. Edwards, Jr., M.D.
Interchurch Team
Ministries, Inc. et al In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance Essex
Assurance of Discontinuance Suffolk
Stipulation & Order Essex
Consent Judgment Bristol
In Litigation Hampden
Final Judgment Hampden
Assurance of Discontinuance Suffolk
In Litigation
Suffolk
In Litigation
Hampden
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
In Litigation
U.S. DC.
Consent Judgment
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
Suffolk
U.S.D.C.
In Litigation
Middlesex
In Litigation
Consent Judgment
In Litigation
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
Suffolk
Suffolk
Hampshire
Bristol
Essex
Suffolk
Status / Disposition
In Litigation
County/Court
Hampden
In Litigation
Essex
Assurance of Discontinuance
Assurance of Discontinuance
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk
4LTH
Status/ Disposition
Assurance of Discontinuance
County/Court
Suffolk
Plymouth
52
P.D. 12
G. HEARING AIDS
H.
Defendants
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
Dee & Mahoney Inc., d/b/a
Beltone Hearing Aid Service
Final Judgment
Hampden
E & S Enterprises d/b/a
Beltone Hearing Aid Service
In Litigation
Hampden
HOME IMPRO VEMENTS/ APPLIANCE REPAIRS
Defendants
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
Ralph Anderson and
Anderson Construction Co.
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Frederick G. Andrews and
Andrews Painting Co., Inc.
In Litigation
Norfolk
John W. Jones,
Jerry M. Jones and
Battle Green Construction
In Litigation
Middlesex
Paul Johnson d/b/a
Factory Heating Service
Partial Judgment
Middlesex
Kingsley Bristol d/b/a
King Appliance Service
In Litigation
Suffolk
William Siano, Jr.
In Litigation
Hampden
William Sutter d/b/a
Sutter's Home Improvements
In Litigation
Hampden
Supreme Remodeling, Inc.
In Litigation
Norfolk
INSURANCE
Defendant
Status/ Disposition
County/Court
Aetna Casualty and
Surety Co.
In Litigation
Suffolk
Brookfield Insurance Agency
Inc., et al
Consent Judgment
Norfolk
E.J. Bruce Ins. Agency, Inc.
and Elmer J. Bruce, Jr.
Individually and as President
of E.J. Bruce Insurance
Agency Inc. and Commercial
Union Insurance Co., Trustee
In Litigation
Suffolk
Sula Dodd, et al v.
Commercial Union Ins. Co.
Decision
S.J.C.
Motor Club of America
In Litigation
Worcester
John C. Roche
In Litigation
Suffolk
TKO Insurance Agency of
Holyoke, Inc., et al
J. LICENSING
Defendant
Eastern Atlantic Tractor-
Trailer Training School
Colonial Travel Service
Counselors, Inc., Pedro P.
Patino, President and
Ingar C. Patino, Treasurer
New England Tractor Trailer
Training of Connecticut,
Inc.
South Eastern Academy, Inc.
d/b/a New England Academy,
Paul J. Rich
In Litigation
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
In Litigation
In Litigation
In Litigation
Hampden
County/ Court
Hampden
Middlesex
Hampden
Plymouth
P.D. 12
53
K. MOBILE HOMES
Defendant
Daniel Vassett, et al
(Suburban Mobile Home Park)
L. PRICING/FOOD
Defendant
Bi-Lo Food Warehouse, Inc.
Brands Mart, Inc.
Purity Supreme, Inc.
Raymond Cournoyer d/b/a
Ray's IGA Store & Walter P.
O'Malley
Waltham Camera, Inc.
a/k/a Waltham Camera and
Stereo
Waldbaum Inc., d/b/a
Food Marts
M. REAL ESTATE/ HOUSING
Defendant
Acres & Acres
William E. Aubin, William
E. Aubin, Inc. and Northeast
Land Limited Partnership
Alfred L. Gladstone, Indiv-
idually and as Trustee of
Ridgewood Realty Trust and
Michael F. Iodice, Sr.
Robert J. Gregory d/b/a
Hub Realty
William Hartwick, Indivi-
dually and as he is partner
in Homes by Design
Stephen Sesser, d/b/a
Wonder Construction Co.
Southbrook Real Estate
Sales, Inc.
Louraine E. Souther and
Furmer H. Souther, d/b/a
Brookside Acres Dev. Co.
and Crest Realty
William Walo and Richard
Levine, d/b/a Homes by
Design
Alan Zuker, d/b/a Alan
Realty
N. SALES PRACTICES
Defendant
Lloyd Carr & Co.
Timothy J. Rich et al
Bonny Rigg Camping Club
Julius Wilensky d/b/a
Orleans Coal & Oil Co.
Allied Construction
Training Corporation
Apartment Showcase
Atlantic Richfield Co.
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
Consent Judgment
In Litigation
In Litigation
Consent Judgment
Judgment
Consent Judgment
Consent Judgment
In Litigation
In Litigation
Consent Judgment
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
Partial Judgment
Assurance of Discontinuance
In Litigation
Assurance of Discontinuance
Consent Judgment
In Litigation
County/ Court
Bristol
County/Court
Hampden
Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Consent Judgment
Hampden
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
County/Court
Essex
Hampshire
Middlesex
Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk
Plymouth
Norfolk
Middlesex
Norfolk
County/Court
Suffolk
Middlesex
Suffolk
Middlesex
Suffolk
Middlesex
Suffolk
54
P.D. 12
Bulk Meat Co., d/b/a
Holyoke Packing Co., Inc.
et al
Robert E. Chalue
Marquise China Company
and Marquise Acceptance,
Inc.
Fafco Division V.S.I., Inc.
a/k/a Valve Service
International, Inc.
Aaron Glickman,
Individually and as d/b/a
Aaron's Advertising Agency
and A.C. Titus and Co., Inc.
d/b/a Titus of Salem
Ranaan Katz, Individually
and as Trustee of Victory
Realty Trust
John W. Kilgo Associates, Inc.
d/b/a Evelyn Wood Reading
Dynamics Institute
Michael J. Konior d/b/a
In Litigation Hampden
In Litigation Hampden
Order Hampden
Consent Judgment Middlesex
In Litigation Suffolk
In Litigation Suffolk
Assurance of Discontinuance Suffolk
Executive Dating Systems
Judgment
Suffolk
Frank G. Rafferty
Consent Judgment
Norfolk
Alan Rich
In Litigation
Hampden
Richard Ryll. Individually
and as Manager of Automotive
Products Company, Inc. and
Automotive Products Co., Inc.
In Litigation
Berkshire
In the matter of Selective
Singles
In Litigation
Norfolk
Shaker Workshops
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Charles R. Stott. a/k/a
George R. Scott; and George
Michael Ward, d/b/a Town &
Country Roofing, Waltham
Roofing Service, Beacon Hill
Roofing & Skylight Service
In Litigation
Middlesex
Supreme Furniture Co., Inc.
d/b/a Summerfield's
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Universal Marketing Corp.
In Litigation
Norfolk
Medeiros Williams
Chevrolet, Inc.
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
Young Enterprises, Inc.
In Litigation
Suffolk
Alex Zellin, d/b/a
A-Z Appliance Co.
Assurance of Discontinuance
Suffolk
O. SWIMMING POOLS
Defendant
Status/ Disposition
County/ Court
Pioneer Pools of Boston
Inc.
In Litigation
Norfolk
NURSING HOMES
Defendant
Louis Almeida, Individually
and as Trustee of Forest
Manor Nursing Home Trust,
Highland Nursing Home Trust
and as he is owner of Middle-
sex Manor Nursing Home and
Green Pastures Nursing Home
Status/ Disposition
Consent Judgment
County/ Court
Bristol
P.D. 12
55
Berkshire Nursing Home,
Inc.
Consent Judgment
Suffolk
Kimwell Nursing Home
Consent Judgment
Norfolk
QT Services, d/b/a
Harvard Manor Nursing
Home
In Litigation
Suffolk
Twin Pines Corp. d/b/a
Western Manor Nursing
and Retirement Home
Consent Judgment
Middlesex
Q. WARRANTIES
Defendants
Associated Pool
Distributors, Inc.
Status/ Disposition
In Litigation
County/ Court
Norfolk
IX. SPECIFIC INS URA NCE A CTI VITIES
1. 1978 auto insurance case tried and briefed; a 24-day hearing involving radical and new
rate design and rate level techniques applied to auto insurance rates.
2. Blue Cross/Blue Shield 1977 Medex rate case, tried, briefed and won.
3. Blue Cross/Blue Shield non-group coverage rate case, 1977, tried, briefed and won.
4. Blue Cross/Blue Shied physician fee profile increase withdrawn.
5. Fair Plan homeowner's insurance case, tried, briefed and won.
6. Hearings under c. 175E, §5 to determine whether competition was working in the 1977 auto
insurance market, tried, briefed and won. Hearings under C.175E, §5 to determine whether
competition could operate effectively in the auto insurance market in 1979; tried, briefed
and won.
7. Hearings on plan of operation and rules of operation of the Massachusetts Motor Vehicle
Reinsurance Facility for last portion of 1977; separate hearings on 1978 plan of operation
and rules of operation.
8. Brookfield Insurance Agency: 93A action commenced for violation of Attorney General
Regulation on sale and financing of automobile insurance policies. Settled by consent
judgment which provides for restitution to consumers.
9. Mainstreet Insurance Agency: 93A action commenced for violation of Attorney General
Regulation on sale and financing of automobile insurance policies.
10. E.J. Bruce Insurance Agency: 93A action commenced for violation of Attorney General
Regulation on sale and financing of automobile insurance policies.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION
I. INTRODUCTION
The Environmental Protection Division is established by statute, G.L. c.
12, §1 ID, which also authorizes the Attorney General to take all necessary
affirmative action to prevent or remedy damage to the environment.
At the close of the fiscal year the Division was staffed by a Chief, seven
Assistant Attorneys General, six secretaries and a Wetlands Scientist. The
Secretary of Environmental Affairs and the Departments within his
jurisdiction generate the bulk of the enforcement cases and defenses
handled by the Division. In addition, following the mandate of G.L. c. 12,
§1 IE), the Division initiates cases on behalf of the Attorney General in
many areas of environmental concern.
Massachusetts has a relatively long-standing and well-established
structure of environmental legislation covering, inter alia, air and water
pollution, coastal and inland wetlands protection, solid waste disposal
regulation and outdoor advertising control. The Division is also the legal
representative of the Energy Facilities Siting Council, which regulates the
siting and construction of electrical generating facilities, oil pipelines and
facilities associated with oil refining and production, and the Coastal Zone
Management Office of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
56 P.D. 12
During the past year, the Division was the recipient of federal grant
funds. In recognition of the central role performed in Massachusetts by the
Attorney General in the enforcement of federal and state and water
pollution standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted the
Division $175,000 in FY'78. These monies have been used primarily for
additional staffing.
In addition to conventional legal responsibilities, attorneys for this
Division sit as hearing officers in adjudicatory hearings held pursuant to
the procedures of the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering.
II. DESCRIPTION OF CA TEGORIES
A. AIR
Air pollution cases are usually referred from the Department of
Environmental Quality Engineering, Division of Air and Hazardous
Materials, for violations of the state Air Pollution Regulations. The
most frequent violations of these Regulations at the present time
seem to be municipal incinerators. The statutory authority is M.G.L.
c. Ill, §42.
B. WATER
Water pollution cases are referred from a Division of Water Pollution
Control. These cases generally involve a violation of discharge
permits issued jointly by the Commonwealth's Division of Water
Pollution Control and the United States Environmental Protection
Division. Other water pollution cases involve seeking the recovery of
costs expended in order to clean up oil spills. The statutory authority
is M.G.L. c.21, §§26-53.
C. WETLANDS
Wetlands cases are generally referred from the Department of
Environmental Quality Management, Wetlands Section; the Depart-
ment of Environmental Quality Engineering, Wetlands Division, or
by citizen complaints. These cases fall into two categories: (1) cases
involving the permit program for altering of wetlands under M.G.L.
c.131, §40 and (2) cases challenging the development restrictions
which the state is authorized to impose on inland and coastal
wetlands pursuant to M.G.L. c.130, §105, and M.G.L. c.131, §40A.
D. SOLID WASTE
Solid waste cases originate from the Department of Environmental
Quality Engineering, Division of General Environmental Control.
These cases involve the manner in which refuse is disposed and the
enforcement of the state's sanitary landfill regulations. The statutory
authority is M.G.L. c.l 1 1, §150A.
E. BILLBOARD
Billboard cases are referred from the Outdoor Advertising Board.
These cases are governed by M.G.L. c.93, §§29-33, which regulate
and restrict outdoor advertising and authorize a permit program. A
P.D. 12 57
majority are defenses to petitions for judicial review from decisions of
the Outdoor Advertising Board.
F. NON-CATEGORICAL
A number of matters are handled by this Division each year which do
not fall into the categories above. These are often those matters
initiated or pursued by the Attorney General in areas of broad
environmental policy, including, for example, nuclear power plant
siting and construction, amicus curiae briefs to the Massachusetts
Supreme Judicial Court and the United States Supreme Court,
National Environmental Policy Act and Massachusetts Environmen-
tal Policy Act cases, administrative interventions and energy policy.
III. DISPOSITION OF CASES
A. During FY'78, this Division opened the following numbers of cases
in each of the listed categories:
AIR 18
WATER 73
WETLANDS 38
SOLID WASTE 35
BILLBOARDS 31
NON-CATEGORICAL 10
Total number of cases opened during FY'78: 205
B. During FY'78, this Division closed the following number of cases in
each of the listed categories:
AIR 18
WATER 5
WETLANDS 16
SOLID WASTE 5
BILLBOARDS 39
NON-CATEGORICAL 3
Total number of cases closed during FY'78: 86
IV. NOTEWORTHY CASES
This section includes a description of some cases of special significance
to the Commonwealth either because they were the first of a particular
type, because they had important precedential value or because they made
a distinct contribution to the environment.
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENGINEER-
ING v. UNION PETROLEUM CORPORATION (1977)
The Division filed a complaint based on the defendant's violation of
the state air pollution statute and regulations. After negotiations, an
Agreement for Judgment was executed that provided for the payment of
a $12,000 civil penalty. This was the first such penalty collected for air
pollution.
58 P.D. 12
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENGINEER-
ING v. HOLLISTON SAND AND GRAVEL (1977)
The Division sought the closure of the defendant's operations on the
grounds that, in addition to violating the air pollution regulations, they
constituted a public nuisance. Just before hearing on the Division's
motion for preliminary injunction, the defendant agreed to install the
necessary pollution abatement equipment and pay a penalty of $15,000
for the creation of a public nuisance. This was the first Massachusetts
case in which a public nuisance theory was pleaded for the purpose of
receiving civil damages.
DIVISION OF WATER POLLUTION CONTROL v. TOWN OF
DIGHTON(1977)
This was the first case in which a Court assessed a civil penalty
($35,000) against a municipality under the Massachusetts Clean Waters
Act.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CITY OF LYNN AND COM-
MONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS (1977)
The Environmental Protection Agency brought an action against the
City of Lynn for failure to comply with the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act, 42 U.S.C. §§1251 et seq. The Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts was joined as a necessary party under the federal statute. Rather
than defend the city, which had violated a state-federal water discharge
permit, the Commonwealth brought a cross-claim against it under the
Massachusetts Clean Waters Act. The Commonwealth prevailed on its
motion for a partial summary judgment and the city agreed to a judg-
ment which provided a schedule for the completion of construction of its
wastewater treatment facility and payment of a $10,000 civil penalty for
its past violations of the Massachusetts Clean Waters Act and its dis-
charge permit. The federal government's claim is still pending.
CONNECTICUT RIVER FISHWAYS CASE (1977)
This Division represented the fishery agencies of all the states in the
Connecticut River Basin (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire
and Vermont) in hearings before the Federal Power Commission seeking
to require the Western Massachusetts Electric Company to install fish
passage facilities at its dam at Turners Falls, Massachusetts. After evi-
dence was presented, an agreement was reached which will require the
company to complete two sets of facilities by 1980.
Thereafter, the Division, on behalf of the same four states, entered
into negotiations with New England Power Company, the licensee of the
next three dams on the Connecticut (all of them on the New Hampshire-
Vermont border). An agreement was reached establishing a schedule for
the construction of fishways.
These two agreements will allow Atlantic salmon and American shad
to reach their historic spawning grounds on the Connecticut and its tribu-
taries.
P.D. 12 59
MASSACHUSETTS v. ANDRUS, et al. (1978)
This action was brought in Federal District Court to enjoin the Secre-
tary of Interior from leasing oil and gas development rights in the
Georges Bank area off the Massachusetts coast. The complaint alleged
that the defendant was violating the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
and the National Environmental Policy Act.
On January 28, 1978, the court issued a preliminary injunction block-
ing the opening of bids for the leases scheduled to take place on Febru-
ary 1. On January 30 the First Circuit refused to stay the order pending
its appeal. On March 7 the appeal was argued to the First Circuit and is
awaiting decision.
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE, et al. v. KNECHT, et al.
(1978)
This suit, brought by an oil industry association in Federal District
Court for the District of Columbia, sought to enjoin the Coastal Zone
Management Program. The Plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunc-
tion on April 28, 1978. At the same time we intervened on behalf of the
Commonwealth. The injunction was denied. The matter was heard on
cross motions for summary judgment and the court entered judgment for
the Commonwealth on September 6, 1978.
PUBLIC CHARITIES DIVISION
I. REGISTRATION AND MONITORING OF CHARITABLE ORGAN-
IZA TIONS.
A. Annual Reports. The Division currently has registered with it 11,941
charitable organizations, each of which is required to file annually with the
Division either a Form PC or a copy of its annual probate account and to
pay a filing fee of $15.00. For the fiscal year ending on June 30,1978, the
Division had collected $85,410 in filing fees.
B. Annual Report Form. On May 15, 1978, the Division held a public
hearing with regard to the Form PC. The Division intends to make some
changes in the Form PC based upon some of these recommendations.
The Division has also been working with other states and with the
Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to develop a national uniform
reporting form for charitable organizations. This would enable charitable
organizations to complete a single form which could be filed with every
state, and perhaps with the IRS, instead of having to complete a myriad of
different forms at great administrative cost to the charities.
C. Advisory Committee on Public Charities. During fiscal year 1978, the
Attorney General appointed an Advisory Committee on Public Charities.
This Committee has been an excellent resource for the Division and has
helped to draft both new legislation in the charities area and a new report
form. The Committee members have also acted as liaisons with the
charitable and professional fund-raising community and have helped
generate widespread acceptance of the new report form and the proposed
statutory changes.
60 P.D. 12
D. New Filing System. The Division adopted a new numerical system of
open-shelved, color-coded files which has been approved and will be
installed this Fall. Because the system is housed on open shelves, retrieval
and re-shelving of files should be much easier and faster.
E. Computerization. We have entered into a computer the names and
account numbers of all registered charities so that we will have available a
computer listing which will be up-dated regularly. The computer list will be
on microfiche and we have obtained three microfiche readers. This will
enable us to answer inquiries from citizens and to locate charity files more
quickly than before.
We have also prepared computer information sheets containing
important biographical data from the charity files for each registered
charity.
F. Dissolution of Delinquent and Defunct Charities. Under G.L. c.180,
§ 1 IB, the Attorney General has the authority to dissolve charitable
corporations if they have failed to file their annual reports for two
successive years or if they have become inactive. In fiscal year 1978, the
Division filed the first of a series of dissolution petitions in the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to dissolve some thirty-two
delinquent and defunct charities. Bellotti v. Allston- Brighton Citizens
Council, Inc.
G. Suits to Enforce Charities Laws. In fiscal year 1978, the Division also
filed a number of suits to enforce various provisions of the law of charities.
Some of these suits are:
Bellotti v. Byrd, Suffolk Probate Court. A suit to remove Richard E.
Byrd, Jr. as trustee of the Admiral Richard E. Byrd Foundation, a
charitable foundation created by Mr. Byrd's mother in memory of his
father, Admiral Richard E. Byrd. The suit alleges that Byrd, Jr. has allowed
the assets of the foundation to deteriorate and has not conducted any
charitable activities with the Foundation's assets. After two days of trial,
this case was settled by an agreement between the parties to remove the
other trustee, to allow Richard to remain as a trustee, and to appoint three
"neutral" trustees to run the Foundation.
Perkins v. Rich, Plymouth Superior Court. This suit was brought by the
members of a Unitarian Church in East Bridgewater to determine what had
happened to the Church assets since 1962 when Paul John Rich, III had
become the minister of the Church. The Attorney General was named as a
defendant because a substantial amount of charitable trust assets
(approximately $250,000) were unaccounted for. The Division participated
in a lengthy Master's hearing on this matter. In addition, the Division has
filed a counterclaim against an intervening bank which has a mortgage on
the Church property claiming that the Bank accepted restricted trust funds
as collateral for a general loan to the Church when it knew or should have
known that the funds could not be used for that purpose. We are seeking to
force the bank to return the money to the Church on the ground that it is a
constructive trustee of the funds.
Bellotti v. Star Island Corporation and Bellotti v. Christian Broadcasting
Network, Suffolk Superior Court. These two companion cases were brought
to determine whether the defendants, both of which claim to be
P.D. 12 61
incorporated and operated for "religious purposes", are exempt from the
registration requirements of G.L. c.12, §8F. Both suits involve serious First
Amendment issues.
Bellotti v. Cuervels, Suffolk Superior Court. This case is still in the
discovery stage. It is a suit brought against the former officers and directors
of the Boston Council of Girl Scouts attempting to hold them personally
liable for the deterioration of the council's assets, dissipation of the
council's general funds which should have been used for Girl Scout
activities and misuse of restricted trust funds.
Bellotti v. Sylvester, Suffolk Superior Court. This action was brought to
remove and surcharge the trustee of a charitable trust for taking excessive
fees and for imprudent investment of trust funds. A preliminary injunction
was obtained removing the trustee and appointing a temporary trustee. The
case is now in discovery.
Bellotti v. Swedish Mission Fund, Suffolk Probate Court. The Division
filed an application to investigate this organization which was allowed by
the probate court.
II. MONITORING CHARITABLE SOLICIT A TIONS.
A. Solicitation Certificates. The number of solicitation certificates issued
by the Division jumped from 601 in fiscal year 1977 to 1,089 in fiscal year
1978. Total filing fees increased from $5,750.00 to $10,598.40. The reason
for the increase is that our new Form PC combines the annual report form
with the application for a solicitation certificate. Thus many charities
became aware for the first time that they were required to obtain such a
certificate.
B. Registration of Professional Fund- Raisers. There are currently 51
professional fund-raisers and solicitors registered with the Division. Each
charity is required to list on its annual report the name of its professional
fund-raiser. We have instituted a procedure for cross-checking the Forms
PC with the registrations of professional fund-raisers to ensure that all
fund-raisers are registered.
C. Suits to Enforce Solicitation Laws. In fiscal year 1978 the Division
filed a number of suits to enforce the solicitation laws. Examples are:
Bellotti v. Congress of Racial Equality. Suffolk Superior Court. This case
ended in a consent judgment in which C.O.R.E. agreed to be permanently
enjoined from using harassing solicitation techniques in Massachusetts.
Bellotti v. Salvation Rehabilitation Center, Suffolk Superior Court. A
preliminary injunction was obtained in this case against an organization
which claimed it was soliciting funds to hold a Christmas party for needy
children. In fact, no such party was ever held and the organization appears
never to have conducted any charitable activities.
Bellotti v. World Changers, Suffolk Superior Court. A preliminary
injunction was also obtained in this case enjoining defendant from
conducting any charitable solicitations in Massachusetts. The organization's
solicitation materials are misleading in that they state that all funds
collected will be used for needy children when, in fact, a large percentage of
the funds are used for other pruposes.
Bellotti v. Leavitt, Suffolk Superior Court. This action resulted in an
62 P.D. 12
injunction against Mr. Leavitt soliciting in Massachusetts. Leavitt claimed
he was soliciting on behalf of a charitable organization, Italian American
War Veterans, but the charity claimed it had not received any of the
proceeds from his solicitations.
III. PROBATE MATTERS.
A. Wills Reviewed. In fiscal year 1978 the Division reviewed and set up
files on 1,039 new wills in estates which either created charitable interests or
in which there were no heirs. A para-legal has been able to review the wills
satisfactorily thus relieving the attorneys of that burden.
B. Accounts Reviewed. The Division received for review in fiscal year
1978 2,391 trustee accounts, 65 accounts of administrators, 48 conservator's
accounts and 580 executor's accounts.
C. Litigation Matters. The Division was involved in 235 litigation
matters which included petitions for cy pres, petitions for instructions, will
contests, etc. Examples of some of those matters are:
Chase, Trustee v. Pevear, Essex Probate Court. This case was commenced
some time ago and involves various claims by the life beneficiaries and the
Attorney General against the trustee of a trust fund with charitable
remainder interests. We are seeking to remove and surcharge the trustee for
self-dealing, imprudent investments, failure to pay taxes on time, etc. The
case was tried before a Master who found in favor of the trustee. The
Probate Court, however, has since found in favor of the income
beneficiaries and the Attorney General.
Samuels v. Attorney General, Supreme Judicial Court. This matter was
decided in the Division's favor in January, 1978. The question was whether
funds of the Massachusetts Pythian Relief Fund could properly be used for
the purchase of land and construction of a regional hall for the use of the
Grand Lodge, Knights of Pythias. The Attorney General argued and the
court found that the Relief Fund was a restricted fund which must be used
for aid to needy members of the Lodge and could not be used for the
general purposes of the Lodge.
Congregational Church of Chicopee Falls v. Attorney General, Supreme
Judicial Court. This case has been briefed and is waiting to be argued. The
Court has been asked to decide whether the Superior Court has jurisdiction
to dissolve a Church corporation or whether the Supreme Judicial Court
has exclusive jurisdiction in such matters. The case also presents the
question of the scope of the court's discretion in determining how the assets
of a dissolving charitable corporation are to be distributed.
D. Common Trust Fund Accounts. The Division has begun to monitor
the accounts of the large common trust funds which must file with us
annually. In a number of instances we have filed appearances and objected
to the allowance of the accounts because they were not a fair presentation
of the fund's actual financial position as of the date of the account. The
Division recently met with representatives of some of the banks and Judge
Mary Fitzpatrick and agreed to a new format for presentation of these
accounts.
P.D. 12 63
IV. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ESTATES AND ESTATES WITH
NO HEIRS
In fiscal year 1978, the Division opened files on 154 new public
administration estates. Total escheats from public administration estates
and no heirs estates were $269,093.66 from 94 estates.
V. SPRINGFIELD OFFICE
The Springfield office the Department of the Attorney General continues
to be responsible for matters of concern to the Attorney General in the four
Western Counties: Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire. The
primary function of the office has been to handle all division references and
requests for assistance pertaining to Eminent Domain, Criminal, Torts,
Contracts, Administrative, Employment Security Division, Collections,
Public Charities, Victim of Violent Crime cases and election law violations.
Only Consumer Protection matters originate in the Springfield office.
The office also supplies personnel to the Board of Appeal on Motor
Vehicles Liability Policies and Bonds for monthly sittings which consider
approximately 20 cases per sitting.
It is difficult to determine with accuracy the number of matters handled
for the Administrative Division because many of the actions taken by this
office on these cases involve the filing of a particular pleading, hearing on
motions and the gathering of information without actually handling the
entire case. The same is true of Eminent Domain and contract cases.
During 1977-78 a total of 28 new cases were received in their entirety from
the above mentioned divisions.
The Consumer Protection section of the Springfield office was again
quite active. In 1977-78 some 64 investigations were conducted resulting in
10 Assurances of Discontinuance, 9 Consent Judgments, 6 Preliminary
Injunctions and 1 contempt action. The above actions covered a wide range
of industries including automobiles, photography, door-to-door sales, mail
order solicitations, and advertising.
The section in conjunction with the Massachusetts Public Interest
Research Groups and the Consumer Action Center of Springfield
conducted an indepth survey of unit pricing in the Western Massachusetts
area. The action resulted in several complaints being filed and consent
judgments being obtained.
A systematic monitoring system for consent judgments, advertising and
motor vehicle regulations was established.
In addition to the formal investigations, some 161 individual complaints
were received from areas not represented by a local consumer center. Of
these complaints 138 were resolved.
The Springfield office in 1977-78 conducted public hearings on the
proposed retail advertising regulations, fulfilled speaking engagements for
numerous groups, and helped to establish a new Consumer Center at
Holyoke Community College.
The staff consists of one Administrative Assistant, two Assistant
Attorneys General, two investigators, and two secretaries.
64 P.D. 12
Number 1 July 18, 1977
Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D.
Commissioner
Department of Public Health
600 Washington Street
Boston, MA 021 11
Dear Commissioner Fielding:
You have requested my opinion on the responsibility of the Department
of Public Health (D.P.H.) concerning the proposal of the City of Lawrence
to convert the Bessie M. Burke Memorial Hospital (the Burke Hospital)
into a long-term care nursing home facility for the elderly. Your question is
whether St. 1973, c. 923 (c.923) and St. 1971, c. 596 (c.596) relieve the city
from the obligation to comply with the statutory determination of need
process set forth in G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G.
In my judgment neither c. 923 nor c. 596 exempts the Burke Hospital's
conversion from the procedures established by G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G. The
city and D.P.H. therefore are required to follow the provisions of §§25C
and 25D with respect to a determination of need by D.P.H. for a nursing
home on the site of the Burke Hospital before the city proceeds to convert
the hospital into that type of long-term facility.
The relationship of c. 923 ' and c. 596 2 — both special laws relating
specifically and directly to the Burke Hospital — to G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G,
is not entirely a new question. In Commissioner of Public Health v. The
Bessie M. Burke Memorial Hospital, 366 Mass. 734 (1975), (cited hereafter
as Commissioner v. Burke Hospital) the Supreme Judicial Court considered
and upheld the constitutionality of the two special laws in light of the
generally applicable determination of need procedure set forth in G.L. c.
Ill, §§25B-25G, and its predecessor statute. The court's opinion describes
in detail the factual circumstances of the special laws' enactments. Id. at
735-38. It is helpful to summarize these facts in order to provide
background to your present opinion request.
In 1971, the Legislature passed St. 1971, c. 1080, entitled "An Act to
prevent unnecessary expansion of health care facilities during the period
ending [May 31, 1972]." The Act required, as a condition of commencing
construction of a new health care facility or renovating an existing facility,
where an expenditure of $100,000 or more was involved, that D.P.H. make
a "determination" that a "need" existed for the new or renovated facility.
'Chapter 923 provides in pertinent part:
Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter seven hundred and seventy-six of the acts of nineteen hundred and seventy-two
[enacting G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G), or any other contrary provision of law, the commissioner of public health is hereby
authorized and directed to issue a certificate of need and a temporary hospital license to the city of Lawrence for the
continued operation of the Bessie M. Burke Memorial Hospital. This certificate of need shall not be withheld pending the
issuance of a certificate of safety nor shall a certificate of safety be withheld because a certificate of need has not been issued.
Said city of Lawrence is hereby authorized and directed to expend such sums of money as were authorized by chapter five
hundred and ninety-six of the acts of nineteen hundred and seventy-one to remodel, reconstruct, enlarge, make extraordinary
repairs to, re-equip and refurnish said Bessie M. Burke Memorial Hospital
'Chapter 596 provides in pertinent part:
SECTION I. For the purpose of remodeling, reconstructing, enlarging, making extraordinary repairs to, re-equipping and
refurnishing the Bessie M Burke Memorial Hospital, the city of Lawrence may borrow, within a period of two years from the
passage of this act, such sums as may be necessary, not exceeding, in the aggregate, one and one half million dollars, and may
issue bonds or notes therefor, which shall bear on their face the words, Lawrence Hospital Remodeling Loan, Act of 1971. .
P.D. 12 65
The statute also required that a determination of need be made before a
facility could substantially change the services it offered. 3 In 1972, the
Legislature enacted G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G, which made the determination
of need process of c. 1080 a permanent statutory requirement for
construction, alteration and changes in services of health care facilities. St.
1972, c. 776, §3. See Commissioner v. Burke Hospital, supra at 736-37, 738-
39.
On August 5, 1971, the Legislature passed c. 596, authorizing the city of
Lawrence to borrow up to $1,500,000 to finance improvements in the Bessie
Burke Hospital (See n. 2 supra). Although the city subsequently approved
the funding and contracted to have the hospital renovations in question
performed, city officials suspended work under the construction contract
when they learned that the alterations were subject to the then-new
determination of need statute, St. 1971, c. 1080. Commissioner v. Burke
Hospital, supra at 736. Thereafter, on December 29, 1971, the Burke
Hospital applied for a determination of need in accordance with c. 1080.
The Public Health Council denied the application on April 11, 1972. Id.
The Burke Hospital did not seek judicial review of this denial. It turned
instead to the Legislature, which on October 17, 1973, enacted c. 923 as an
emergency law (See n. 1 supra). Commissioner v. Burke Hospital, supra at
737. 4 On June 25, 1975, the Commissioner and the Public Health Council,
pursuant to the judgment entered in that case, issued a "certificate of need" 5
and a "hospital license" 6 to the Burke Hospital.
Moving in time beyond the previous litigation, you have informed me
that in 1976— for reasons unrelated to the earlier case and not relevant to
this opinion — the Burke Hospital was decertified from continued
participation in the federal Medicare program 7 as well as the state-
administered Medicaid program. 8 As a result, in September, 1976, the
hospital was closed, following the dismissal of an action in federal court to
enjoin the closing. 9 You have further explained that on January 18, 1977,
the voters of Lawrence "passed a binding initiative referendum mandating
that the Lawrence City Council expend the money provided by Chapter 596
of the Acts of 1971 to remodel and repair the institution so that it could be
'"Health care facility" was defined in c. 1080 to include both hospitals and nursing homes supported in whole or in part by
public funds. A "determination of need" has been defined by D.P.H. as "the formaldecision of the Department . . . relative to
the need of the project proposed in an application". Massachusetts Determination of Need Regulations (DON Regs), Part 5
(12). appearing in Mass Reg. Special Issue No. 32 at 20 (1976); the "Department" is defined as the Commissioner of Public
Health and the Public Health Council. Id. Part 5(10).
4 It was to challenge c.923 (inter alia) under arts. 10 and 30 of the Declaration of Rights of the Massachusetts Constitution and
the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that your predecessor commenced the action at issue in the
cited opinion. As mentioned, the court upheld the statute's constitutionality. Commissioner v. Burke Hospital, supra at 744.
■ This certificate, mentioned in c 923, appears to signify the written "determination of need" issued by D.P.H. in response to
an application. See DON Regs. Part 54.8. appearing in Mass Reg. Special Issue No. 32 at 60-61 (1976).
'■SeeG.L. c. Ill, §51.
'S«?42U.S.C. §m5etseq.
»See42 U.S.C. §1396 el seq.; G.L. c. 1 18E.
''The Friends of the Bessie M. Burke Memorial Hospital v. The Trustees of the Bessie M Burke Memorial Hospital. C.A. 76-
1452-S (D. Mass. June 21, 1976), affd, No. 76-1316 (1st. Cir. Oct. 8,1976).
66 P.D. 12
used as a Long-term Nursing Care Facility." 10 It is in light of the January
18, 1977, vote and of inquiries from both officials and citizens of Lawrence
that you ask whether c. 923 and c. 596 exempt the establishment of a long-
term nursing care facility on the site of the Burke Hospital from the
determination of need process set forth in G.L. c. Ill, §25C.
The court's decision in Commissioner v. Burke Hospital, supra has laid to
rest any argument that the Legislature is without constitutional authority to
enact special legislation exempting a hospital or presumably a nursing
home from complying with the determination of need process." The sole
issue raised by your request is whether c. 923 and c. 596 12 themselves show
a legislative intent to exempt the Burke Hospital in 1977 from the
determination of need process otherwise applicable to its conversion to a
long-term nursing care facility and thus require you to issue both a
certificate or determination of need and a nursing home license to the
hospital. Chapter 923 is a special act, a type of law defined as:
Legislation addressed to a particular situation, that does not
establish a rule of future conduct with any substantial degree of
generality, and may provide ad hoc benefits of some kind for an
individual or a number of them. Commissioner v. Burke
Hospital, supra, 366 Mass. at 740.
There have been many Massachusetts cases which address the
constitutionality of particular special acts. Compare, e.g., Gray\. Salem, 271
Mass. 495 (1930) (legislative granting of a pension to particular employee
held constitutional) with Holden v. Paddock, 347 Mass. 230 (1964)
(legislative extension of statute of limitations in particular case held
unconstitutional). There appear to be no Massachusetts decisions or
relevant cases elsewhere, however, which establish general principles for
construing the scope of special legislation. Nevertheless, the case law
governing the construction of statutes which confer privileges or franchises
on particular individuals or entities is instructive. See, e.g., Prudential Ins.
Co. of America v. Boston, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 182, 189; Tilton v.
Haverhill, 311 Mass. 572, 579 (1942); Boston Elev. Ry. Co. v.
Commonwealth, 310 Mass. 528, 565 (1942).
These cases all establish that a grant of a privilege by public authority to
a private individual is to be strictly construed against the grantee and in
"The January 18, 1977. vote was an "lnititative" under Section 64 of the Lawrence City Charter enacted by Mass. St. 191 1, c.
621 rather than a referendum The January 18. 1977, ballot contained two questions: (1) "Shall the measure adopting an
order calling for bids, awarding contracts, and taking such further action as is necessary for the expenditure of monies
already borrowed for remodeling. . the Bessie M. Burke . . be passed"; (2) "Shall the measure adopting an order
determining it shall be the policy of the City Council to continue the operation of Bessie M. Burke Hospital for long term
care of the citizens of Lawrence, and directing the Trustees . . to reopen said hospital forthwith for said purpose and take
such other action as shall be necessary for licensing with State Authorities for said purpose . [be passed]."
'The court emphasized that in the case before it there was no allegation of specific injury to another individual or entity or a
competitor hospital arising out of the legislatively-mandated determination of need for the Burke Hospital. 366 Mass. at 744-
45. The court did not indicate the extent to which such facts might, if proved, render c 923 constitutionally invalid. However,
you have not mentioned any specific injury that might arise from the Burke Hospital's conversion to a nursing home facility.
I assume, for purposes of this opinion, that a legislative directive as to the conversion would be constitutional.
; Allhough your opinion request cites both c. 923 and c. 596, c. 923 is the real statute at issue Only c. 923 gives life to the
borrowing authority in c. 596 beyond the original two-year limitation Moreoever, it is c 923 which, if applicable here,
contains the specific direction to you with respect to the Burke Hospital's conversion. Accordingly, the following discussion
will concern only c. 923.
P.D. 12 67
favor of the public. 13 In substance, c. 923 confers a special grant on the
Burke Hospital by exempting it from the general regulatory scheme
applicable to all other hospitals. Accordingly, in my opinion c. 923 should
similarly be construed in strict terms, and should not be read to extend
benefits in excess of those expressly provided.
Chapter 923 specifically "authorized and directed" the Commissioner of
Public Health "to issue a certificate of need and a temporary hospital
license to the city of Lawrence for the continued operation of the Bessie M.
Burke Memorial Hospital" (see n. 1, supra). The statute makes no mention
of a determination of need for a long-term care nursing home facility nor
does it mention a nursing home license. 14 Conversely, the general statutes,
G.L. c. Ill, §25B-25G, mandate a determination of need as a prerequisite
to substantial renovations or construction of all health care facilities,
including both hospitals and nursing homes. Further, the statutory
determination of need procedure was enacted as an emergency law for the
express legislative purpose of "providing forthwith for the appropriate
allocation of certain resources for provision of health care services in the
Commonwealth." St. 1972, c. 776, emergency preamble; see G.L. c. Ill,
§25C, second paragraph.
There is unquestionably a significant difference between the need for
additional hospital beds in a particular area and the need for additional
nursing home facilities. The Legislature presumably made a judgment in
1973 as to the appropriateness of exempting the proposed 1973 renovations
at the Burke Hospital from the determination of need process, but since that
time the hospital has closed for wholly independent reasons. Its possible
reopening as a nursing home facility is a contingency which I do not
assume the Legislature contemplated when enacting c. 923 four years
earlier.
In light of the significant changes in circumstances which have occurred
subsequent to the enactment of c. 923, as well as the existence of separate
statutory licensure provisions for hospitals and nursing homes, I conclude
that c. 923 does not exempt the conversion of the Burke Hospital from the
determinationn of need process prescribed by G.L. c. Ill, §§25B-25G.
Accordingly, it is my opinion that, absent further legislation, D.P.H. must
first make a determination that the need exists for a nursing home facility
on the site of the Burke Hospital prior to the issuance of an affirmative
determination of need under G.L. c. Ill, §25C. 15 Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
IJ ln the Prudential case, for example, the plaintiff insurance company undertook a redevelopment project pursuant to a statute
which entitled the company to a six percent return on its investment on the project as well as other advantages. See G.L. c.
121A, §1 el seq.; Prudential, supra, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) at 183-184. Boston later adopted a rent control statute and applied
its provisions to all rental units including those m the Prudential Center complex. The company claimed that G.L. c. 121 A
insulated it from operation of the rent control act, but the court held the rent control statute applied Id. at 193. In so holding,
the court stated that it was "dealing with a public grant, which is to be 'construed strictly against the grantee. Nothing will be
included in the grant except what is granted expressly or by clear implication.' " Id at 189 quoting from Attorney General v.
Jamaica Pond Aqueduct Corp., 133 Mass. 361, 365-366 (1822). See tilton v. Haverhill, supra, 311 Mass. at 574/579; Boston
Elev. Ry. Co. v. Commonwealth, supra; G.L 564-565
H Nursing homes and hospitals are licensed under entirely different statutes Compare G.L. c. Ill, §71 (nursing and
convalescent homes, town infirmaries, rest and charitable homes for the aged) with c. Ill, §51 (hospitals, institutions for
unwed mothers, clinics). Moreover, under a 1973 amendment to G.L c 111, §25C — St. 1973, c. 1 168, §§20, 21 — applications
for determination of need with respect to long-term care facilities licensed under c 111, §71, must be provided the
Department of Elder Affairs for review and comment.
"It also follows that D.P.H. must consider and follow the procedures set forth in G.L. c. 1 1 1, §71, with respect to the possible
issuance of a nursing home license for the Burke Hospital
68 P.D. 12
Number 2 July 26, 1977
Gregory R. Anrig
Commissioner
Department of Education
182 Tremont Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Dear Commissioner Anrig:
You have requested my opinion regarding the definition of the word
"teacher" in G.L. c. 71, §38. Section 38 provides in pertinent part:
It [the school committee] shall elect and contract with the
teachers of the public schools ....
. . . No election, contract or promotion of a teacher shall be
made by a school committee unless such person shall have been
nominated for such election, contract or promotion by the
superintendent of schools. 1
You ask whether the term "teacher" is to be interpreted narrowly to
include only persons occupying classroom teaching positions, or broadly, to
include "all professional personnel employed by a school committee such as
principals, assistant principals, supervisors and directors of curriculum,
coordinators, department heads, guidance counselors, school psychologists,
school librarians, media specialists and others who serve in a professional
capacity." You state that the Department of Education has adopted the
broad interpretation. It appears, however, that certain school committees
have refused to accept this construction, contending that "teacher" means
only those performing a traditional classroom teaching function. {See n. 1
supra).
For the reasons discussed below, I conclude that "teacher" in §38 should
be interpreted to mean professional personnel employed by school
committees, including those employees whose positions are part of, or
closely related to, traditional classroom teaching functions. However, I
believe that the term should not be read to include certain other
professional employees 2 whose responsibilities are less akin to those of the
classroom teacher, and whose hiring is specifically governed by other
statutes.
The word "teacher" is not defined in G.L. c. 71, §38, nor has it received a
judicial construction to date. The task of defining the term is made more
difficult than in many cases because in various sections of c. 71 "teacher"
has been given different meanings. 3 Ordinarily a word used in different
'The superintendent's responsibility over nomination of "'teachers" is the result of a 1974 amendment to St. 1974, c. 342. §38.
You have informed me that a number of disputes between school committees and their superintendents have developed over
the specific positions which are subject to the nomination power of the superintendents under the amended §38 For example,
in one town, a school committee appointed two teachers and a guidance counselor without the superintendent's nomination
and over his objection Your office has been called upon to issue opinions to school systems on the requirements of the
statute. You have requested this opinion in order to clarify the statute's meaning so that you may properly advise school
committees on their responsibilities under §38, and obtain compliance from them with the statute's provisions.
2 I would include in this category school superintendents, attendance supervisors, school physicians and nurses, athletic
directors, coaches, and school adjustment counselors
'Some sections, such as §38G, use the term "teacher" in the specific sense of regular classroom instructors. See also §41 A. In
other sections, the word "teacher" has a broader meaning. Thus, in construing §42, governing dismissals of teachers and
superintendents, the Supreme Judicial Court has read the word "teacher" to include "principal". McCartin v. School
Committee of Lowell, 322 Mass. 624, 628 (1948). See also Kaplan v. School Committee of Melrose, 363 Mass. 332. 336-338
(1973) (director of elementary art is "teacher" for purposes of §43, governing salary reductions of teachers and
superintendents).
P.D. 12 69
parts of a statutory scheme is given the same meaning throughout. E.g.,
Arnold v. Commissioner of Corporations & Taxation, 327 Mass. 694, 700
(1951); cf Commonwealth v. Baker, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 1875, 1889.
Obviously the rule is inapplicable here, and I have been forced to utilize
other tools of statutory construction in order to answer your question.
In considering the meaning of "teacher" in c. 71, §38, 1 follow the general
rule that a statute is to be interpreted to effectuate the legislative purpose it
embodies; and that where a number of statutes relate to the same subject
matter, they should be construed together, in order to form a "harmonious
whole, consistent with the legislative purpose." Board of Education v.
Assessor of Worcester, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 2626, 2629-2630, and cases
cited.
The question you have posed concerns fundamentally the allocation of
authority between school committees and superintendents. General Laws,
c. 71, §37, invests the school committee with "general charge of all the
public schools." Included among the committee's duties is the power set
forth in §38, to "elect and contract with teachers of the public schools."
Section 59 of G.L. c. 71 provides that the superintendent shall be:
the executive officer of the [school] committee, and under its
general direction, shall have the care and supervision of the
public schools . . . and shall recommend to the committee,
teachers, textbooks and courses of study.
The purpose of §59 was to insure that the school committee, which "cannot
. . . know much about the qualifications of teachers ... or the supervision of
instruction", obtained the "expert knowledge" of the superintendent, who
"should know more than any of the school committee regarding
educational practice." 1910-1911 Annual Report of the Board of Education
at 270-27 1. 4 See Crudden v. Superintendent of Schools of Boston, 319 Mass.
686,688(1946).
A broad definition of "teacher" in §38 is consistent with the advisory
mandate given the superintendent in §59. It also advances the section's
purpose of separating the functions of school committees and superinten-
dents according to their respective areas of compentence or expertise. See
1910-191 1 Annual Report, supra at 270; Mass.H.R. 164 at pp. 25-26 (191 1).
A superintendent's expertise with respect to personnel who provide
instruction is not naturally limited to judgments about classroom teachers;
it is reasonable to assume that the superintendent would also be better
informed than the school committee about the qualifications of principals,
guidance counselors, and many other professional staff within the schools.
Requiring the superintendent's recommendation for a broad class of
professional school personnel under §38 leaves intact the school
committee's ultimate control over contracts with all school department
employees, but makes maximum use of the educational training and
background of the superintendent in the hiring process. See Crudden v.
Superintendent of Schools of Boston, supra at 688.
Furthermore, a broad construction of "teacher" in §38 is required in
order to read that section in harmony with G.L. c. 71, §38G, the related
'The present version of §59 was enacted in 1 9 1 1 , St. 1 9 1 1 , c. 444, at the recommendation of the Department of Education, see
Mass.H.R. 164 and 1760(191 1); the Department's quoted annual report explained the purpose of the statute.
70 P.D. 12
statute governing certification of most public school professional staff. See
Board of Education v. Assessor of Worcester, supra at 2629. Section 38G
expressly contemplates that school committees will employ the types of
professional staff whose certification it prescribes, for the statute provides in
part that:
No person shall be eligible for employment by the school
committee as a teacher, principal, supervisor, director, guidance
counselor and director, school psychologist, school librarian,
audio-visual media specialist, unified media specialist, school
business administrator, superintendent of schools or assistant
superintendent of schools unless he has been granted by the
board a certificate with respect to the type of position for which
he seeks employment ....
With respect to many of the professionals listed, however, no statutory
provision specifically authorizes a school committee to hire them. 5 If
"teacher" in §38 were interpreted to mean only a person performing
traditional classroom teaching duties, a school committee would be without
power to contract with the other types of staff whose employment is not
only intended, but indeed necessary if the committee is to meet its
educational responsibilities under G.L. c. 71, as well as c. 71 A (bilingual
education) and c. 7 IB (special education).
Finally, a broad interpretation of the term "teacher" in §38 is consistent
with the cases construing other sections of c. 71. As mentioned, the Supreme
Judicial Court has interpreted the term "teacher" in the dismissal statute,
G.L. c. 71, §§42 and 43 to include principals and certain other positions. 6 If
"teacher" includes a principal within its definitional scope when it appears
in those sections, it is only reasonable to assume that the term is also broad
enough to cover other types of professional personnel who are likely to be
performing more direct teaching functions than the principal himself, such
as media specialists, librarians, guidance counselors, etc.
I now turn to the question, raised indirectly by your letter, whether all
professional staff with which a school committee contracts are included in
the term "teacher" as used in G.L. c. 71, §38, so as to require nomination by
the superintendent before the committee may hire them. Cf Bonar v.
Boston, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 240, 245 (special statute applicable to Boston
provides no "person" shall be elected or appointed by school committee
unless nominated by superintendent). It is my opinion that they are not all
included.
Examination of G.L. c. 71 and related statutes shows that the Legislature
has enacted a number of provisions expressly authorizing school
committees to employ or appoint specific categories of professional school
personnel. The categories of personnel whose hiring or appointment is
covered by specific statutes include the following: school superintendents
'For example, supervisor, director, guidance counselor and director, school psychologist, audio-visual media specialist, unified
media specialist, school business administrator, assistant superintendent.
''See McCanin v. School Committee of Lowell, supra at 628; Boody v. School Committee of Barnstable, 276 Mass. 134. 138
( 193 1 ), both construing §42. As to §43, see Downey v. School Committee of Lowell. 305 Mass. 329. 32 1 (1940); Kaplan v. School
Committee of Melrose, supra at 336-338, (director of elementary art).
P.D. 12 71
(G.L. c.71, §59); school physicians and nurses (c. 71, §53); athletic directors
(c. 71, §47); coaches (c. 71, §47 A); school adjustment counselors (c. 71,
§46G); and school attendance supervisors (G.L. c. 76, §19). 7 It is a general
rule of statutory interpretation that a specific statute on a particular subject
takes precedence over a subsequently enacted and more general provisions.
E.g., Boston Teachers Union, Local 66, Amer. Federation of Teachers (AFL-
CIO) v. School Committee of Boston, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1515, 1542-
1543; cf also Pereira v. New England LNG, Inc., 364 Mass. 109, 118-119
(1973). Moreover, as a practical matter, these members of a school's
professional staff do not appear to perform functions that are very closely
related to traditional classroom teaching. (Note, for example, that none of
the listed staff positions are included in the class of professionals who must
be certified under G.L. c. 71, §38G.) Accordingly, it is my opinion that
these categories of professional personnel should not be included within the
term "teacher" as it appears in G.L. c. 7 1, §38.
There remain two classes of professional employees who are not so easily
categorized — school principals and school librarians. Both are required to
obtain certification under G.L. c.71, §38G. In addition, however, the hiring
or appointment of both principals and librarians is specifically treated in
sections of c. 71 apart from §38. See G.L. c. 71, §59B (principals); 8 and
§38H (librarians). 9 Despite the separate treatment accorded these positions
in c. 71, I nevertheless conclude that each of them falls within the term
"teacher" for purposes of §38. I0
Turning first to the position of principal, the case law cited above
demonstrates that principals have traditionally been considered as superior
teachers, and not a separate class of professionals with substantively
different duties. Boodyv. School Committee of Barnstable, supra at 138. In
amending G.L. c. 71, §38 in 1974 to give the superintendent authority to
nominate "teachers" for election, contract, or promotion, it is assumed that
the Legislature was aware of these prior decisions. See, e.g., Board of
Assessors of Melrose v. Driscoll, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1497, 1503, and cases
cited. In view of this background, I interpret the new G.L. c. 71, §59B, as a
directive that there be a specified number of principals, rather than a
'Chapter 71 also contains separate provisions which pertain to the hiring of school principals, librarians, and directors of
occupational guidance For reasons discussed below, I consider the relationship between these statutes and c. 71, §38, to be
different than the statutes listed immediately above in the text.
'Section 59B provides in pertinent part:
"The school committee of a city or town and the school committee of a regional school district shall employ a principal for
each public school and fix his compensation A principal employed under this section shall be the administrator of said school
subject to the supervision and direction of the superintendent and subject to the regulations and policies of the school
committee, and shall be assigned such duties as are determined by the superintendent ofschools .... He may recommend to
the superintendent or his designee appointments, assignments, promotions and dismissals of professional personnel within his
school. The provisions of this section shall not prevent one person from serving as the principal of two or more elementary
schools or the use of a teaching principal in such schools."
'Section 38 provides:
"Every school librarian and school library supervisor or coordinator appointed by the school committee shall acquire tenure
in the school system of the city or town in which he is employed subject to the provisions of section forty-one, relating to
tenure for teachers, and of sections forty-two and forty-three A, relating to dismissal, suspension and discharge and of appeals
therefrom."
'"Another position which bears some similarity in treatment to those of principal and librarian is the director of occupational
guidance General Laws, c. 71, §38A, specifically provides for the appointment "
However, under c 71, §38C, every such director is "deemed to be a regularly appc
the provisions of this chapter relating to teachers" Therefore, c. 71, §38, applies t<
their appointment is subject to the nominating powers of the school superintendent.
72 P.D. 12
mandate that the school committee alone — without nomination by the
superintendent — hire or appoint every principal within the system."
With respect to the position of school librarian, the section concerning
librarians, G.L. c. 71, §38H, is in reality a tenure statute. It does nothing
more than expressly provide for the application of tenure rights defined in
G.L. c. 7 1, §§41, 42, 43 A, to school librarians. Although §38H does speak of
"every school librarian . . . appointed by the school committee . ..." I do
not consider that language to preclude a construction of "teacher" in §38 to
include school librarians and library supervisors or coordinators. 12
Therefore, as with principals, I am of the opinion that a school committee
may appoint or hire a school librarian only from among the nominations of
its superintendent.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 3 July 28, 1977
Jerald L. Stevens
Secretary
Executive Office of
Human Services
State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Secretary Stevens:
On May 24, 1976, I issued an opinion to Gregory R. Anrig,
Commissioner of Education, in response to two questions he raised
concerning the "grandfather clauses" of Chapter 766 of the Acts of 1972. 1
1975/76 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 71 (hereafter "1976 Opinion"). 2 You now seek
"If "teacher" in §38 is read to exclude a principal, then the superintendent would be in the position of having power to
nominate "teachers" within the school system for promotion to the position of principal, but no power to nominate in the first
instance individuals from outside that system. Such an anomalous result is to be avoided, if possible, in interpreting this
statute. See, e.g., McCarthyv. Woburn Housing Authority, 341 Mass. 539, 542 (1960).
I2 I am guided in my conclusion by the close functional relationship between librarian and traditional classroom teachers,
which is spelled out in the materials you sent me to accompany your opinion request. See also, e.g., LaMarch v. School
Committee of Chicopee, 272 Mass. 15 (1930) (adopting functional analysis to determine whether an individual was in fact a
"teacher" for purposes of G.L. c. 71, §42).
'The ''grandfather clauses" appear as §§16-18 of Chapter 766. They provide as follows:
"SECTION 16. A child who is in a special education program as of the effective date of this act shall be presumed to be
appropriately assigned to said program until an evaluation pursuant to the provisions of section three of chapter seventy-one
B of the General Laws, inserted by section eleven of this act, indicates that another program would benefit said child more.
SECTION 17. No child with special needs in a special education program on the effective date of this act shall be removed
from said program he is in without the written consent of the parents, guardians, or persons with custody of said child.
SECTION 18. A school committee shall not be responsible for more than the average per pupil cost for pupils of
comparable age within the respective city, town or school district as its share of the cost of continuing placement for those
children with special needs enrolled in an institution with his (sic) tuition paid by the commonwealth as of the effective date
of this act."
! The specific questions raised by Commissioner Anrig were the following:
1. Does the phrase "with his tuition paid by the commonwealth" in St. 1972, c. 766. §18, make this grandfather
clause applicable to children placed in special education programs as of September 1 , 1974 by any agency of the
commonwealth?
2. Does St. 1972, c. 766, §18 impose responsibility on a state agency for a child's continuing special education
placement as long as the child was a client of the agency, and had his special education program approved by
that agency prior to September 1, 1974, even if the special education program which the agency contracted to pay
did not actually begin until September 3, 1974?
I answered both questions in the affirmative.
P.D. 12 73
a clarification of the statement in that opinion that "§18 of Chapter 766
imposes responsibility on a state agency for a child's continuing special
education placement in an institution" if the agency was financially
responsible for that child's program on the effective date of the Act
(September 1, 1974).
You inform me that this statement has caused confusion among state
agencies because (1) in some cases it is not clear which state agency had
responsibility for a particular child on September 1, 1974; and (2) the
agencies within the Executive Office of Human Services 3 have not been
appropriated any funds to pay these types of special education costs. To
clarify the situation, you have asked me to answer the following two
questions:
1. Does c. 766 require that the state agency which was paying
the tuition of a child with special needs enrolled in an
institution on September 1, 1974 (the effective date of the
Act) be the agency of the Commonwealth which must be
responsible on behalf of the Commonwealth, for that share of
the child's subsequent special education expenses exceeding
the local school committee's average per pupil expenditure
for regular education?
and, if the answer to this question is "no,"
2. Does c. 766 permit the executive branch, acting ultimately
through the Governor, to use its own discretion in deciding
which state agency or agencies shall bear the liability for
paying the Commonwealth's share of special education costs,
so long as that liability is borne by some state agency?
In response to your first question, I conclude that Chapter 766 does not
require that the agency which was responsible for a "grandfathered"
student's special education program as of September 1, 1974, continue to
pay the Commonwealth's share of that program after that date, so long as
some agency of the Commonwealth makes the necessary payments in a
timely manner. With respect to the second question, it is my opinion that
Chapter 766 permits the executive branch to designate a particular agency
(or agencies) to be responsible for paying the Commonwealth's share of the
grandfathered students' special education costs. That designation, however,
must be made in conjunction with the budget process. I set forth my reasons
below.
By its express terms, §18 of Chapter 766 speaks only to the financial
responsibility of local school committees and the Commonwealth for
grandfathered students; references to particular agencies of the Com-
monwealth are omitted. The section on its face, therefore, leaves open for
further executive or administrative definition the specific method by which
the Commonwealth is to pay its share of those students' educational costs.
A reading of §18 in the context of Chapter 766 as a whole and its
accompanying regulations supports this facial interpretation.
'Those agencies include: the Office for Children, Departments of Public Health and Mental Health. Division of Youth
Services and Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission I assume that these are the agencies within your office that may be
responsible for "grandfathered" students
74 P.D. 12
Chapter 766 establishes a comprehensive special education scheme
which in programmatic terms specifically draws in and depends on local
school committees, the Department of Education, and the Departments of
Mental Health, Public Health, Youth Services and Public Welfare. See, e.g.,
G.L. c. 7 IB, §§2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 1 1, 12. In its financial aspects, however, the
statute primarily refers to local school committees on the one hand and the
Commonwealth on the other. See G.L. c. 71B, §§5, 10, 12, 13; cf. c. 7 IB, §11
(Department of Education to reimburse cities and towns for certain
recreation and transporation expenses).
As I noted in my previous opinion on the grandfather clauses, general
rules of statutory construction direct that insofar as possible, a word or term
used in several different provisions or sections of a statute be given a
consistent meaning throughout; and further, each word be assigned its
ordinary meaning and proper effect. See 1976 Opinion at 4-5, and cases
cited. When §18 is considered in light of the more programmatic sections
cited above, in which explicit reference is made to particular state agencies,
it is plain that the term "commonwealth" has not been used
interchangeably with a particular agency or agencies. Rather the term refers
to the Commonwealth acting through any of its officers or agencies. See
1976 Opinion at 5.
I conclude, therefore, that the state agency responsible for the tuition of a
grandfathered student on the effective date of Chapter 766 is not required
to continue to pay the Commonwealth's ongoing share of the students'
education expense, as long as another agency assumes the financial
burden. 4
Your second question concerns the power of the executive branch, acting
ultimately through the Governor, to make a particular state agency
responsible for paying the Commonwealth's share of "grandfathered"
students' special education expenses under Chapter 766, §18.
As I concluded above, in using the term "commonwealth" in §18, the
Legislature left open the method by which the Commonwealth should meet
its financial responsibility for grandfathered students. In the absence of
definition it is my opinion that the Governor has the discretionary authority
to decide which agency shall make the required payments. He must,
however, exercise this discretion in accordance with the Commonwealth's
budget process.
The Governor as the "supreme executive magistrate of the Com-
monwealth", Massachusetts Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, §1, has broad
'Two points should be noted regarding this conclusion. First the Department of Education has suggested that the grandfather
clauses of Chapter 766 were intended to preserve the status quo for grandfathered students; and that a reading of §18 to
permit a shift in financial responsibility from one state agency to another would violate the intent. A review of the legislative
history of Chapter 766. however, did not reveal any indication of the purpose of the grandfather clauses. As a matter of
common sense, one may surmise that they were intended to prevent immediate disruption in the grandfathered students'
education programs which might have occurred had all Commonwealth financial responsibility automatically terminated on
the effective date of Chapter 766. But a common sense judgment, without more, does not justify the conclusion that the
Legislature also (I) considered similar hardship and disruption would occur if the Commonwealth's share of financial
responsibility shifted from one state agency's budget to another's; and (2) intended the grandfather clauses to prevent such a
result. Accordingly, I cannot adopt Department of Education's suggested reading of the statute.
Second, I note that under G.L. c. 15, §IM (inserted in the General Laws by Chapter 766, §2), the Division of Special
Education within the Department of Education is given broad authority
(2) to regulate all aspects of, and assist with the development of all special education programs supported in whole
or in part by the commonwealth ....
Without attempting to define the parameters of this provision, 1 conclude that it is not directed toward the allocation of
financial responsibility among state agencies over which neither the Division of Special Education nor the Department of
Education has any control.
P.D. 12 75
supervisory power over the executive branch. His authority is emphasized
by the statutory organization of the executive branch (including state
departments and agencies) into eight executive offices: each office is headed
by an executive secretary whom the Governor appoints to serve at his
pleasure; and each secretary functions directly as the Governor's "executive
officer" in supervising the agencies included within the particular executive
office. G.L. c. 6A, §§2-4. In sum, both constitutional and statutory
provisions expressly place the Governor at the head of the executive
branch. From this position, he clearly is the appropriate official to designate
the manner in which the Commonwealth's share of special education
expenses for grandfathered students should be paid. 5
Nevertheless, the Governor must use this discretionary authority in
conjunction with the budgetary process, and particularly with the
Legislature. The Legislature has the sole power of appropriation, which it
exercises by designating specific sums of money for particular departments
and agencies and, in its discretion, particular activities. See, e.g., Opinion of
the Justices, 302 Mass. 605 (1939); see also G.L. c. 29, §§12, 19. The
Governor may recommend to the Legislature that a particular agency
should be responsible for paying the Commonwealth's share of all
grandfathered students' special education costs although the students may
actually be served by state agencies other than the one designated. He may
also request an appropriation for that agency to meet the expense. See, e.g.,
G.L. c. 29, §§6, 6A. Absent such an appropriation, the Governor is without
power unilaterally to require that one agency assume the special education
expenses of other departments or agencies.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 4 August 1, 1977
Mr. Samuel A. Vitali
Executive Secretary
Executive Council
State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Mr. Vitali:
You have requested my opinion on a series of questions dealing with the
power of the Governor and Council to consider appeals from the decisions
of the Commissioner of Veterans Services. 1 That authority is conferred by
G.L. c.l 15, §2, which provides in pertinent part:
5 The constitutional and statutory provisions governing the Commonwealth's budget process are consistent with this
conclusion. No money is paid by the Commonwealth except by the Governor's warrant. Massachusetts Constitution, Part 2, c.
2, §1, art. 11; G.L. c. 29, §18. Moreover, the Governor is ultimately responsible for preparation of a budget and its
presentation to the Legislature. Massachusetts Constitution, Amendments, art. 63, §2; G.L. c. 29, §6. The responsibility
includes discretionary power to make recommendations about expenditures that are independent of and different from those
of the agency and department heads. G.L. c. 29, §6.
'You have asked these questions in the context of the following facts. A veteran in Northampton applied for veterans' benefits
from the local agent pursuant to G.L. c. 1 15, §4. The veteran was denied benefits and pursuant to G.L. c. 115, §2, the veteran
appealed to the Commissioner who sustained the decision of the local veterans' agent The veteran further appealed to the
Governor's Council which voted to sustain the appeal. The local agent refused to comply with the decision of the Council
76 P.D. 12
... A final appeal from such decisions or determination mav be
taken bv such claimant, veterans' agent or resident, within ten
days after his receipt of notice of the same, to the governor and
council ....
Specifically, vou have asked:
1. In light of St. 1964. c.740. §§4. 5. what is the effect of a
decision bv the Governor and Council to sustain such an
appeal?
2. Do the Governor and Council act as one unified body or
must both the Governor and the majority of the Council each
concur on a decision concerning a veteran's appeal
3. Can a majority of the Council alone order the local veterans*
agent to complv with the Council's decision and to pay the
outstanding bills?
4. Where the Governor disagrees with the Council on their
decision to sustain a veterans" appeal, can the Council alone,
upon a majority vote, order the Commissioner of Veterans'
Sen ices to request the Treasurer of the Commonwealth to
pav the bills? Can the Council compel compliance with such
an order?
5. Does the Council's power to punish for contempt or
disrespect (Mass. Const. Pt. 2. C.l. Sec. 3. Art. 10. 11) help in
the solution of these enforcement problems, or is it merely for
punishment of contempt which disrupts their proceedings,
i.e.. contempt in their presence?
In answer to your first question. St. 1964. c.740. §§4 and 5 do not alter
the authoritv of the Governor and Council to consider appeals from
decisions of the Commissioner of Veterans' Services. Chapter 740 was
designed solelv to repeal Executive Council powers as to matters requiring
advice and consent of the Council. Section 4 of c.740 provides in part:
... so much of each provision of the general laws and of any
special law as requires the advice and consent of the council with
respect to any action or omission to act by the governor or by
anv officer ... in the executive department ... is hereby
repealed, (emphasis supplied)
As was stated in 1965/66 Op. Any. Gen. at 192, considering the same
question, the power of the Governor and Council to hear appeals from the
decision of the Commissioner of Veterans' Services is a quasi-judicial
power and does not involve advice and consent of the Council. 2 Section 5 of
St. 1964. c.740 3 simply has no bearing on the power of the Council to hear
such appeals.
In answer to your second and third questions, it is my opinion that the
-See also. Selectmen of Sterling \ Governor. Mass App Ct Adv Sh | I9"4) 937. 940. off d. Mass Adv Sh. (1975)2707. noting
without deciding, the question whether St 1964. c 40 terminated the Councils role in granting veterans' benefits
'Section 5 provides:
Notwithstanding anything contained in this act to the contrary, the governor shall at all times, in his sole discretion,
be free to seek the advice and consent of the council upon anv matter.
P.D. 12 77
Governor and Council act together as one body with respect to veterans'
benefits appeals under G.L. c. 115. §2. and a majority of that board decides
whether to sustain or overturn a decision of the Commissioner of Veterans'
Services. In Opinion of the Justices, 190 Mass. 616. 618 (1906). the court
stated:
The Constitution recognizes two kinds of executive business
which may come before the council: one. that which is to be
done by the Governor and Council acting together as an
executive board, and the other, business to be done by the
Governor, acting under the responsibility of his office as
supreme executive magistrate, by and with the advice and
consent of the Council. . . .
It is clear that the role of the Governor and Council with respect to
veterans' benefits falls within the first category of "executive business*'
described in that case. Accordingly, both act together as a single "executive
board", and the Governor, as a member of that board, may cast one vote.
See Sparhawk v. Sparhawk, 1 16 Mass. 315. 317. (1874). 4 See also. Opinion of
the Justices, 211 Mass. 632. 635 (1912) (construction of phrase "Governor
and Council" in Sparhawk, supra, noted with approval, but not followed in
special situation presented).
Turning to your fourth question, a majority of this "executive board",
with the Governor as a member, may order the local veterans' agent to
comply with its decision to pay the outstanding bills. If a party is aggrieved
thereby, he may petition for a writ of certiorari to review the decision. 5
However, the executive board may not order the Commissioner of
Veterans' Services to request the Treasurer of the Commonwealth to pay
the bills. The method of paying veterans' benefits is for the city or town to
pay the veteran the amount due to him: the state then reimburses that
particular city or town for fity percent of the benefit. G.L. c. 1 15. §5. While
the last paragraph of G.L. c. 1 15. §2 6 allows the Commissioner in his
discretion to authorize the Treasurer to pay directly veterans* benefits in
certain instances, this authority is not also vested in the Governor and
Council.
In answer to your fifth question, it is my opinion that the Council may
not exercise its authority to punish for contempt those persons who do not
comply with its decision regarding the payment of veterans" benefits. The
constitutional provisions vesting power in the Governor and Council to
punish for contempt. Massachusetts Constitution. Part 2. c.l. §3 arts. 10 and
There, in considering an act in the Massachusetts Province Charier which provided for all matters of marriage and divorce to
be "heard and determined bv the Governor and Council", the court stated:
The Governor and Council having been thus constituted a Supreme Court of Probate, and a court for the decision
of cases of marriage and divorce, their proceedings as such, though not according to the course of common Is - - at
judicial, and *ere determined bv a vote of a majority of those present, eren if the Governor *as in the minority.
(emphasis supplied)
'See Selectmen of Sterling v. Governor, supra.
'The last paragraph reads:
[The Commissioner of Veterans' Services] may. by written notice, order a dry or town to pay veterans" benefits to an
applicant on an application approv ed bv the commissioner. If a city or town refuses or does not make such payment
within fourteen davs from receipt of such notice he shall notify the state treasurer of such refusal or failure and
thereafter such benefits shall be paid to the applicant by the commonwealth- If the commonwealth shall be called
upon to pav any such benefits on behalf of any such dry or town, the total of any such benefits paid in any such
calendar vear shall be assessed upon such dty or town, or deducted from funds that may be due such dty or town
from the commonwealth-
78 P.D. 12
11, relate only to contemptuous or disrespectful behavior in their presence.
See Opinion of the Justices, 331 Mass. 764, 767 (1954). The power may not
be expanded to reach acts of noncompliance occurring outside of formal
Council meetings or deliberations.
Very truly yours,
Francis X. Bellotti
Attorney General
Number 5 September 27, 1977
Hon. James A. Kelly, Jr.
Chairman
Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Senator Kelly:
On behalf of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means you have
requested my opinion as to the constitutionality of Senate Bill No. 388
(1977) (S. 388), ' regarding the operations of the Board of Registration and
Discipline in Medicine (the Board). Specifically, you have asked:
1) Does legislation, such as Senate No. 388, Section 5 A,
granting board members immunity from civil or criminal
liability for actions or non-actions performed in the course of
their duties, and making absolutely privileged all communi-
cations or statements of said board members made in the
course of said duties, fall within constitutional limits?
2) Does legislation, such as Senate No. 388, Section 5B,
authorizing a board to grant immunity from civil or criminal
liability to persons, professional societies, or other entities
assisting said board in performing its duties, fall within
constitutional limits?
For the reasons set forth below, it is my opinion that each of the
referenced sections is within constitutional limits as rationally designed to
further the permissible governmental purpose of protecting the public
'Senate BUI No. 388 reads as follows:
"Be 11 enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same, as
follows:
Chapter 1 12 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after Section 5 thereof the following sections: —
Section SA. Board members shall be absolutely immune from civil or criminal liability with respect to any action or non-
action in the ordinary course of their duties, and all communications or statements by board members made in the ordinary
course of said duties shall be absolutely privileged.
Section 5B The board, upon majority vote of its members, may grant absolute immunity from civil or criminal liability to
any person(s), professional society, or any other entitv who or which, at board request, assists the board in discharging its
duties and functions. Pursuant to its general rulemaking powers under section five of this chapter, the board shall promulgate
regulations defining the circumstances and conditions under which absolute immunity shall be granted by the board under
this section.
Section 5C. All complaints or other writings filed with the board, and all testimony given before the board with respect to
any charge of misconduct by a registrant shall be conditionally privileged, and any person or entity making said filings or
giving such testimony shall, with respect thereto, be immune from civilor criminal liability, provided said person or entity
acts without malice and on the basis of a reasonable belief in the truth of the matters contained in the complaint or any other
writings filed, or in the testimony given."
P.D. 12 79
health. I will treat your questions separately and in the order you have
presented them.
1. Evaluation of the constitutionality of a statutory extension of
immunity and privilege to the members of the Board requires an
examination of the common law. In my view, §5A effectively grants
immunity from civil liability alone, 2 and I consider first common law civil
immunity in relation to the Board's adjudicative function of disciplining
physicians. In performing this duty the Board operates in a quasi-judicial
capacity. As such, it would probably be entitled to absolute immunity from
civil liability which the common law accords members of the judiciary. 3 See
Jaffarian v. Murphy, 280 Mass. 402, 405-402 (1932) (Mayors performance
of licensing duties within limits of statutory jurisdiction is a quasi-judicial
function accorded absolute immunity). Cf. Gildea v. Ellershaw, 363 Mass.
800, 820, 823 (1973) (disclaiming judicial/non-judicial distinction in
allowing qualified immunity for all public oficers). In effect, therefore, the
statute may simply operate to codify the protection from civil liability that
would exist under the common law for Board members when performing
their quasi-judicial disciplinary duties.
In carrying out the non-judicial functions of investigation and rule-
making, however, the members of the Board enjoy at common law only a
qualified civil immunity for acts and decisions within the scope of their
duties, see Gildea v. Ellershaw, supra, as well as a conditional privilege from
liability for defamatory statements made in the performance of those
duties, see Vigoda v. Barton, 348 Mass. 478 (1965). 4 The conditional or
qualified nature of the common law immunity and privilege means that it
may be lost by a showing of bad faith, malice or corruption. The granting of
absolute immunity and an absolute privilege in §5A thus extends beyond
that granted by the common law.
The constitutionality of this extension, and indeed of the civil immunity
provisions in §5 A taken as a whole, is a function of whether the legislation
bears a reasonable relation to a permissible governmental objective. Pinnick
v. Clearv, 360 Mass. 1, 14. (1971) (constitutionality of no-fault automobile
insurance statute); Howes Bros. Co. v. Unemployment Compensation
Commission, 296 Mass. 275. 284 (1936) (constitutionality of unemployment
compensation law). Regulation of the practice of medicine is a valid
exercise of the Commonwealth's police power designed to protect the public
health. Lawrence v. Board of Registration of Medicine, 239 Mass. 424 (1921).
Presumably §5A is intended to shield the Board members from potential
liability for their actions and statements in order to encourage the
aggressive enforcement of the laws governing the practice of medicine. G.L.
c. 112, §§2-12. The public interest in ensuring and improving the quality of
: Section 5A also purports to afford Board members absolute immunity from criminal liability for actions or non-action within
the ordinary course of their duties. However, when a Board member performs a criminal act. he is acting in excess of his
authority and not within the ordinary course of his Board duties. Accordingly, he would not be immune from criminal
liability "under §5A. Cf. Ex Parte Young. 209 U.S. 123. 159-160 (1908) (state officer enforcing unconstitutional statute is
stripped of official character and personally subject to suit). In sum. the criminal immunity provision of §5 A does not change
the current law in any manner, and is not further discussed in this opinion.
'On the privilege of absolute immunity from civil liability afforded judges, see Allard \ . Estes. 292 Mass. 187 (1935).
4 To date, the Court has found it unnecessary to extend to public officers other than judges an absolute immunity, see Gildea.
supra at 820-821, or an absolute privilege, see I'igoda, supra at 484. suggesting a deference to legislative initiative in this
complex area. Cf. Whitney v. City of Worcester. Mass Adv. Sh. (1977) 17 137 1715 (comprehensive legislative action preferable
to judicial abrogation of governmental ion immunity); Morash & Sons. Inc v. Commonwealth. 363 Mass. 612. 623 ( 1973).
80 P.D. 12
health care and the competence of medical practitioners is a permissible
legislative objective, see Lawrence, supra, which might rationally be
advanced by allowing the Board to act without fear of personal
consequences.
There are, however, countervailing interests affected by the extension of
absolute immunity and privilege to Board members. Such an extension
obviously eliminates the right or interest of persons who may be adversely
affected by the negligent, bad faith or malicious performance of Board
functions to obtain redress under the civil law. 5 However, it is clear that the
Legislature has authority, in the pursuit of a permissible objective, to cause
"the modification, abolition and creation of causes of action so long as
fundamental rights are not thereby affected." Opinion of the Justices, 309
Mass. 571, 599 (1941) (compulsory workmen's compensation law sustained
as constitutional). Since "no person has a vested interest in any rule of law
entitling him to insist that it shall remain unchanged for his benefit," New
York Central R.R. v. White, 243 U.S. 188, 198 (1917), a common law cause
of action which has not accrued is not such a fundamental right. See
Pinnick v. Cleary, supra, at 10-12, 15; 6 Silver v. Silver, 280 U.S. 117, 122
(1922) ("guest statute" depriving gratuitous passenger in an automobile of
the right to sue for mere negligence is constitutional).
As indicated in Lawrence v. Board of Registration, supra, at 428, the right
of a physician to engage in the practice of medicine "must yield to the
paramount right of the government to protect the public health by any
rational means" (emphasis supplied). The interests of a registrant aggrieved
by the proposed statute are, in my judgment, outweighed by the public
interest in ensuring the highest character and quality in the medical
profession. With respect to other citizens who may be adversely affected by
the abolition of civil remedies, 7 the extension of absolute immunity for the
purpose of protecting the quality of health for the benefit of the general
public cannot be characterized as irrational. See Ascherman v. San
Francisco Medical Society, 39 Cal. App. 3rd 623, 663 (1974) (statutory
qualified immunity for physician peer review committee). The statute
reflects a legislative policy judgment that the operations of the Board in all
its various capacities are of such significance to the public welfare that its
members, like judges, should be unimpeded and "not influenced by
apprehension of personal consequences." A Hard v. Estes, supra at 190. 8
2. The analysis of the constitutionality of proposed G.L. c. 112, §5B
follows the same path as the preceding discussion. Legislative recognition
that the Board should operate freely and with broad authority would also
justify extending absolute immunity from civil liability to those persons and
*As I have indicated, the allowance of immunity from criminal liability recorded by §5A is merely a reaffirmation of the fact
that the duties of the Board are not criminal in nature. In the performance of these duties, the members do not impinge upon
societal interests, but rather significantly advance them.
"The Pinnick case also disposes of any argument that §5A's grant of absolute immunity violates art. 1 1 of the Massachusetts
Declaration of Rights. 360 Mass. at 1 1 - 1 2, 3 1 .
"An individual defamed by a member of the Board or simply dissatisfied with a particular Board act or omission is an
example
"Although the absolute immunity will preclude tort liabilitv. an individual adversely affected by the actions of the Board in an
adjudicatory discipline proceeding is nonetheless entitled to judicial review of the Board's decision, G.L. c. 30A, §14,and, of
course, can complain of abusive treatment to appropriate state officials. The proposed legislation thus does not eliminate
entirely existing remedies to redress misfeasance or, more simply, bad decisions. See Pinnick v. Cleary. supra at 15.
P.D. 12
entities assisting the Board in the performance of its statutory mandate.
Such immunity from liability presumably would serve to encourage
participation by private parties in the various licensing and disciplinary
processes which ensure the continued competence of the medical
professions. If the public interest in maintaining high quality health care is
furthered by the Board's aggressive pursuit of its statutory duties, absolute
immunity for those who assist the Board in achieving that objective cannot
be deemed irrational or arbitrary. Cf. Mezullo v. Maletz, 331 Mass. 283
(1954) (examining physician in mental commitment case entitled to
absolute privilege, given judge's need for assistance of medical experts).
The constitutionality of authorizing the Board to grant immunity from
criminal liability to those who provide assistance is somewhat more
troubling. While presumably intended to encourage voluntary participa-
tion, such authority might well enable the Board to compel testimony from
an individual who seeks to invoke the protection of the privilege against
self-incrimination. 9 Although the Legislature has delegated the power to
grant criminal immunity to various administrative agencies, 10 the
authorizing statutes generally contain terms defining explicitly the scope of
the immunity extended." In order for a grant of immunity to be sufficient
to compel testimony, it must be co-extensive with the scope of the privilege
conferred by the Fifth Amendment. See Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S.
441 (1972). Section 5B is inexplicit on the scope of immunity intended. For
this delegation of authority to be within constitutional limits, it must be
presumed that the statute contemplates prohibition of the use and
derivative use of testimony compelled and that regulations promulgated by
the Board will so provide. See Baird v. Bellotti, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 96,
100, 122, 123 (statute should be construed, if fairly possible, in a manner
which avoids constitutional problems).
Assuming that the statute will contain the proper scope of immunity,
there remains the general question of delegating legislative power. It is well
established that the Legislature may constitutionally delegate to a board
authority to grant immunity to those who render assistance, provided that
standards to govern exercise of that authority are supplied. The standards
may be supplied by regulations, since the Legislature may lawfully
"delegate to a board or an individual officer the working out of the details
of a policy adopted by the legislature." Commonwealth v. Racine, Mass.
Adv. Sh. (1977) 1101, 1106. Accord, Commonwealth v. Diaz, 326 Mass. 525,
527 (1950); see also Burnham v. Board of Appeals of Gloucester, 333 Mass.
114, 118 (1955). Although the proposed statute does not prescribe explicit
standards for the extension or denial of immunity, the legislative scheme of
'At present, G.L. c. 112, §62 establishes the power of the Board to conduct hearings to the same extent as that conferred upon
city councils by G.L. c. 233, §§8-10. statutes which require application to the Superior Court in order to compel testimony.
">See, e.g., G.L. c. 94A. §18(c) (Milk Control Commission); c. 150D, §7(3) (Labor Relations Commission); c. 151B, §3(7)
(Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination).
"See, e.g., G.L. c. 151B, §3(7), which provides that:
No person shall be excused from attending and testifying or from producing books, records, correspondence, documents
or other evidence in obedience to the subpoena of the commission, on the ground that the testimony or evidence required
by him may tend to incriminate him or subject him to penalty or forfeiture; but no individual shall be prosecuted or
subjected to any penalty or forfeiture for or on account of any transaction, matter or thing concerning which he is
compelled, after having claimed his privilege against self-incrimination, to testify or produce evidence, except that such
individual so testifying shall not be exempt from prosecution and punishment for perjury committed in so testifying.
82 P.D. 12
promoting quality health care embodied in G.L. c. 112, §§2-12, and the
implied policy of encouraging participation of private parties in that
process, would seem to provide sufficient guidance for the formulation of
appropriate standards and safeguards in the administration of the delegated
power. See MacGibbon v. Board of Appeals of Duxbury, 356 Mass. 635, 638
(1970) (Zoning Enabling Act and town by-law together provide adequate
standards for decision of Board of Appeals on application for special
permits). Moreover, §5B expressly provides that the Board is to promulgate
regulations setting forth the rules which will govern its grants of immunity.
These regulations will be subject to judicial review. G.L. c. 30A, §7. They
represent a legitimate vehicle for articulating the necessary standards to
guide the Board's exercise of delegated authority. See generally Davis,
Administrative Law of the Seventies, §§2.00, 2.00-6 (1976).
In accordance with the provisions of G.L. c. 12, §9, I, therefore, answer
both your questions in the affirmative and advise you that in my opinion
the proposed sections are both constitutional.
Very truly yours
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 6 October 3, 1977
John R. Buckley
Secretary
Office of Administration and Finance
State House
Boston, Massachusetts
Amelia Miclette
Chairperson
Civil Service Commission
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts
Dear Secretary Buckley and Chairperson Miclette:
For the past several months, my staff and I have been considering your
request for an opinion on the validity of a proposed rule which we have
characterized as the "3 plus 3" rule. Specifically, you asked me ( 1 ) whether
the Civil Service Commission possesses the authority under G.L. c.31, §3 to
promulgate the proposed rule, and (2) whether the proposed rule would
withstand a legal challenge by individuals who are adversely affected by
the operation of the rule. Intensive research and drafting have been done on
both issues. Nonetheless, I have come to the conclusion that for the reasons
set forth below, I must respectfully decline to answer each of the two
questions you have propounded.
Under G.L. c.31, §3,the Civil Service Commision may only promulgate
rules which are "consistent with [other provisions of] law." A question has
arisen as to the consistency of the proposal with the preference afforded
veterans by G.L. c.31, §23. As you know, the United States District Court
decision invalidating the "old" version of G.L. c. 31, §23 is currently on
appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. Commonwealth v.
P.D. 12 83
Feeney, (U.S. No. 76-265). The recent decision of the Supreme Judicial
Court, Feeney v. Commonwealth, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1959, has upheld
the propriety of this appeal and thus Supreme Court action on the case can
be reasonably expected within a short time. Furthermore, the "new"
version of G.L. c.31, §23, which was inserted by St. 1976, c.200, is expressly
conditioned on the outcome of this appeal. Both the effect of the proposed
rule and its validity may well depend on the anticipated Supreme Court
decision and the particular veterans' preference provision which survives it.
Thus, any advice which I might give would be tentative at best and
dependent on factors over which I have little or no control. Like the
Supreme Judicial Court, I must decline to render an opinion under such
circumstances. See, Answer of the Justices to the House of Representatives,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1845, 1849.
Similar reasoning compels me to defer answering your second question.
That question essentially asks whether the rule constitutes an impermissible
instance of "reverse discrimination", and it cannot be answered without
speculating on the outcome of Regents, University of California v. Bakke,
(U.S., No. 76-81 1), scheduled for oral argument in October.
I recognize, of course, that during the pendency of this opinion request
the Commission has deferred promulgating the proposed affirmative action
rule. I regret any delay that may have occurred. At the same time, I note
that my opinion is not a condition precedent to the promulgation of a valid
rule. Thus, even though I must now decline to answer the questions you
have posed, the Civil Service Commission is still free to issue the rule as it
chooses.
This declination should not be interpreted in any way as a tacit
conclusion that the proposed rule is or is not valid. To the contrary, I wish
to assure you that, if the proposed rule is promulgated and it is challenged
in court by those adversely affected, I will provide representation for those
named as defendants.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 7 October 1 1 , 1 977
John P. Larkin
Executive Secretary
Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02202
Dear Mr. Larkin:
You have requested my opinion as to the authority of the Alcoholic
Beverages Control Commission (Commission) to regulate liquor traffic on
state military reservations and federal military reservations over which the
federal government has exclusive jurisdiction. 1 Your question arises in
'It is unnecessary for this opinion to treat the question of state regulation of the sale of liquor into joint facilities because you
have specifically withdrawn your request as to that issue and thus, the references in this opinion to federal military facilities
include only those facilities over which the United States has exclusive jurisdiction.
P.D. 12
relation to complain:- ... alers
il e £m £ m_: ..--.:- > : i : ; t _ _7 : e\rv r.ers md filers r. : . 7 . : 77. Jeruiicates ; :'
_~ ; ~ 7 .m .e _r.ce: G L : 1- v m x r _:e m_>..7.7 7.-;.: sales 7f -Icchc-hc
-; mme- mm :::;:■. mm'.im. :esem _::7ts mm..: me .."■-;:>;_/: For
me reasons discussed :: ; - .'. :s 77 • rr.2%
. 77 ... :e • em _. .. m. 7 7. federal, military
". -; . . . - •:: :: ::: C err. men -:_.:: mm hence me Comn ss
m :e£_l_'.e lm_:: maffic cr stale 77. mm- facilities is cteai The
Commonwealth may regulate ibal traffic other _-._e: its general 7
power to pron _ .7 _ e all manner of reasonable b pi mote the health
mm - el: are ;: ~ ms m mens 7: imce: ::s ~ re srsemflc px er \ e me
sale :: ~£ Imam : . - . -firmed : me 7 -en: -First
Arrendrren: 7m e 7 ers me _-_ffesT.ec :■ the z sale
alccrml:: :e erases ... .m.m: :t s.a.e rmlr.ar : .. . .. me militia is
::sel: ar aaer: :f me s:_:e £7. emvmer L :.53 ;-
-ere however, the United States 77-emmem assumes jurisdiction
7-e: :m::7 in Massachus er.s :;: military purposes, the Commission has
- :e£_l_".7T. iufccTT : • e — .. err.mr Exclus: e _msdic:
fe-den —•'• :_.- : .:.• :> nested - me Constiramcn m dengress. U.S.
Cons: \rtl,§8,< " md the Supreme Court hi endyheldm
me arsen:e :: me. .7. f:77:e>^m_ __m77.7m.77 7; :';m .: state
-em. .mm. irrlies :_. sum federad'. mrme'ded :emmrN 777 e 777. Pacific
Coast Dairy, Inc. v. Deft, of Agriculture . ': U 5 21 M3
•"•■77 me ■ e:.' ■- ."•' \mendmen: : err ers _:.: m-firms me ?r _7
a_m:r.r- m7re smms '. 7 :e£_._".e me m.e : f m.: 7 m uquor within their
respective jurisdictions- it has no impact on sale- _ e ::.: their e::
reach. Hotstetter v. Idle*ild Bon Voyage Liquor C 7 U S 324
':..- : ?:.-■ .' ':'- LIS 5".! I ^5 _• 1. Federal
am :7..- -. ■ :"-•- _ sm.e - rcrders me 7:: :e£_lamr mm .t m
m me r.u:e exercises - .- .em. 77 m m [ ::.m_ 7.:: mm .7.
/—:":;:.- . -- '.''.7:77.7 .77: -.1 L"~S m- .-"1 - t.: me s:a:es have 7:
T.±m.r- :: regulate me >me :f m: ...._.. 7 7 - :r :: : - _m mu:ar%
r elude ma: me Immri.5:m ~t« :egula:e me flew ?f akohohx
1 state militarv re ser vati ons, bat is thont urihorjfj to reg
akohem be _rages :o militarv mm m ...e United
Verj tmrj vours.
FRANCIS .V BELL'OTTI
. -. : :
P.D. 12
Number! October 1 1. 1977
Robert L. Okin. M.D.
Commissioner of Menial Health
190 Portland Street
Boston. Massachusetts 021 14
Dear Dr. Okin:
You have asked my opinion on the following question:
Upon designation of the Plymouth Unit of the Taunton State
Hospital as a "facility" of the Department of Mental Heahh.
will the Plymouth .Area Director become me - -ornting
authority for subordinate personnel of the unit?
In my view your question poses three separate inquiries which must be
answered:
1. Mav the Commissioner of Mental Health me Tommis-
sionen designate an area unit 1 located within a state hospital
as a ""facilitv" of the Department of Mental Health pursuan:
toG.L. c. 19 ::--."
2. If he may. upon designation of an area unit as a facility, is the
area director the head of that unit?
3. If the area director becomes the head of me ie .- -led
facility, is he the appointing authority for the _r
subordinate personner
For the reasons discussed below. I conclude :ha: me ?mmissioner
mav designate a state hospital unit a "facility" imdex 1 _ . - \ -- 1
the area director does not become head of the facility" by operation of law.
but may be appointed to that position by the Commissioner acting pursuant
to the requirements of G.L . - - - Sand 23 : and 3 .: ' ::.t --.t-
director is so appointed, he beccm es me ippomtimi inthoaty" for
subordinate personnel in the unit, as that terr lefmedt _ . :.
The system for the deliver] :: mental health services in the
C : m monwealth is governed by G.L. c .- . ; t'-.z ±e -:-__:_:e r e:
and responsibilities of the Departmer I 'ental Health (the Departmer
and G.L. c. 123. relating to the treatment and :;- ~ .:~::.: :: — e.v.allv ill
and mentally retarded persons. In 1966. the Legisfatnre repealed me
G.L. c.19 and replaced it with a statute r scheme - - :e centralized the
organization _ _ : de fiver] :: services pre _ concentrated in
hospitaLs and state schc .. ; . and provide: - Domprehen e . nmunin"-
based facilities to supp.;- care and treatmenL St. 1ft- . ";:' b 197 me
Legislature Enacted further legislation St .-" . - : :r --. rgamzed
G.L. c. 123 and granted additional specif:: powers tc the romnussicne: :
As presently constituted, the Commonwealth's mental health services
s fstem divides the state in:: :e:.; _ dt ..--. ,~ . -: : ; : -■
areas, see G.L. c 19, §17, each served t t cfljzea area board seeGX ; -
::,:..-::-- -': -
86 P.D. 12
§21, and an area director, see G.L. c. 19, §18. The area director works with
the area board and is responsible for the planning and delivery of mental
health and mental retardation services within his area. G.L. c.19, §18.
Additionally, when the Commissioner has designated a "comprehensive
center" within the area, he may appoint the area director to head the center.
G.L. c.19, §§18 and 23(c).
Although not defined in G.L. c.19 or the Department's implementing
regulations, it is my understanding that a "comprehensive center" is a
community health center which offers a full range of mental health services,
including in-patient services, to the citizens of a particular area. A shortage
of resources has made it impossible to establish comprehensive centers in
many of the Department's area. The Department has created the area units
in the state hospitals to provide necessary in-patient services for areas that
have no comprehensive centers. See 11 C.M.R. Part 8 at 160-161, §10.2
(1974).
1. The Commissioner's authority to designate state "facilities" is found
in G.L. c.19, §14A, which provides in pertinent part:
The state facilities under the control of the department shall be
Worcester state hospital . . . [and other named state hospitals
and state schools] and such other mental health or retardation
facilities as the commissioner from time to time shall designate
in the regulations of the department, including any facilities or
portions thereof, which the department may, subject to
appropriation, construct or develop for use as homes or facilities
for aging persons who are not mentally ill.
"Facility" is not defined in §14A, nor anywhere in G.L. c.19. However,
the Department's regulations implementing the quoted "designation"
provision of §14A define the term as follows:
[AJhospital, state school, clinic, ward, comprehensive center,
or any other public or private entity which provides in-patient or
out-patient services, emergency services or partial hospitaliza-
tion services for day care and night care relating to the
observations, diagnosis or care and treatment of mentally ill or
mentally retarded persons, and which may consist of an
aggregation of coordinated programs and services geographi-
cally dispersed. 1 1 C.M.R. Part 8 at 138 (1974).
The broad scope of this definition clearly includes within it a unit of a state
hospital, and permits designation of an area unit as a facility.
Other sections of the Department's regulations which follow the quoted
definition govern the actual designation of facilities. These sections
demonstrate that the Department has often treated a unit of a state hospital
as a "facility" within the meaning of G.L. c.19, §14A. See 1 1 C.M.R. Part 8
at 160-161, §10.2 (1974).
As a general rule of statutory construction, the views of the agency
charged with administering a statute are entitled to weight. 3 This is
particularly true where the Legislature has granted broad power to the
'See, e.g., Consolidated Cigar Corp. v. Department of Public Health, Mass. Adv. Sh. ( 1977) 1419, 1427; Board of Education v.
Assessors of Worcester. Mass. Adv Sh. (1975) 2626, 2632-2633; Clean v. CardulloS lnc 347 Mass 337. 343-344 (1964).
P.D. 12 87
agency to work out the details of a statute. 4 In this regard, the Department's
powers under G.L. c.19 are sweeping, see c.19, §1, and it has been granted
broad rulemaking powers to implement those responsibilities. G.L. c.19,
§26. Similarly, the Commissioner has been given wide authority to
supervise and control the Department and act on its behalf. G.L. c.19, §1.
In light of these extensive powers, the Department's definition of facility
should be give deference.
The Department's view that an area unit may be designated a facility
also finds support in other provisions of G.L. c.19. As mentioned above,
§14 A specifically allows the designation of a portion of an existing facility
as a "state facility under the control of the Department." Further, §§18 and
23 implicitly acknowledge the propriety of such a designation. 5
I therefore conclude that the Commissioner does have authority to
designate a unit in a state hospital as a "facility".
2. Upon the designation of an area unit in a state hospital as a state
facility, the area director would not become head of the facility by
operation of law. I find nothing in G.L. c.19, §18, governing the powers and
duties of the area director, to support an automatic designation. Nor is such
a result prescribed by or suggested in the Department's regulations.
When an area unit is so designated, I conclude that the Commissioner
has the authority under G.L. c.19, §14C 6 to appoint a head of such facility
and may appoint the area director to that position, provided that the
appointment is in compliance with the requirements of G.L. c.19, §§14C, 18
and 23(c).
3. The final question to be answered is the one you have asked directly:
whether an area director appointed as head of an area unit in a state
hospital is the appointing authority for the unit's subordinate personnel.
Based on my reading of G.L. c.19 in the context of G.L. c. 123 and the
Department's regulations I conclude that the area director would become
the appointing authority.
After providing for the appointment of superintendents, directors and
heads of state hospitals and other facilities of the Department, G.L. c.19,
§14C, states that "[t]he superintendent with the approval of the
commissioner shall appoint and may remove assistant physicians and
necessary officers and other persons . . . ." As with the term "facility", the
word "superintendent" is not defined in §14C or anywhere in G.L. c.19. It
is necessary, therefore, to look to other sources for a definition of the term.
The Department's regulations implementing G.L. c.19 define the term
"superintendent" as the head or "appointee" of a state facility under the
control of the Department which has been designated pursuant to G.L. c.19,
§14A. 11 C.M.R. Part 8 at 161, §10.3 (1974). General Laws c.123, §1,
'Cf., e.g.. Commonwealth v. Racine, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1 101, 1 106-1 107.
'Section 23(c), addressed to the duties of area boards in choosing an area director, defines the Board's responsibilities when
the area director will also head a facility which is "integrated with a university medical center or medical school or with a
hospital " (emphasis supplied) Again, the designation of a "facility" already contained within a larger medical complex is
recognized Section 18 contains a similar acknowledgment It enumerates the professional qualifications required of an area
director serving as ". . executive head of a facility as provided for in paragraph (c) of section 23 if such center or facility is
equivalent to a state institution included within section I4A ..."
b See also G.L c.19, §18, 1ffl3, 4; §23(c), which recognize that an area director may be appointed superintendent or head of a
state institution or portion of a state institution.
P.D. 12
defines superintendent to mean "the superintendent or other head of a
public or private facility."
The Department's definition of "superintendent", representing the
interpretation of the statute by the agency charged with its operation, is
entitled to weight." In addition, as a general rule of statutory construction,
words used in several statutes concerning the same subject are presumed to
have the same meaning. E.g.. Insurance Rating Board v. Commissioner of
Insurance. 356 Mass. 184. 188-189 (1970): see Commonwealth v. Baker,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 1875, 1889; Davis v. School Committee of Somerville.
307 Mass. 354. 361 (1940). The rule seems particularly applicable where, as
here, the definition of "superintendent" in G.L. c.123 and G.L. c.19. §14C.
were added to the General Laws by the same act. See Devlin v.
Commissioner of Correction. 364 Mass. 435. 440. n.6 (1973). Following this
principle. I interpret "superintendent" in the appointing authority provision
of G.L. c.19. §14C. quoted above to encompass both the superintendents of
state hospitals and the heads of other residential facilities within the control
of the Department. Thus, it includes the head of a designated area unit
within a state hospital. 8
Accordinglv. pursuant to that provision of §14C. an area director who is
appointed a "superintendent" of a designated area unit within a state
hospital, would have authority to appoint and remove assistant physicians
and other necessary subordinate personnel.
Very truly yours
FRANCIS X.BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 9 October 14. 1977
John G. Martin
Chairman
Division of Industrial Accidents
100 Cambridge Street
Boston. Massachusetts 02202
Dear Mr. Martin:
You have asked whether the Division of Industrial Accidents 1
("Division") must give access to persons other than an injured employee to
information in the files compiled or maintained by the Division concerning
injured emplovees. Your specifc questions may be summarized as follows:
'See cases cited in notes 3 and 4. supra.
■Moreover, the goal in construing the statute is to reach an interpretation which accords with the legislative intent,
considered in connection with the course of [the statute's] enactment, the mischief to be remedied and (he mam object to be
accomplished, to the end that the purpose of its framers mav be effectuated.' " Board of Education v. Assessor of Worcester,
Mass. Adv. Sh. 1 I9~5i 2626. 2629. quoting Industrial Fin Corp v State Tax Commission, Mass. Adv. Sh. ( 1975) 967. 972-973.
.As discussed above, a major aim of the mental health services system established by G.L. c.19 is to provide decentralized,
comprehensive and community-based mental health services on both an outpatient and in-patient basis. The creation of
comprehensive centers, see G.L. c.19. §18. was intended to meet this goal. General Laws c.19. §18, expressly provides that an
area director may be appointed head of a comprehensive center and shall, "subject to departmental regulations, supervise all
emplovees within such center ." It seems in keeping with the legislative purpose of G.L. c.19 that when an area director is
appointed head of an area unit in a state hospital, a unit created because of a lack of funding has prevented establishment of
comprehensive centers, he should also be responsible for the unit's personnel. The construction of "superintendent" which I
have adopted advances this purpose
G L c 23. §§\4etseq.
P.D. 12 89
(1) Are the Division's files concerning individual, injured
employees "public records" within the meaning of G.L. c. 4,
§7, c 1.26?
(2) If so, is the employee's entire file, including medical reports,
available without restriction to anvone requesting access
under G.L. c. 66. §10?
(3) If there are restrictions on public access to these files, what is
the nature of these restrictions, both as to the files' contents
and as to categories of persons seeking access?
(4) If the files are not public records, are there any
circumstances under which access to an individual
employee's file must be granted pursuant to G.L. c. 66A. §2
(c)?
For the reasons discussed below, I conclude that (1) some of the contents
of the Division's individual employee files are matters of public record: (2)
certain portions of those files are exempt from the disclosure provisions of
G.L. c. 66. §10 (a): (3) the exempted portions of the files include hospital
and medical records and information as to which a legitimate privacv
interest exists; and (4) some access to the exempted portion of the files is
authorized by G.L. c. 152. §20. G.L. c. 23. §16. and G.L. c. 66A. §2 (i).
You have informed me that the information in the Division's files on
individual injured employees comes from several different sources. Under
G.L. c. 152. §19. even - employer subject to the workmen's compensation
law, G.L. c. 152. must file a written report with the Division concerning all
injuries sustained by his employees in the course of their emplovment.
Section 19 further requires that the report contain (a) the name, nature and
situation (location) of the employer's business, (b) the name. age. sex. and
occupation of the employee, (c) the date and hour of the accident, (d) the
nature and cause of the injur}', and (e) any other information required bv
the Division.
If an employee becomes eligible for compensation, additional
information must be submitted and placed in his file, including (a) the
employee's name and address, (b) spouse's name and address, (c) place and
date of marriage, (d) place and date of birth of children, and (e) amount of
weekly compensation being received. In nearly all of these cases, medical
reports of attending and examining physicians, (including in some cases
psychiatric reports), and copies of hospital records are also added to the file.
See G.L. c. 152. §20. In addition, the file may contain transcripts of anv
testimony by doctors in depositions or hearings before the Industrial
Accident' Board. See G.L. c. 152. §8. Finally, under G.L. c. 152. §30D. even
insurer or self- insurer paying workmen's compensation to an injured
employee for six months or more is to file the employee's name and address
with the Industrial Accident Rehabilitation Board.
The answers to your questions require the reconciliation of several
statutes relating to information kept by government agencies: (1) the Public
Records Law (PRL). G.L. c. 66. §10. and its definitional counterpart. G.L.
c. 4. §7. cl. 26. which together mandate access to most government records:
(2) the Fair Information Practices Act (FIPA). G.L. c. 66A. which
safeguards the confidentiality of government-held information concerning
P.D. 12
particular individna Is -".: 3 die specific statutes dealing with access tc
c a held by the Division or the Industrial Accident Rehabilitation
5:a:a 5:-:GL : 152. §§19,2 L . c .16, §23. Given their c st
relation [ wifl discuss the foui sed tog e :her.
The definiti::. : - . .. -. in G.L. c 4, §7, d 21
les -. iocamentaiy materials " data . . . made or received by anv
agenc] . department board -
comz " unless such lata falls within one of nine exemptions ~e:
- - in the statute Thus, unless one es, all
documents in the empl: se files held - :he Division ire public records and
::>en :c anv member f the public requesting ac : G.L. c. 66. §10.
if the public recofd exempti - c - ; ~ d 1 - may apph to
parts of the C - ■ ' . 1" a ana : E\emr'.::n i . . _.
from the definition of "public record aocumen> specifically or by
necessarv imr anpted ft dosuie by statute." Within the
men . rapes -.ion law. the:; e dsts _:h an exemption. General
. 152 POD explicitly pi dibits the public disc me names
md ■ddiessea : peiscns receiving . ~r>ensation for six months. Thus, this
mfbni Dontained in Division files .annot be disc
to the public under the PRL. There appear to be no other statutory
:- - pnatarin a gimilaHj '-:... . . ~.7".::n
The quest -.-.::.-.- an statute fc necess an implication" protects
rmatinw in the Z employee files from disclosure requires
examinai: m -IP A and its relation to the PRL. The information
Dontained in die emj . eari> personal data" within the
mear. - . : FIPA see G.L. e. 66A : definition of "personal data"), and
- e files men: : . i tute a pen : nal data system" under the statute.
izl' " personal dai^ F IP A directs that an agency
which m^ in - ~ i a personal data s tern shall.
not allow an. :.r.e: agenc) :r individual not employed by the
holding agencv to ha - - e acce pel nal data unless such access
is authorized bv statute or regulation, or is approved by the
hokhng agency and by the iata subjecl -hose personal da to
ght .... G.L. c. 6ti -. : 1 . emphasis supply :
En ■ : ri : - : ninion. I ruled that this section of FIPA does not operate to
-arv imc .- ~ all personal data from disclosure a -
:_- ... -.. -. .'-'■ " It V.:;- V-" N: 32 a: i. r. : I adhere :: -.his
reading : atute and icfei - to that opinion. Accordingly. I
conclude that with the exception of information furnished the Industrial
- lend Rehabi itation Board pur:_i-: tc G 1 . 152 :1 D. exemption
i ioe . anpt ai -formation contained in the Division's employee
r from disc area - : _blic record-
The broader exemption which relates to the Division's files is G.L. c 4
. " . 1 .
personnel and medical files or informationi also any other
materials or data relating to a specifically named individual the
: ihosure of which ma ~ .ate an invasion of personal
P.D. 12 91
Under this exemption, all the medical reports and hospital records kept in
Division employee files are clearly protected from disclosure. : Transcripts
of doctors' testimony would also be protected. However, application of the
exemption to other information in the files requires a balancing of the
employee's privacy interest in non-disclosure against the public's interest in
being informed m light of the particular circumstances at hand. In the prior
opinion cited above. 19"6 "" Op. Any. Gen N: 32 at 9-1 1. I discussed the
legal principles relevant to this determination, and I again refer vou to that
opinion for guidance. See also 19"6 ~~ Op. Atty. Gen. No. 22 at 4-5
Given the need to weigh the competing interests of individual privacv
and public information in the context of a particular case. I am unable to
make an abstract determination whether certain items of information
contained in an individual employee's file are exempt from disclosure or
not. Cf. 1976 77 Op. Atty. Gen. N: 32 al 15. The Division itself must
evaluate the information contained m specific files or records in ace (dance
with the legal principles treated m the earlier opmion to determine whether
and to what extent exemption (c) applies. Any decision bv the Dr-
denying access to such records is subject to review bv the Super. is; -
Public Records and the courts. G.L. c. 66. §10 (bi.
To assist your deliberations I offer the following general Guidelines.
First, it is my opinion that disclosure of personal information concernina an
employee's name and home address and his family situation is information
in which the employee has a legitimate privacy interest. See Rural Housing
Alliance, Inc. v. United States Deparimem of Agriculture. 498 F-2d 173 D.C.
Cir. 1974): see also 1976 77 Op. Atty. Gen. Nc 32 at 11. and cases cited.
Second, information concerning an employer's busmess name, location and
the type of business conducted does not appear to pose anv danger of
invasion of privacy to the employee or the employer. Third, whenever
possible, personal identifying information contained in a file should be
deleted so that the privacy of a particular individual will not be invitee
throuah disclosure of the document. See Department of the Air For. t
Rose.^225 U.S. 352 (1976>
You have also asked who may obtam access to the information in
Division files. All public record information, as defined above, must be
made available under G.L. c. 66. §10ia>. to anv person who requests it.
Where personal data is not a public record. FIPA controls and no access
may be granted without the individual's and the Di\isicr. - . sent, unless
authorized by statute or regulation. G.L. C.66A ;1 c
In summary, much of the information in the Division's files on injured
employees, including medical and hospital reports and familv data is n ;
subject to disclosure as public record information because it is exp:.
held on a confidential basis. G.L. c. 152, §30D, or because it is exempt
under the privacy exemption of the PRL. G.L c - §7, cl 1- c). Those
! im .:ed access to this lnfonnaooo bv parties to Bo
. : p
■ '. - .'....
open r- Baud member. To the extent that
authorizes public access :o the lnfonnabon withi
err.?.: -^ :'__ ...:v :.- - :". — ±; . - - -.r.e T. "•_-.::
92 P.D. 12
portions of the file not so exempt should be made available to the public as
long as this can be done without also disclosing the protected information.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 10 October 20, 1977
John J. McGlynn
Supervisor of Public Records
McCormack State Office Building
One Ashburton Place, Room 1709
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
Dear Mr. McGlynn:
You have asked for an opinion concerning the validity of a regulation
you have issued limiting the fees which custodians of public records may
charge for furnishing copies of such records to the public. 1 Specifically, you
wish to know whether ( 1 ) you have the authority to establish a general fee
schedule and (2) whether the fee schedule set forth in your promulgated
regulation is reasonable. 2
I fmd that you do have the authority to set limits on the fees which
custodians of public records charge for furnishing copies to members of the
public. With regard to your second question, however, I must decline to
state whether or not the specific fee schedule you have established is
reasonable. At the same time I note that there is a strong presumption of
reasonableness which attaches to duly promulgated regulations. My reasons
for these responses are set forth below.
1. The definition of a "public record" in the General Laws is very broad.
G.L. c. 4, §7 cl. 26. The definition clearly applies to records kept by cities
and towns and other political subdivisions of the Commonwealth, as well as
the records of agencies and other entities of state government. 3 Bougas v.
Chief of Police of Lexington, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2236.
Prior to 1973, the public records law provided that inspection and
furnishing of copies of town public records could be regulated by ordinance
or by-law, and the fees for furnishing such copies were specifically
prescribed by statute. G.L. c. 66, §10 (as amended by St. 1948, c. 550, §5);
G.L. c. 262, § 34 (65) (as amended by St. 1948, c. 550, §1). Chapter 1050 of
'The regulation reads as follows:
"Except where fees for copies of public records are prescribed bv law. and except as may be provided in any schedule of
fees from time to time approved by the Supervisor, a governmental agency shall charge no more than ten cents per page for
copies of public records which may be located and copied by standardoffice procedures except that where the actual cost for
reproduction is greater than ten cents per page, the agency shall charge no more than twenty cents per page for said copies,
where a request requires services to be performed in addition to standard office procedures, an additional fee may be
charged that reasonably reflects the costs of the additional services. For purposes of this section.the reproduction of records
not susceptible to photocopying (e.g oversize documents, punch cards, magnetic tapes) and services performed bv an
employee upon a request to furnish access or produce copies where the employee expends more than twenty minutes to fulfill
the request shall not be included in "Standard Office Procedures".' Secretary of the Commonwealth. Division of Public
Records. Freedom of Information Regulations. Reg. 2.5, reprinted in 40 Mass Reg. at 61 (Jan. 20. 1977)."
: Your letter indicates that vour particular concern is with your power to regulate fees charged by clerks of the various cities
and towns I have focused mv opinion to address this concern. See Secretary of the Commonwealth v. City Clerk of Lowell.
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1674. 1679.
3 The only type of governmental agency which may be exempt from coverage by the public records law is one created by a
statute which allows the agency to exempt itself from coverage. See 1976/77 Op. Attv. Gen. No. 12 (University of
Massachusetts enabling statute allows Trustees to exempt themselves from coverage of Open Meeting Law|
P.D. 12 93
the Acts of 1973 changed the statutory scheme. It repealed the statutory fee
schedule for copies of town and city public records appearing in G.L. c.
262, §34 (65). and amended G.L. c. 66, §10, to provide that every custodian
of public records was to furnish requested copies "on payment of a
reasonable fee", and, if required, on payment of "the actual expense" of
any necessary search for a particular document. G.L. c. 66. § 10(a) (as
amended by St. 1973, c. 1050, §3).
In 1976, the public records law was again amended. St. 1976. c. 438. §§1.
2. A sentence was added to G.L. c. 66. §1. directing the Supervisor of Public
Records 4 to adopt regulations under G.L. c. 30A "to implement the
provisions of [c. 66]. " 5 The freedom of information regulations, including
the fee schedule at issue, were promulgated pursuant to this statutory grant
of authority. See n. 1 . supra. The fee schedule is intended specifically to
implement the "reasonable fee" provision in G.L. c. 66. §10 (a).
Although nothing in c. 66 explicitly provides that the Supervisor of
Public Records shall determine reasonable fee levels for public record
copies, the statutory background outlined above plainly embraces fee
schedules as within the scope of your authority. As Supervisor you have
broad authority to effectuate the purposes of c. 66. and the setting of a fee
schedule is "reasonably related to the purposes of the enabling legislation."
Thorpe v. Housing Authority of Durham, 393 U.S. 268, 280-281 (1969). The
Supreme Judicial Court recently upheld similar regulations of the
Department of Public Health which elaborated upon the meaning of the
word "reasonable" in a statute. Consolidated Cigar Corp. v. Department of
Public Health, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1419. 1433. See Colella v. State Racing
Comm'n, 362 Mass. 152, 155 (1971); see also Commonwealth v. Racine,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1101. 1106-1107; Clearx v. Cardullo's Inc., 347 Mass.
337,344(1964).
2. You have asked whether the specific fee schedule prescribed in Reg.
2.5 6 is reasonable. The question of reasonableness is matter of judgment
which lies within your administrative discretion in the first instance. Cf
Lybarger v. Cardwell, F. Supp. (D. Mass. 1977) 5 M.L.W. 778.
Without further information concerning the actual costs of reproducing
documents. I cannot determine whether or not your judgment was correct."
Nevertheless, the fee schedule, as a duly enacted regulation, is presumed
to be valid. Consolidated Cigar Corp. v. Department of Public Health, supra
at 1433; Druzik v. Board of Health of Haverhill, 324 Mass. 129. 138-139
(1949). All custodians of public records should therefore comply with the
schedule in its current form.
Very trulv yours.
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
The Supervisor's position and duties are defined bv G.L. c. 9. §4.
'Section 10(b) was further amended to create an administrative appeal for a person seelong public records in addition to the
existing judicial remedy: the section now authorizes the bringing of an appeal to the Supervisor of Public Records when a
custodian refuses to furnish a copy of a particular record, and grants the Supervisor the power to request that the Attorne\
General or appropriate district attorney enforce compliance with the Supervisor's orders.
'See n. 1. supra.
"I note that the distinction drawn in the regulation between the copying fee itself and a fee for additional services is also
reflected in the governing statute. G.L. c. 66. §10 (a).
94 P.D. 12
Number 11 November 14, 1977
Paul J. Moriarty
State Building Code Commission
John W. McCormack State Office Building
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Dear Mr. Moriarty:
You have asked my opinion on behalf of the State Building Code
Commission (Commission) concerning the following questions:
1) Do the provisions of G.L. c. 143, §3R,' apply to buildings
and structures erected prior to the effective date of that law?
2) May the Commission clarify by regulation, in terms
consistent with the answer given to the first question, whether
or not G.L. c. 143, §3R, applies to buildings erected prior to
the effective date of the legislation? 2
For the reasons set forth below, it is my opinion that G.L. c. 143, §3R,
(the "Lock Law") applies to all buildings erected before and existing at the
time the statute or any amendments to it went into effect, 3 as well as to
buildings constructed thereafter. In response to your second question, the
Commission is authorized, pursuant to its general rulemaking powers
contained in G.L. c. 23B, §17, to issue rules and regulations which
incorporate and explain the provisions of G.L. c. 143, §3R, provided such
rules and regulations are consistent with the language of the statute.
By its terms, G.L. c. 143, §3R, applies to "every apartment house having
more than three apartments. . . ." The articulated limitations on the law's
coverage relate solely to the type of building and the number of apartments
within a building; there is no reference to any limitation based on the date
of construction.
The Supreme Judicial Court has interpreted similar statutes and
ordinances according to their plain meaning, and has declined to read in an
exclusion for existing buildings where the statute or ordinance did not
'General Laws c. 143, §3R, provides:
"At least one of the doors of the main common entryway into every apartment house having more than three apartments
shall be so designed or equipped as to close and lock automatically with a lock, including a lock with an electrically operated
striker mechanism, a self-closing door and associated equipment, and such lock, door or equipment shall be of a type
approved by the state building code commission. Every door of the main common entryway ana every exterior door into
every such apartment house, other than the door of such main common entryway which is equipped as provided in the
preceding sentence, shall be equipped with a lock of a type approved by said state building code commission; provided.
however, that the said commission may, in writing, waive any of the requirements of this section in appropriate cases in
which, in its opinion, other security measures are in force which adequately protect the residents of such apartment house.
Whoever, being in control of such premises, willfully and knowingly violates the provisions of this section shall be punished
by a find of not more than five hundred dollars.
This section shall not apply to lodging houses, as defined in section twenty-two of chapter one hundred and forty,
dormitories of charitable, educational or philanthropic institutions or projects of housing authorities, as defined in chapter
one hundred and twenty-one."
2 You have informed me that many existing apartment houses having more than three apartments currently do not satisfy the
requirements of G.L. c. 143, §3R. The questions you have asked me arise because the State Building Code Appeals Board,
established pursuant to G.L c. 23B, §23, has recently heard several appeals requesting waivers from the provisions of G.L. c.
143, §3R, under the proviso concerning waivers which appears in the first paragraph of the section.
'As originally enacted, §3R required only that "one of the doors of the main common entryway into every apartment house
having more than three apartments" be designed to close and lock automatically St. 1965, c.464, §1. In 1967 the section was
amended to include the current second sentence of the section's first paragraph, requiring that every door of the main
common entryway and exterior door of included apartment houses be equipped with a lock St. 1967, c. 735, §1. In 1969, §3R
was again amended to add the requirements concerning locks with electrically operated striker mechanisms, self-closing
doors, and associated equipment which are now set forth in the first sentence of the first paragraph St. 1969, c. 303. §1.
P.D. 12 95
expressly contain one. See Paquette v. Fall River, 338 Mass. 368, 375 (1959);
Commonwealth v. Roberts, 155 Mass. 281, 282-283 (1892); Cf. Com-
monwealth v. Racine, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1101, 1102-1103 (lead paint). If
the Legislature, in enacting G.L. c. 143, §3R, had intended to restrict its
applicability to buildings constructed after the effective date of the statute,
it clearly could have included language to accomplish that result. See, e.g.
St. 1973, c. 395, enacting G.L. c. 148, §26A; St. 1974 c. 214, enacting G.L. c.
148, §26B; St. 1975, c.676, amending G.L. c. 148, §§26A and 26B; see also
St. 1974, c. 528. 4 In the absence of an explicit limitation, the requirements of
G.L. c. 149, §3R, must be read to apply to buildings erected prior to the
effective date of the statute or its amendments, as well as to the buildings
erected thereafter. 5
Your second question asks whether you may set forth the conclusion on
the law's coverage, stated above, in the form of a regulation. General Laws,
c. 23 B, § 17(a), establishes the Commission's general authority to make rules
and regulations relating, inter alia, to building construction, alteration and
repair requirements. The Commission may use this rulemaking authority to
promulgate regulations which incorporate and explain the specific statutory
requirements set forth in G.L. c. 143, §3R. Any such regulation, however,
must be consistent with the statute's terms in order to be valid. See, e.g.,
Bureau of Old Age Assistance v. Commissioner of Public Welfare, 326 Mass.
121, 124 (1950). They may not, for example, attempt to limit the application
of §3R to buildings erected after the date of the statute. 6
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
■These statutes expressly provided that the structural requirements which thev prescribed were to apply to buildings begun or
substantially altered after a certain date. See St. 1973. c 395, §3; St. 1974. c. 214, §2; St. 1975. c. 676, §3; St. 1974, c. 528. §3. By
contrast, the legislative history of G.L. c 143, §3R. reveals that neither the 1965 statute originally enacting the section nor the
1967 and 1969 amendments (see n.3, supra) contained any provision that limited the section's requirements to buildings
erected or altered after a particular date.
'Statutes such as §3R which require alterations to existing structures in order to comply with later-enacted safety measures
have been held to be prospective in operation, in the sense that they apply to "violations which continue after [the statute's]
passage or which then come into existence." Commonwealth v. Roberts, supra at 283 Cf. Hoffman v Hov.medica, Mass. Adv
Sh. (1977) 1488, 1492. Such statutes have been consistently upheld as constitutional exercises of the police power See eg
Queenside Hill Realty Co.. Inc. v. Saxl. 328 U.S. 80, 83 ( 1946); Pacauelle v. Fall River, supra at 375-376.
The Commission, in accordance with the waiver provision of §3R, may waive any of the section's requirements for a
building governed by the statute, if it determines that other security measures adequately protect the building's residents.
'You have expressed a concern that if the Commission adopts regulations as part of the State Building Code pursuant to G.L.
c. 23B. §17(a), stating that G.L. c. 143, §3R, applies to existing buildings, those regulations would contravene the provisions of
G.L. c. 143, §92. That section provides that new provisions of the Building Code or other regulations shall not affect building
permits lawfully issued before the effective date of any such provisions, or buildings lawfully begun before that date. There is
no inconsistency between G.L. c. 143, §3R, and c. 143, §92. The requirements of §3R are statutory; they do not exist as
separate Code requirements. The limitations imposed by §92 apply only to Code provisions which have no express statutory
basis.
96 P.D. 12
Number 12 November 28, 1977
Carol S. Greenwald
Commissioner of Banks
Office of the Commissioner of Banks
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02202
Dear Commissioner Greenwald:
You have requested my opinion on the interpretation of the licensing
provisions of G.L. c. 93, §24. In particular, you ask whether a Pennsylvania
corporation seeking to conduct the business of a collection agency in the
Commonwealth is required to obtain a license from you pursuant to §24.
On the basis of the facts recited in your request, it is my opinion that the
licensing requirement in §24 does not apply to the corporation in question. 1
You state that the Pennsylvania corporation operates in the ordinary
course of business as a collection agency for public utility corporations in
Pennsylvania, and that it currently seeks to do the same kind of collection
business for utility companies serving Massachusetts residents. The
corporation would have no contact with Massachusetts debtors except
through letters sent from outside the Commonwealth. The letters would
encourage debtors to make payments directly to the utility company and
the corporation would itself transmit to its clients all payments it happened
to receive.
The need for the corporation to obtain a collection agency license in
these circumstances requires a two step analysis of G.L. c. 93, §24. The first
question is whether the corporation comes within the scope of the section's
general licensing requirement. If so, it is necessary to determine whether the
corporation falls among the exceptions specified in the statute.
The licensing requirement of §24 is broad in scope. Its plain intent is to
reach virtually every type of collection activity unless that activity is
performed by a person or business made specifically exempt. Thus, the
Pennsylvania corporation must be deemed to fall within the general bounds
of §24. It remains to determine whether the corporation qualifies for a §24
exception.
One exception set forth in §24 is for
an agent or independent contractor employed for the purpose of
collecting charges or bills owed by a . . . customer to a
corporation subject to the supervision of the department of
public utilities ... in so far as said person collects charges or
bills only for such supervised corporations ....
'Section 24 provides:
"No person not being an attorney at law authorized to practice in the commonwealth, a bank as defined in chapter one
hundred and sixty-seven, a national banking association having its main office in the commonwealth, or a person whose
usual business is not that of a collection agency, who acts as agent for such bank or national banking association for the
purpose of collecting any accounts, bills or other indebtedness which arise from such person's usual business, or an agent or
independent contractor employed for the purpose of collecting charges or bills owed by a tenant to a landlord or owed by a
customer to a corporation subject to the supervision of the department of public utilities or the division of insurance in so far as
said person collects charges or bills only for such landlord or supervised corporations, shall directly or indirectly conduct a
collection agency, or engage in the commonwealth in the business of collecting or receiving payment for others of any
account, bill or other indebtedness, or engage in the commonwealth in soliciting the right to collect or receive payment for
another of any account, bill or other indebtedness, or advertise for or solicit in print the right to collect or receive payment for
another of any account, bill or other indebtedness, without first obtaining from the commissioner of banks a license to carry
on said business, nor unless such person or the person for whom he or it may be acting as agent has on file with the state
treasurer a good and sufficient bond. The commissioner may from time to time establish such regulations pertaining to the
conduct of the business as he may deem necessary "
[Emphasis supplied]
P.D. 12 97
The apparent premise for this exception is that the Department of Public
Utilities possesses sufficient authority to supervise and regulate utility bill
collections in the public interest. Cf. Cambridge Electric Light Co. v.
Department of Public Utilities, 363 Mass. 474 (1973). On the basis of the
facts given me, I have assumed that the Pennsylvania corporation in
question would operate in Massachusetts as an "agent" collecting only for
"corporation[s] subject to the supervision of the Department of Public
Utilities." 2 Therefore, it need not be licensed by the Commissioner of Banks
in order to conduct its collection business in Massachusetts. 3
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 13 November 29, 1977
John R. Buckley, Secretary
Executive Office of Administration and Finance
State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Secretary Buckley:
You have asked on behalf of the Teachers' Retirement Board 1 how
:ertain severance payments made to retiring teachers should be treated in
:alculating those teachers' retirement allowances. Specifically, you state
that several school committees provide severance payments for unused sick
leave to retiring teachers pursuant to contractural agreements. 2 You ask
whether these payments constitute "regular compensation" under G.L. c.
32, §1, for purposes of computing the retired teachers' retirement allow-
ances. I conclude that the severance payments qualify as "regular
:ompensation" as defined by G.L. c. 32, §1, 3 and must be included in the
retirement allowance computation. My reasons are discussed below.
Under G.L. c. 32, §5(2), the retirement allowance for any retirement
system member classified in Groups 1, 2 or 4 4 is
If the corporation intends to collect bills from Massachusetts residents on behalf of utilities that are not regulated by the
Department of Public Utilities or on behalf of other entities, it would no longer come within the scope of the quoted §24
exception, and a collection agency license would be necessary.
This opinion, as is true of G.L. c. 93, §24, considers only the activities of the Pennsylvania corporation conducted in the
Commonwealth Massachusetts has no jurisdiction to regulate the corporation's activities outside of this state.
'General Laws c 7, §4G. places the Board within the Executive Office of Administration and Finance.
2 As an example of such a contractual agreement you cite a collective bargaining agreement between the Lee School
Committee and Lee public school teachers which provides:
A severance pay for cumulative sick leave will be paid to a teacher or his estate, who has served twelve (12) years
in the Lee School System, upon retirement or termination. Formal notice of retirement or termination shall be given
at least thirty (30) days prior to the start or closing of the school year The severance pay will be paid in the last two
(2) paychecks; the rate will be determined by the number of accumulative sick leave days, up to a maximum of 16
days x 1/180 of that teacher's annual salary.
'General Laws, c. 32 §1, defines regular compensation during any period after December 31, 1945. to mean:
[T]he salary, wages or other compensation in whatever form, lawfully determined for the individual service of the
employee by the employing authority, not including bonus or overtime ....
In the case of a teacher employed in a public day school who is a member of the teachers' retirement system, salary
payable under the terms of an annual contract for addditional services in such a school and also compensation for
services rendered by said teacher in connection with a school lunch program or for services in connection with a
school lunch program or for services in connection with a program of instruction of physical education and athletic
contests as authorized by section forty-seven of chapter seventy-one shall be regarded as regular compensation
rather than as bonus or overtime and shall be included in the salary on which deductions are to be paid to the
annuity savings fund of the teachers' retirement system.
'Teachers are classified in Group 1 for the purpose of computing the amount of their retirement allowance See G L c 32
§2<g>-
98 P.D. 12
. . . based on the annual rate of regular compensation received bv
such member during any period of three consecutive vears of
creditable service for which such rate of compensation was the
highest, or on the average annual rate of regular compensation
received by such member during the period or periods, whether
consecutive or not. constituting his last three years of creditable
service preceding retirement . . . (emphasis supplied).
Thus, the greater the amount of regular compensation which a member
earns during his final three years of creditable service, the greater will be
his retirement allowance.
The Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the validity of a collective
bargaining agreement provision which grants a retiring teacher a salary
increase in the final vear of service to reflect unused sick or personal leave.
Fitchburg Teachers Association v. School Committee of Fitchburg, 360 Mass.
105. 106-107 (1971). The court characterized such a provision as
. . . part of the over-all package of service and benefits worked
out bv the parties pursuant to collective bargaining and
embodied in the contract . . . [and] a valid exercise by the
[school] committee of its power to set wages. 360 Mass. at 107.
See also Averell v. Xewbunport, 241 Mass. 333. 335 (1922): cf. Quinlan v.
Cambridge, 320 Mass. 124. 128 (1946). The severance payments considered
here are identical in substance to the "salary adjustment" in the Fitchburg
Teachers Association case. Accordingly, under the reasoning of that case it
is clear that the payments represent valid compensation or salary
arrangements agreed to by and binding on the affected school committees
and teachers.
The question that remains is whether the severance payments, although
constituting compensation, nevertheless fall outside the definition of
"regular compensation" because they are "bonuses" as that term is used in
G.L. c. 32. §1. 5 In Attorney General \. Woburn, 317 Mass. 465 (1945). the
court considered the legality of a lump sum "bonus" granted by a school
committee to its teachers during a single year. The court held that the
pavment was a valid and binding contractual obligation providing
compensation for services rendered. In Fitchburg Teachers Association,
supra, the Court referred to the Woburn case, stating that the retiring
Fitchburg teachers" salary adjustment resembled the "bonus*' provision
sustained in Woburn. Fitchburg Teachers Association, supra, 360 Mass. at
107. In both these cases, however, the question before the court was
whether the payments at issue represented gratuities or gifts from the
respective school committees rather than compensation for services actually
performed. The court did not consider the distinction between the terms
"bonus" and "salary" or "compensation" as they appear in G.L. c. 32. §1.
Given the different concerns at issue. I do not believe that the court's
*I do not consider whether the severance payments might be classified as "overtime"' as that word appears in G.L. c. 32. §1.
Overtime is generallv defined as pavment for work which is not customary or normal. See Smith v Lowell. 334 Mass. 5 16. 519
( 1956): see alio Prosecutors. Detectives and Investigators Assn v Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders, 1 30 N J Super.
I \2d 897. 902 | W74) There is no indication that the work done bv the teachers entitling them to the severance
payments was not normal or customary, or that the work was done outside of normal and customary working hours.
P.D. 12 99
discussion of the word "bonus" in these two cases answers the question you
have asked.
Turning to general principles of statutory construction, it is axiomatic
that a statute should be interpreted in accordance with the legislative intent
"ascertained from all its words construed by the ordinary and approved
usage of the language, considered in connection with the cause of its
enactment, the mischief or imperfection to be remedied, and the main
object to be accomplished . . . ." Massachusetts Commission Against
Discrimination v. Liberty Mutual Ins. Co. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2403. 2407.
The general purposes of the retirement statutes are "beneficent". Selectmen
of Brookline v. Allen, 325 Mass. 482. 486 (1950). and as the court indicated
in that case, the compensation provisions of such statutes should be broadlv
construed. The provision for severance payments at issue here represents an
integral term of a comprehensive collective bargaining package governing
teachers' salaries. Given the contractual nature of these payments. I
conclude that for purposes of G.L. c. 32. §1. the payments must be deemed
part of the retiring teachers' "salary, wages or other compensation in
whatever form", and not a "bonus." 6
This reading of the statute is strengthened by reference to the provision
of G.L. c. 32. §1, which states that, for a public school teacher, "salarv
payable under the terms of an annual contract for additional services in
such a school . . . shall be regarded as regular compensation rather than as
bonus or overtime. ..." A teacher who receives a severance payment as a
result of not taking all the sick days available in a sense has given
additional service to the school system. Since the pavments are provided for
"under the terms of an annual contract" they seem to fall within the scope
of the quoted statutory language and should be treated as "regular
compensation" for purposes of calculating the teacher's retirement
allowance."
Verv trulv vours.
FRANCIS X' BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Attorney General v. Woburn. supra, and Selectmen of Brookline v. Allen, supra, provide implicit support for this conclusion.
Both cases suggest that an important element of a "bonus" is its temporary or non-continuing character See Wobm
Mass at 468; Allen. 325 Mass. at 485-486. There is no suggestion in the materials vou sent me that provisions for sc
payments in certain collective bargaining agreements arehkely to be limited to a' single Nears agreement Rather it seems
more reasonable to assume that future agreements will contain similar provisions.
I should emphasize that my conclusion regarding the treatment of severance pavments for purposes of computing a teacher's
retirement allowance is limited to those payments arising under the terms of a collective bargaining contract. I do not reach
the question of whether se\erance payments made to retiring teachers under a different or less formal arrangement would
also qualify as "regular compensation" as the term is used in G.L. c. 32. §1.
100 P.D. 12
Number 14. December 12, 1977
Amelia Miclette
Chairperson
Civil Service Commission
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02108
Dear Ms. Miclette:
You have asked whether execution of the collective bargaining
agreement (Agreement) between the Commonwealth and state employees 1
on November 23, 1976, 2 has nullified the responsibility of the Civil Service
Commission (Commission) to decide employee class reallocation appeals 3
pending before it on the date the Agreement was signed.
Before the effective date of the Agreement, employee requests for class
reallocations were handled by the Division of Personnel Administration
and the Commission under G.L. c. 30, §§45 and 49. You have informed me
that thirteen class reallocation appeals were still pending before the
Commission on the date the Agreement was executed. Some of these
appeals had been acknowledged but not yet scheduled for hearing; others
had been heard and were awaiting decision by the Commission. Sometime
after November 23, 1976, three of these appeals were voluntarily
withdrawn, but the remaining ten are being pressed.
The question that arises is whether the Commission continues to have
authority to decide these ten pending appeals in view of the terms of Article
17 A of the Agreement. Article 17 A provides in §1 that all requests for class
reallocations are to be governed by the Agreement's grievance procedure,
culminating, if necessary, in arbitration. Section 2 of Article 17A goes on to
state:
The Employer and the Union agree that the procedure
provided in Section 1 shall be the sole procedure for class
reallocations for all classes covered by this Agreement, and no
other class reallocations shall be granted during the term of this
Agreement.
For the reasons set forth below, I advise you that in my opinion Article
'The state employees' collective bargaining representative (the "Union") is composed of an alliance of the American
Federation of State. County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME). AFL-CI0, and its affiliate councils, and the
Services Employees International Union (SEIU). and its affiliate locals.
; The Agreement in its original form was in effect from November 23, 1976, through June 30, 1977. Since that time the
Commonwealth and various groups of its employees have entered into new collective bargaining contracts, all of which
contain the same relevant provisions as the Agreement. For the sake of convenience I therefore refer throughout this opinion
to the original Agreement.
'Class reallocations are predicated upon the classification system and the pay plan governing most state employees and
outlined in G.L. c. 30, §§45-50. Under the system, positions with similar duties ana responsibilities are grouped into "classes".
G L c 30, §45 ( 1 ) (b). Offices and positions in the same class are allocated to the same job group; placement in job groups
determines salary in accordance with the salary schedule set forth in G.L. c. 30. §46. G.L. c. 30, §45(3) Pursuant to G.L c 30.
§45, the Personnel Administrator is responsible for classifying positions and allocating and reallocating classes to the
appropriate job groups in the salary schedule.
As in effect on November 23, 1976, G.L. c. 30, §45, also permitted emplovees of the Commonwealth to object to any
provision of the classification scheme affecting their positions by appeal to the Personnel Administrator. If the Personnel
Administrator sustained an appeal, he was required to report his recommendation to the budget director and the House and
Senate Committees on Ways and Means in accordance with G.L. c. 30. §45(4) If the Personnel Administrator denied the
appeal, a further appeal was allowed to the Civil Service Commission pursuant to G.L. c. 30, §49. A decision by the
Commission favorable to the employee required the Commission to report its recommendation to the budget director arid the
House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means. G.L. c. 30. §49.
P.D. 12 101
17 A appears to supersede the Commission's jurisdiction and authority over
all class reallocation appeals, and precludes the Commission from deciding
those appeals pending before it on November 23, 1976. 4
The statute governing collective bargaining by state employees, G.L. c.
150E, provides that in the case of a conflict between the terms of a
collective bargaining agreement and the specific statutory provisions of
G.L. c. 30 relating to class reallocation appeals, the term of the agreement
shall prevail. G.L. c. 150E, §7. 5 Such a conflict seems to exist between the
provisions of G.L. c. 30, §§45 and 49, and Article 17A of the Agreement:
Article 17 A provides that the Agreement's grievance procedure (set forth in
Article 23a) represents the only procedure for resolving class reallocation
questions during the term of the Agreement; G.L. c. 30, §§45 and 49,
establish a separate and different administrative channel through which
reallocation appeals may be brought. Thus pursuant to G.L. c. 150E, §7, the
statutory appeal process clearly appears to be superseded by Article 17 A.
See also St. 1977, c. 628, amending G.L. c.30, §49. 6
Turning to the ten class reallocation appeals pending before the
Commission, the terms of the statutory appeal process, when read together
with Article 17 A, §2 of the Agreement, indicate that the Commission
should not decide these appeals. Under G.L. c. 30, §§45(4) and 49, the
Commission's ultimate ability to grant relief to appealing employees is
limited to making recommendations for future action on class reallocations
by the budget director and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and
Means. However, any such recommendations in the pending cases would be
futile because under the express terms of Article 17 A, §2, no class
reallocations other than those granted through the Agreement's grievance
procedure can be granted during the term of the Agreement.
Moreover, the shift from the statutory appeal process of G.L. c. 30, §§45
and 49, to the Agreement's grievance procedure is a procedural rather than
a substantive change. The basic standard governing class reallocations
remains the same: similar or comparable positions are still to be located
within the same salary range. Compare G.L. c. 30, §45 (1) (b) and (3), with
'I note at the outset a caveat to my opinion. Under G.L. c. 150E, §8. a public employee collective bargaining agreement may
contain "'a grievance procedure culminating in final and binding arbitration to be invoked in the event of any dispute
concerning the interpretation or application of such written agreement." The Agreement at issue here contains such a
grievance procedure. See Article 23a. §§l el seq. Therefore, interpretation of its provisions is ordinarily reserved to an
arbitrator, and the Attorney General would not render an opinion on the meaning of the Agreement's terms. Cf. 1968/69 Op.
Atty. Gen. No. 30, reprinted in P.D. No. 12 at 100, 102 (1969) However, under the express terms of the Agreement, only an
employee or the Union may initiate the grievance procedure. See Article 23a. As mentioned above, the Union has not
invoked the grievance procedure with respect to the pending class reallocation appeals, but has instead asked you to decide
those appeals It thus appears that an arbitrator cannot resolve the interpretive questions necessarily raised by your opinion
request, while I cannot perform an arbitrator's function and authoritatively construe the Agreement, as your lawyer 1 am
responsible for advising you on questions relating to your official duties. To that end 1 give here my opinion on the
appropriate manner of handling the class reallocation appeals pending before the Commission.
Section 7 reads in pertinent part:
If a collective bargaining agreement reached by the employer and the exclusive representative contains a conflict
between matters which are within the scope of negotiations pursuant to section six of this chapter and ....
(c) section 24A, paragraphs 14) and 15) of section forty-five, paragraphs (1) (4) and (10) of section forty-six, section
forty-nine, as it applies to allocation appeals, and section fifty-three of chapter thirty ....
the terms of the collective bargaining agreement shall prevail [Emphasis supplied]
The subject matter of Article 17A, class realloation appeals, is a matter "within the scope of negotiations" under G.L. c.
50E, §6. Section 6 permits negotiation "with respect to wages, hours, standards of productivity and performance, and any
ither terms and conditions of employment. . . ." As explained above, the classification of an employee's position determines
lis salary or wage level.
hapter 628, enacted as an emergency law on October 21, 1977, made the legislative mandate in G.L. c. 150E, §7. even more
xplicit. It added a paragraph to G.L. c. 30, §49, which provides specifically that the section shall not apply to class
^allocation appeals of employees who are part of a public employee collective bargaining unit.
102 P.D. 12
Ankle 17A, §1 ibi." Implementation of Article 17A only alters the manner
in which reallocation appeals are decided and thus affects remedies rather
than substantive rights.
It is a general rule of statutory construction that statutes affecting
remedies are commonly treated as operating retroactively, and construed to
applv to pendina actions or causes of action. See. e.g.. Palmer v. Selectmen
of Sfarblehead. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 2837. 2841-2842: Hem- Werner Corp.
v. Jackson Industries. Inc.. 364 Mass. 523. 525 1 1974); Smith v. Freedman,
268 Mass. 38. 40 (1929): E.B. Horn Co. v. Assessors of Boston. 321 Mass.
579, 584 (1947). Under the principles set forth in these cases. I conclude that
Article 1 7A should be retroactively applied s to cases pending at the time the
Agreement was executed." Thus, in mv opinion the Commission has no
jurisdiction to decide class reallocation appeals pending before it on
November 23. 1976.
Yerv trulv vours.
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 15 December 12. 1977
Frank A. Hall. Commissioner
Department of Correction
100 Cambridge Street
Boston. Massachusetts 02202
Dear Commissioner Hall:
You have requested an opinion about the relationship between G.L. c
269. §10 (a) 1 (-gun control law"), and G.L. c. 127, §90A. : ("§90A") th<
"Article I7A, _he Agreement provides that Union requests for class reallocation ma) be submitted _
-
Should any requests for reaUoca: .'.ed to arbitration the question before the arbitrator shall be whether
or not the' requested reallocation is jur. ific table relationship between the positions
coie - :- • eailocarion and other posit.: -.en compared with compar.-
■-.■--.-. .- : _r- .;
- _ - . : " insofar as G.L c. 150E. §". and c. 30.
- ----- r "
:ti^:GL c 30, ^i- set, therefore n . - . - a g es retraac e ef fed to c. 1 50E. §7.
:-
"I reach this result in view of the fact that neither G.L c 150E, §7. nor c. 30. §49. as recently amended treats the question of
p""liiig appeals. Compare Si_ 1974. c 806, the statute which created the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and
reorganized existing agencies concerned with environmental matters. One section of the statute spec
c umuma tion of all petitions and hearings pending before certain agencies on the statute's effev 74 . ■ v>. §32.
- -unent part
Whoever, except as provided by law. carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle,
a firearm, loaded or nnloarird, as defined in section one hundred and twentv -one of chapter one hundred and fortv
without . . . (having complied with certain su - e requirements] shall be punished by imprisonment in
the state prison for not less than two and one-half nor more than five jm - km less than one year nor more
than two and one-half years in a jail or boose of correction. The sentence imposed upon such person shall not be
reduced to less than one year, nor suspended, nor shall any person convicted under this subsection iai be eligible for
probation, paroie. or furlough or receive any deduction from his sentence for good conduct until he shall turn
'.i .-:-■ ■ -- - -:'.:-'.:-: Z~---.-.- --rr.-eC
=Generi Law - '-':---■ ran;
The commissioner may extend the limits of the place of confinement of a com -
correctional facility by authorizing such committed offender under prescribed conditions to be -ch
correctional facility but within the commonwealth for a specified period of time, not to exceed fourteen day s during
- | twelve month period nor more thar ~ may be granted for -
the following pur po ses: (a) to attend the funeral to obtain
f*sir»\ psychiatri c psychological or other sen are not available at the facility
and cannot'be obtained - piacema mdex . [G.L. c. :Z" -.-. "A and 118]; (d) to
iimMii i prospective erne. ..table residence for use upon release on parole or discharge: i ft for
■-her reason consistent with the reintegration of a committed offender into the commi-r
- n away from a correctional facility pursuant to this section may be accompanied by an employee of the
department, in the discretion of the commissioner, or an officer of a countv correctional (acuity, m the discretion of
P.D. 12 103
statute authorizing certain temporary prison releases for incarcerated
prisoners. Specifically, you ask:
1. Does the term "furlough" as used in G.L. c. 269. §10 (a)
include all temporary releases under G.L. c. 127. §90A?
2. If the answer to Question 1 is negative, what furloughs does
Section 10 (a) contemplate and what furloughs can this
department authorize without violating the provisions of
G.L.c. 269. §10 (a)?
The practical object of these questions is to determine if. and when,
temporary prison releases authorized under §90A may be provided to
persons convicted of a gun control offense, in light of the language in the
gun control law rendering them ineligible for furloughs. For the reasons
discussed below. I answer your questions as follows: ( 1 ) The term
"furlough" as used in the gun control law does not preclude all temporary-
releases under §90A. (2) Temporary releases under escort to attend a
relative's funeral (§90A(a)). visit a critically ill relative (§90A(b)). or obtain
otherwise unavailable medical or related sen ices (§90A(c)). are not
precluded by the gun control law: however, temporarv unescorted releases
and releases to contact prospective employers (§90A(dn. or secure living
arrangements upon release (§90A(e)). are precluded. I cannot give an
opinion on the more abstract section authorizing temporarv release "for
any other reason consistent with the reintegration of a committed offender
into the community" (§90A(f))-
The term "furlough" is not defmed in the gun control law. and its
meaning in that statute has not been judicially construed. 3
You state that the Department of Correction has in the past interpreted
the furlough prohibition of that statute restrictively to mean that a person
convicted under the gun control law cannot obtain a release of anv kind
under §90A until he has served at least one year of the sentence. Your past
interpretation rests on the grounds that (1) the Department regulations in
effect at the time that the gun control law was amended in 1974 specificallv
defined "'furlough" to include all temporary releases listed in §90A.
including emergency releases under escort; and (2) the Legislature is
presumed to be aware of pertinent regulations, and. therefore, to have
categorically prohibited temporary releases for gun control offenders. You
state that the harsh results of such a strict reading are out of step with
modern criminal justice theory and practice: you have requested this
opinion to determine whether your interpretation, with its harsh results, is
mandated by the law.
Upon analysis. I conclude that the Department's construction of the
word ""furlough" in the gun control law is not compelled. The Legislature's
1974 amendment to that law offers inadequate reason for requiring the
it does not appear thai anv cases ha\e vet construed "furlough"' in the corrections or prison comex:
Ca—m'rriaMT of Correction, 364 Mass. 435, 43t -- -. eases in §90A and §90A(f) in particL .
"furloughs" but term never defined I. The word "furlough" has traditionally been considered a military term and has been
: ed in the military context to mean a leave of absence from military du:
Repair Corp. 328 U S 2 J 5. 287 1 1946); Bro*n « C/wfeW States, 99 F. Sopp. 685, 687
been used and interpreted m the context of employment as a leave of absence or a iav -off See :
Ins. Co.. 156 Pa Super.. 39 A 2d 721, 725-73 .-e definitions of the term, however £ do! ar^ea: re.evar.t to the
Mian of how "furlough" should be defined m a criminal statute. On the contra- urioush" to be a term
of art the meaning of which is a function of the particular context in which it is used I must cc- See G L
104 P.D. 12
Department's interpretation. While there is a presumption of legislative
awareness of administrative regulations, see, e.g., Commonwealth v. Racine,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1101, 1106-1107, the presumption is a limited one,
which, like any tool of statutory construction, operates only as a guide in
interpreting an ambiguous statute. It does not mandate a construction of a
statute identical to regulations in every instance. There must be a proximate
relationship between the regulation and the subsequent legislative action.
In this case, the Department's furlough regulations were adopted to
implement a statue, §90A, which uses different language than the gun
control law 4 and has a different purpose. The value of the regulations as a
guide to legislative intent is therefore weakened. 5 See C.P. Sands,
Sutherland Statutory Construction, §51.01 (4th Ed. 1972). Moreover, the
legislative histories of the two statutes in issue suggest that, in enacting the
gun control law, the Legislature did not intend categorically to sweep aside
all temporary releases authorized by §90A.
The six categories of temporary release authorized by §90A were
approved in 1972. St. 1972, c. 777. However, earlier versions of §90A show
that releases for some of these purposes have a long and uninterrupted
history under Massachusetts law. As first enacted in 1923 (see St. 1923, c.
52), G.L. c. 127, §90A allowed inmates in the custody of correctional
officers to attend the funerals of their spouses and of any next of kin.
Chapter 394 of the Acts of 1951 permitted an inmate, again in the custody
of a correctional officer, to visit certain sick relatives whose deaths were
expected to be imminent. In addition, while not originally mentioned in
§90A, the escorted release of an inmate to obtain necessary medical or
related care has traditionally been permitted. See G.L. c. 127, §§117-118.
The major changes wrought in 1972 were the authorization of unescorted
releases, and the creation of new release categories relating directly to the
prisoner's reintegration into the community. See §90A (d) - (f). For the first
time as well, releases were permitted for up to 14 days per year and 7 days
at any one time. As explained below, I believe that the word "furlough"
applies only to the types of releases first established by the 1972 legislation.
The prohibition against furlough eligibility was added to the gun control
law by a 1974 amendment. St. 1974, c. 649. The context of this
amendment's passage suggests the source of the Legislature's concern. At
about the same time c. 649 was enacted, the Legislature passed a resolve
creating a special commission, composed primarily of senators and
representatives, to study the effects of the "prisoner furlough program" on
the citizens of the Commonwealth. 1974 Mass. Resolves, c. 52.
On October 29, 1975 the special commission submitted its interim report.
The majority described the furlough program as one of several established
by the 1972 amending legislation (St. 1972, c. 777) which was intended to
reduce criminal recidivism by working towards the reintegration of the
criminal into the community. Mass. S. Doc. No. 2131 at 8 (1975). The
'General Laws. c. 127. §90A. does not mention the term "furlough"; it speaks only of a "temporary release."
^Compare Commonwealth v. Racine, supra at 1 107. That case involved the interpretation of a statute. G.L. c. Ill, §198. which
made specific reference to an existing body of administrative regulations Similarly, in Board of Assessors of Melrose v.
Driscolf, Mass. Adv. Sh. ( 1976) 1497, 1503, the Legislature was presumed to be aware of "the regulations of the agency to
which it referred" (emphasis added) when the statute in question explicitly adopted the definition used by a designated
agency.
P.D. 12 105
majority also characterized the furlough program as one which permitted
prisoners "to walk the streets, devoid of restraints. "M 6
The commission also expressed awareness, however, that before the
furlough program began, prisoners had been permitted to leave the prisons
in certain circumstances. The commission's majority stated, "[pjrior to the
establishment of the furlough program, inmates were allowed to attend the
funeral of a relative or to visit a critically ill relative." Id. at 33.
Furthermore, the amendments to §90A proposed by the majority, designed
to limit the availability of furloughs, retained a provision that would have
allowed any offender to apply immediately for an escorted, emergency
furlough for one of the reasons set forth in §90A (a), (b) and (c). Id. at 33,
54. 7
The special commission's report presents the only clear record of the
legislative perception of the furlough program, 8 and it suggests that the
Legislature intended the term "furlough" in the gun control law to refer to
unescorted, rehabilitative releases, and not releases under escort for the
emergency purposes set forth in §90A (a) through (c). 9
Finally, it should be noted that an interpretation of the term "furlough"
which continues to permit emergency, escorted releases for the purposes set
forth in G.L. c. 127, §90A(a), (b) and (c), is compatible with the legislative
purpose of the gun control law. The aim of that statute is "to deter through
a nondiscretionary penalty" by removing "many of the opportunities for
the exercise of discretion and leniency." Commonwealth v. Jackson, Mass.
Adv. Sh. (1976) 735, 744, 745; see Commonwealth v. Hayes, Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1977) 928, 934. Given this purpose, it seems clear that the furlough
prohibition was enacted to preclude unescorted releases of persons
convicted under the gun control law for non-emergency reasons.
However, a temporary release in the custody of a correctional officer
under the exigent circumstances listed in G.L. c. 127, §90A (a) through (c),
presents a dramatically different situation. The events which would make a
prisoner eligible for any of these releases are beyond his control; such a
6 While disagreeing with the majority's proposals to restrict the furlough program, the minority of the commission shared the
majority's view of the program's origins and salient features. See Mass. S. Doc. No 2131. supra at 43-44, 46.
1 See also Mass. H. Doc. No. 1696 (1975), entitled, "An Act Eliminating the Prison Furlough Program." This bill proposed to
amend §90A by eliminating authorization for all the listed categories of temporary release except emergency releases, under
escort, to attend a relative's funeral or to visit a critically ill relative.
8 Although the special commission's report, written after the approval of St. 1974, c. 649. is not part of the "history" of that
statute, it is "entitled to some consideration as a secondarily authoritative expression of expert opinion", CD. Sands,
Sutherland Statutory Construction, supra at §48.06. This is particularly true since it represents an interpretation of the word
"furlough" made by a group of legislators under the explicit statutory mandate of the same Legislature which approved St.
1974, c. 649. See Devlin v. Commissioner of Correction, supra at 440, n. 7.
'The conclusion gains support from a look at other jurisdictions' definitions of the term "furlough" in the prison or corrections
context. In 1965, Congress enacted legislation to authorize furlough and work release programs for federal prisoners. 18
U.S.C. §4082(c) (1) and (2). Pub. L. 89-176, 79 Stat. 674, amending 18 U.S.C. §4082(c) (1). In 1973, §4082(c) (1) was further
amended to expand the types of furloughs that could be authorized! See Pub. L. 93-209, 87 Stat. 907. The legislative history of
these acts clearly shows that Congress understood the term "furlough" to indicate a temporary, unescorted leave of absence
from a prison, the purpose of which was to encourage rehabilitation bv permitting the prisoner new freedoms and
responsibilities. See S. Rep. No. 613, 89th Cong., 1st Sess. (1965), reprinted in [1965] U.S. Code Cong. & Ad. News 3076. 3079;
S. Rep. No. 93-418. 93rd Cong.. 1st Sess. (1973), reprinted in [1973] U.S. Code Cong. & Ad. News 3018. 3018-3022. Indeed, in
regulations implementing 18 U.S.C. §4082(c) (1), trie Federal Bureau of Prisons has specifically defined "furlough" to mean
any authorized absence from a prison except under escort. See Federal Prison System, Policy Statement No. 7300. 1 2D, §46.
Furlough programs established by other states have also used the term to mean temporary releases (a) without an escort
and (b) for rehabilitative purposes such as contacting employers and family visiting. See. e.g.. New York Correction Law.
§§8514. 853 (McKinney Supp. 1976). New York has a statutory "leave of absence" program, separate from its furlough
program, to accomodate prisoners who need emergency medical treatment or to visit dying relatives. Id. §§851.6, 853.3. See
fenerally Project: Temporary Release in New York Correctional Facilities, 38 Alb. L. Rev. 691. 702, 712-713 (1974). See also
a. Stat. Ann. tit. 61, §1051 et seq. (West Supp 1977); Comment: An Evaluation of the Home Furlough Program in
Pennsylvania Correctional Institutions. 47 Temp. L. Q. 288 (1974).
10c
P.D. 12
. . . cannot realistically be viewed as providing an
-lunitv for the exen discretion and leniency" in violation of the
gun control law's mandate. Cf. Commonwealth v. Hayes, noma, Mass Adv.
Sh. (1971 -~. -}'•--:- There the court held that a construction of the gun
::rmitting offender . . be -entenced to M.C.I Concord, rather
. -. la MCI Walpole, did not contravene the law's purpose to
prohibit leniencv and discretionary punishment, although offenders at
Cona d be eligible for parole earlier than thc>e i: Walpole. If the
Legislature had mtended to prever. g - offenders from being
elidb.e Ebt each of the temporary releases listed in §90A. it could have said
sc Set Simmon* es.:k v. Hayes, supra at ^33. 10
In summary. I conclude that the word "furlough cd in the gun
control law- mav fairlv be read to proscribe all unescorted temporary
releases granted for the pu set forth in
:- \ i and c However, a prisoner's escorted, temporary release to (a)
attend a funeral, ibi visit a dying relative. ;: c obtain medical care, as
respec scribed in Gi. c. 127 gS i Lhrough c is not a "furlough"
Gi > 269, §1( a . and you may exercise the discretion
conferred an il ;- \ to permit esconed temporary releases for such
r _"?
wer whether all escorted releases under § - A f must be
?ited under the gun c .aw. The wording of clause (f) is very
broad.] be odj ssi b iliry that it might include within its scope an
emergency situation in which an escorted release would not constitute a
"furlough" under the principles set forth above. Without specific facts.
am not in a pos render an opinion on the question.
Number 16
Wallace C Stills. Oeri
H ; _ - : -
State House
E -;husetts 12133
Yerv trulv vours.
FRANCIS X' BELLOTTI
wney General
December::. 19""
Dei- Is:
a have transmitted an order of the House : Representatives.
,-ated as He-: Nc 6790, which asks my opinion on the following
_ oestion:
Is the expenditure of large sums of money by the Secretary of
- e - Affairs for radio and new spaper ads promoting
. - n of industry within the Commonwealth in contraven-
P.D. 12 Kj-
tion to the statutory language of item 9091-0400 [.] Chapter
363Aofthe Acts of l"977?f]
Pursuant to the responsibilities conferred by G.L. c. 12. §9, I respectfullv
submit the following opinion.
House No. 6790 is phrased in broad and general terms. I have been
informed, however, that it is intended specificallv to address language in
the current item 9091-0400 which differs from that used m item 9091-0400
as it appeared in St. 1976. c. 283. the fiscal year 19" 7 " appropriation act. In c.
283. 9091-0400 appropriated $750,000 'to the Division of Economic
Development "[f]or the promotion of industry within the commonwealth . .
.**: St. 1977. c. 363A. item 9091-0400 appropriates the same amount to the
same agency . but "[f]or the promotion of industry into the commonwealth .
. ."' (See n. 1 supra). The question posed is whether, in light of the change
from "within*' to "into", the use of FY 1978 funds for advertisements
placed in Massachusetts newspapers and radio stations, as opposed to their
out-of-state counterparts, contravenes the language of c 3 - 3 \ - For the
reasons discussed below. I conclude that such expenditures are not
prohibited by or inconsistent with that law.
The underlying principles governing the expenditure of funds bv
government are familiar and simply stated. Under the Massach,
Constitution, the power of appropriation is lodged exclusivelv in the
Legislature: the Legislature may. by exercising this power, delimit the t\ pes
of expenditures which agencies in the executive branch of government mav
make. See Massachusetts Constitution. Amendments, ar. S3 : 3, and Part
2. c. 1. §3. art. 7. The power of appropriation may not. however, intrude
upon the power of expenditure which the Constitution vests in the
Governor and through him, in executive and administrative agencies.
Massachusetts Constitution. Pan 2. c. 2. §1. an. II. As the Supreme Judicial
Court has noted. "... however minutely appropriations are itemized some
scope is left for the exercise of judgment and discretion bv executive or
administrative officers or boards in the expenditure of monev . . . ." Opinion
of the Justices. 302 Mass - 5 615 . -:•"). See also Opinion of the Justices.
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976)22 224-225; Opinion of the Jv Sh
(1975)2745,2755.
In applying these basic principles to the present context, the pertinent
statutes to consider are those relating to the Department of Commerce and
Development (Department) and. in particular, the Division of Economic
Development (Division). The Division is by statute one of four divisions
within the Department. G.L. c 23A, §§3. 4. The Legislature has vested
broad authority and responsibility in the Department for purpose- :
■Chapter 3*M of the Acts of i 9~ ;s the appropriation act far fisc^ .-.sn 9091 -(MOO appropriates S~5Gu»D «o the
Division of Economic Development for
. . the promotion of industry ^m tW- r«»i»i.— i^- pnT-Ttini tfctl wn -nlrrirT nr i i | « m i i irf"i wa*iji i ill J \m
chargeable to this ilea i emphasis supplied i
-House No 6' 90 refers to the cxpeaditnrc of mads bv the Secretary of Manpo wer Affairs. I note, htm. that di
Economic Development the asencv to which hem' 9091-0400 sneaScaflv appropriates the funds hi -| - "- -
- ---- — -:- ' - . -r-i-.t .-;". t-; :?-;- - " ." r :.— ---.-- -; E •-._ -.;"".;■" -- - -
Gl c : :: . oA.§8; xc aho c 6A. §17. h is thus clear thai the Secretary of Manpower Afmhs has
i -■-•-:■ •;-:-:. . . - -i - --
to suggest that he has done so.
I understand the House of Representatives' q w e stiu n to focus on the ( ~ '|»"^s far which the -"- Will OwJ
f>e-: ::::;: ■_■■: :; L-.f ri7.;..i- ^-.: ;:".-.i. •.:;.-.-;; ■: riie ■..-.: ;-.^-.; -..-s ».:;;-; -; - - - -
safely the question whether the Division of F*-nan.i »i . Development mav pm ue ilt spend the ■iiii anpropi
108 P.D. 12
•"[p]romoting. developing and expanding the economy, the commerce, the
industry . . . of the commonwealth . . ." and of "[preparing and perfecting
functional plans for the economic development of the commonwealth . . . ."
G.L. c.23A.§§2(a). 2(b).- 5
These statutes evince a legislative intent to improve the economy of the
Commonwealth by expanding and attracting business and industry and
creating employment for its citizens. More important, the statutes also show
that the Legislature has chosen to delegate the implementation of this goal
to agencies within the executive branch, as is its prerogative. See Opinion of
the Justices. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 2521. 2530-31 (1975): see also
Commonwealth v. Racine, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1 101. 1 106-1 107.
It is my understanding that the Department and other agencies within
the executive branch have formulated a comprehensive economic
development plan for Massachusetts which has two major facets: (1) the
attraction of new business or industry to the state, and (2) the retention and
expansion of existing business and industry. The judgment has been made
that, in both categories, a critical early step in the successful
implementation of the plan is to enlist Massachusetts businessmen in the
Commonwealth's efforts to promote Massachusetts in other states and
countries. See G.L. c. 23A. §2(b). The Division has allocated a portion of
the funds appropriated in item 9091-0400 to advertising within
Massachusetts to accomplish this first priority. I have been informed that at
the same time funds in item 9091-0400 are also being spent for out-of-state
advertising as well as for other purposes.
Against this constitutional and statutory framework and on the basis of
the information supplied me. I cannot find any violation of the FY 1978
appropriation act. It appears that the expenditures of item 9091-0400
monies currently being made reasonably advance the promotion of industry
into the Commonwealth. The Department and the Division are vested by
their enabling statute with wide authority to oversee the area of state
economic development and planning, see. e.g., G.L. c. 23 A. §2. In these
circumstances. I will not strictly construe item 9091-0400 in St. 1977. c.
363A — or the introduction of the word "'into" — as a limit on the otherwise
broad discretionary powers of those agencies, absent a far more explicit
indication of legislative purpose. If the General Court had intended to
prohibit the Division or the Department from spending any of the funds
appropriated under item 9091-0400 on advertisements within the
Commonwealth, it could have expresslv so stated. See Commonwealth v.
Haves. Mass. Adv. Sh. ( 1977) 928, 933. 4
Very truly vours.
FRANCIS X' BELLOTTI
Attorney General
3 See also GX. C- 6A. §PA. which establishes a technical assistance strike force in the executive office of manpower affairs to
offer advice and assistance to businesses within the Commonwealth.
'House No 6"90 asks whether the expenditure of "large" sums of monev for the advertisements at issue contravenes the
language of item 9091-0400. The House order does not further specify the amounts it considers to be "large" It i>
theoretically possible that the expenditure of item 9091-0400 funds on Massachusetts newspaper and radio advertisements
could represent such a great percentage of the total amount appropriated as to constitute arbitrary and unreasonable action or
an abuse of discretion on the part of the Division; such expenditures would be subject to legal challenge See. eg . Hesi
Broadway Task Force. Inc. v. Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. 363 Mass 745. '50-751 (1973). However,
none of the information supplied to me suggests that the Division has in fact acted unreasonablv in its spending of item 9091-
0400 funds.
P.D. 12 109
Number 17 January 12. 1978
Jerald Stevens
Secretary of Human Services
Executive Office of Human Services
State House
Boston. MA 02108
Dear Secretary Stevens:
You have requested my response to two questions concerning the
relationship between the Rate Setting Commission (Commission) and the
Division of Hearings Officers (DHO). Both questions are rooted in G.L. c.
6A. §36 (hereafter §36). the statute governing the DHO's administrative
review of rates set by the Commission to pay or reimburse certain providers
of health care. Your letter of request described at length the problems
arising from ambiguities in §36.' The two questions which you seek to have
answered are as follows:
1. May the DHO entertain or rule on any constitutional
questions?
2. Is the DHO's standard of review confmed to an examination
of whether the Commission misapplied its regulations or
whether the Commission misinterpreted its regulations where
two or more interpretations are possible?
I shall first summarize my response to these questions. Section 36
allocates to the DHO the responsibility for holding hearings to review rates
set for a provider by the Commission: the DHO must determine whether
the rates are "adequate, fair and reaonable for such provider, based among
other things, on the costs of such provider." §36. r 1. In answer to vour first
question, it is my judgment that this review includes authoritv to consider a
claim that the rate set by the Commission is unconstitutional as applied to
the provider in question. However, the DHO's resolution of such a claim is
not binding on the Commission. Nor does the DHO have authoritv to
consider a claim that either the regulations of the Commission or any Act of
the Legislature are unconstitutional on their face.
In answer to your second question. I conclude that the DHO mav
determine, in reviewing a particular provider's rate, whether the
Commission correctly applied the Commission's own regulations: it mav
offer what it views as the proper reading of an ambiguous regulation: and it
may consider whether the Commission's regulations, as properlv applied to
the particular provider, fail to provide an "adequate, fair and reasonable"
rate. Section 36 does not empower the DHO. however, to reverse the
Commission's interpretation of its own regulations when that interpretation
is clearly established. Accordingly, the Commission would be entitled
under §36 to reject and remand a rate recommendation of the DHO. if the
recommended rate were premised on a reading of the regulations in conflict
with the Commission's interpretation. My analysis follows.
I begin with a brief description of the pertinent functions of the
Commission and the DHO. to place your two questions in proper context.
'In addition the Commission and the DHO. both of which play a prominent role in rate review, have submitted memoranda
on the subject
110 P.D. 12
The Commission operates pursuant to G.L. c. 6A. §§32 et seq. 1 It has "sole
responsibility for establishing fair, reasonable and adequate rates to be paid
providers of health care services by governmental units . . ." 3 The setting of
rates occurs in two phases. In the first, the Commission determines the
standards applicable to broad classes of health care providers. This step is
legislative in substance and entails essentially the creation of general
ratesetting formulas for a number of provider classifications. 4 In the second
phase, the general formula is applied to the operating costs and related
information of a provider in order to determine the provider's individual
rate. This rate is usually expressed as a per diem amount, to be paid for
each day the provider gives medical care to an eligible recipient.
The Commission promulgates the ratesetting formulas comprising the
first phase as general regulations under G.L. c. 30A, §2. Since the
Legislature has explicitly authorized their promulgation, see G.L. c. 6A,
§32, these regulations carry the force of statute, so long as they are
consistent with the substantive standards set forth in §32. See Palm Manor
Nursing Home, Inc. v. Rate Setting Commission, 359 Mass. 652. 655-656
(1971). Furthermore, it has been established that a provider or other party
affected by the regulations and seeking to challenge their facial validity
should do so through an action for declaratory relief brought in state court,
pursuant to G.L. c. 30A, §7 and c. 231 A, §§1 et seq.- or, in certain
circumstances, through a federal action. 6
The specific application of the general regulatory formulas to individual
providers, the second ratesetting phase, is far more mechanical in nature.
See, e.g., Palm Manor Nursing Home, Inc. v. Rate Setting Commission,
supra, 359 Mass. at 656-657. Whereas the three members of the Commission
of necessity play a personal role in developing a regulatory formula. I
understand that the initial calculation of each provider's per diem rate is
done almost entirely by Commission staff. See G.L. c. 6 A. §33.
The Commission's history shows that health care providers dissatisfied
with their reimbursement rates usually focus their challenges on the
calculation of the individual rates rather than on the validity of the overall
regulations or statute. While less global in scope, these challenges may
nonetheless raise complex questions requiring extensive consideration.
Moreover, the providers covered by the regulations — principally nursing
homes and hospitals — number in the hundreds. The resources necessary to
review individual rate challenges are therefore substantial.
Prior to the enactment of St. 1973, c. 1229, effective July 1, 1974, the
: The Commission was original!) established by St. 1968. c. 492. §3. codified as G.L. c. 7, §§30K-30P. See Caboi \ursing Home
Inc \ Rale Selling Commission, 359 Mass. 686. 687 (1971). Subsequent recodification and reorganization have changed its
structure somewhat but its essential functions have remained intact. See St. 1973. c. 1229, §2.
'The Commission's other responsibilities include establishing rates to be charged by stale institutions for general health care,
social, rehabilitative and educational services, and rates to be paid for similar services provided under G.L. c. 152. the
workers' compensation act G L. c 6A. §32. It is also responsible for approving hospital service corporation contracts
pursuant to G.L. c. 176A. §5. Further, the Commission must now review and approve hospital charges applicable to the
general public. G.L. c. 6A. §§37 - 46. added by St 1976. c. 409. §4.
4 A classic example of such a formula is found in the Commission's regulation designated as 114.1 CMR 3.00 prescribing
methods for reimbursing hospitals which participate in the federal-slate Medicaid program. 42 U.S.C. §§1396 et seq See
Massachusetts General Hospital v. Rale Setting Commission. Mass. Adv. Sh. ( 1977) 50.
-See. e.g.. Murphy Sursing Home. Inc. v. Rate Setting Commission, 364 Mass. 453. 456. 457 (1973); Massachusetts General
Hospital v . Rate Selling Commission, 359 Mass. 157. 164-165. 166(1971).
"See. e.g.. Massachusetts General Hospital v. Weiner, No. 75-265 1-G (D. Mass. February 10. 1977). appeal pending. No. 77-1191
(IstCir. 1977).
P.D. 12 111
Commission and its own hearing officers conducted all administrative
reviews of individual provider rates under G.L. c. 7. §300. See, e.g.,
Massachusetts General Hospital v. Rate setting Commission, supra, 359 Mass.
at 166, n.5. Chapter 1229 revamped the statutory framework under which
the Commission had operated. Among other steps, it reorganized the
Commission to provide for three full-time commissioners rather than a
larger part-time agency, and created the DHO. specifically assigning to it
responsibility for hearing Commission rate appeals." Indeed, the legislative
history of c. 1229 shows that the DHO was established in large part to assist
the Commission in reviewing the substantial flow of individual rate
challenges which are brought each year. 8
The relation between the Commission and the DHO is wholly prescribed
and governed by §36. 9 Unfortunately, however. §36 leaves in doubt the
specific details of that relation. The section was amended substantial^
during its legislative passage, and legislative history does not furnish
guidance as to its meaning. In certain parts §36 refers to the Commission as
the administrative body with fmal authority over rates, to which DHO
decisions must come for fmal adoption, and against which court challenges,
under G.L. c. 30A. §14. would be brought, as is the case with anv similar
agency empowered to make individual adjudicative determinations. 10 Other
passages, however, suggest that the DHO. not the commission, possesses
fmal authority in the rate review process, with power to compel the
Commission to adopt a particular rate, and therefore presumablv to act as
the agency defendant in a suit brought by a provider challenging that rate. 11
If this latter reading were adopted, the DHO would be operating as an
administrative appellate tribunal, a status with a partial parallel in other
areas. 12
"The DHO's enabling statute is G.L c. 7. §4H. enacted bv St. 1973. c. 1229. §3. Chapter 1229. §2 enacted G L c 6A. §§31-36.
which actually reorganized the Commission and. in §36. established the DHO's reviewing functions at issue I
discussed below, under G.L. c 7, §4H. the DHO possesses more generalized authority to hear administrative appeals of other
agencies. See p. 10. n.14 infra.
8 Mass. H. R. 7250 ( 1973) which resulted in St. 1973. c. 1229. stated in its preamble that reorganization of the Commission (and
the consequent assignment of rate hearings to the DHO) was necessary "in order to reduce the annual backlog of rates and
appeals ..."
Since the DHO's creation in 1974. at least 2994 individual appeals from the Commission's rates have been filed or refiled
with the agency Currently, approximately 1500 such appeals are pending before the DHO.
'Section 36 provides in summary as follows: (1) the DHO (in practice, a hearings officer of the DHO) is to hold an
adjudicative hearing on an aggrieved person's appeal from a Commission rate determination; (2) on appeal, the rate
determined is to be "adequate, fair and reasonable for (the] provider, based, among other things, on the costs of such
provider": ( 3 ) the hearings officer is to render a decision containing a rate recommendation as well as a statement of reasons
on all factual and legal issues raised and forward that decision to the Commission: (4) if the hearings officer has
recommended a different rate than the one originally set. the Commission is either to establish a new rate or. if it finds the
officer's statement of reasons inadequate, to remand the appeal to the DHO: i5) a provider mav appeal from the
Commission's final rale determination, or the DHO's decision, to the Superior Court.
'"For example. §36. r 3 states that if the decision of the DHO results m a recommendation for a rate different from that
certified, the Commission shall based upon statement of reasons establish a new rate, but if the Commission determines that
the statement of reasons is inadequate to determine a fair, reasonable and adequate rate, it mav remand the appeal to the
hearing officer for "further investigation." The statute here thus speaks in terms which place the Commission in a controlling
posture, giving it a right to reject the hearings officer's recommendation. Moreover. §36\ r 3 also refers to "anv pan aggrieved
by a decision of the Commission" as having a right to file a petition for review in Superior Court (emphasis added),
buttressing the view that the Commission, not the DHO. makes the final decision in the administrative process.
"The language favoring a heightened role for the DHO is found exclusivelv in the penultimate paragraph of §36. It states that
the petition to the Superior Court shall set forth the grounds upon which the "decision of the division should be sc
(emphasis added). It then states that the Court may "affirm, modify or set aside the decision of the division in whole or in
pan. remand the decision to the division for further proceedings, or enter such other order as justice mav require" (emphasis
added)
,: For example, under G.L. c. 111. §§25B-25G. the determination of need law. the Department of Public Health and Public
Health Council are responsible for determining whether health care facilities should receive authorization to make substantial
capital expenditures for facility construction or alteration, but the Health Facilities Appeals Board, created b\ G.L. c. 6. §166.
possesses the power under §25E to reverse the Council's determination and remand the matter for reconsideration. Under
G L c 90. §28. the Board of Appeal on Motor Vehicle Liabilitv Policies and Bonds, created b\ G L c 2t §8A .> given
auihontv to affirm, modify, or annul rulings or decisions of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles However, both G.L. c. 1 1 : ";:. C E
and c 90. §28 are far more explicit in their grant of appellate reviewing powers to the two boards in question than §36 is with
respect to the DHO.
112 P.D. 12
Two overriding factors compel me to reject the latter interpretation of
§36. First, placing the DHO in an appeallate posture, with the Commission
playing a subordinate rather than a controlling role, would work a unique
and unprecedented reversal in the parts normally played by hearing officers
and agencies. 13 Hearings officers generally, and the DHO itself in all its
other activities, 14 act as an adjudicative surrogate for the substantive
agency. By holding hearings, developing a record, and preparing a
recommended decision with tentative findings of fact and rulings of law,
hearings officers lift a heavy burden from agencies which are ill-equipped
to hold trials. I cannot conclude that the Legislature intended so radical a
modification of this role without an explicit statement of intent or a less
ambiguous statutory framework than §36 provides. Compare G.L. c. 90,
§28; c. Ill, §25E. See Boston & Albany Railroad v. Boston, 275 Mass. 133,
138 (1931); cf. Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination v. Liberty
Mutual Ins. Co., Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2403, 2407-2408.
The second factor compelling rejection arises out of the disparity in
functions and statutory qualifications of the Commission and DHO. The
Commission is charged with performing a highly technical task, and in
recognition of this, the Legislature carefully specified the requisite
qualifications for its three commissioners: the Chairman must have
administrative experience and an advanced degree in business administra-
tion, public administration or law; one Commission member is to be a
certified public accountant; the other must be experienced in medical
economics. G.L. c. 6A, §32.
In contrast, the qualifications of DHO hearings officers are far more
general in character, reflecting the fact that their primary function lies in
administering hearings for many different agencies. They must be members
of the bar of the Commonwealth and have trial experience, but they need
not possess any specialized knowledge in rate making. See G.L. c. 7, §4H.
Given the difference in qualification, I find it unlikely that the Legislature
intended to give a hearings officer the final word in the ratesetting
process. 15
In summary, viewing §36 in light of the Commission's and the DHO's
respective enabling statutes taken as a whole, I find that the relationship
between the Commission and the DHO, although described in unique
terms procedurally in §36, must be deemed to conform to the general
pattern governing hearings officers and agencies. See Boston v.
"See. eg, K. Davis, Administrative Law Treatise, §10.06, at 34 (1958 Ed), which states:
The status of the examiner [hearing officer] should and does depend upon his functions. His two main functions
are to preside and to prepare the intermediate (initial or recommended) decision Both functions are definitely
subordinate. . . . The examiner's role as a deciding officer is overshadowed by the power of the agency.
See also id. §10.03, at 17-18 ("[i]n nearly all states the judge-made law is in accord with the provision of the federal APA that
the agency has 'all the powers which it would have in making the initial decision' "); Ramspeck v. Federal Trial Examiners
Conference. 345 U.S. 128, 130-131 (1953).
For Massachusetts illustrations of the traditional agency-hearing officer relationship, see. e.g., G.L. c. 7, §30 O (as in effect
prior to July 1, 1974) (Commission to designate hearing officer or one of its members to hear a provider's appeal and
recommend a decision); G.L. c. 31, §43(b) (Civil Service Commission to designate disinterested persons to conduct hearings
and report findings for Commission to act upon). G.L. c. Ill, §25E (Health Facilities Appeals Board may designate hearing
officer to hear appeals from Public Health Council determinations and submit a recommended decision).
"Under its enabling statute. G.L. c. 7, §4H, the DHO is responsible for conducting hearings on appeals to the Civil Service
Commission and is authorized to conduct such additional adjudicative hearings or appeals as other agencies may request.
r A final difficulty in perceiving the DHO as an appellate tribunal inheres in the notion of giving a single hearings officer, as
distinguished from a multi-member tribunal, the authority to reverse the determination of a substantive agency By contrast,
both the Health Facilities Appeals Board and the Board of Motor Vehicle Appeals are multi-member bodies, far more
analogous to an appellate court than is a single hearings officer. See p. 9, n.12, supra.
P.D. 12 113
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 2588,
2593. Accordingly, the DHO hearings officers are responsible for
conducting adjudicatory hearings and submitting a recommended rate
determination to the Commission. However, the Commission is not
required to adopt that recommendation. It may in its discretion exercise its
powers under §36 to remand an appeal "for further investigation" if it
determines the hearings officer's decision to be an "inadequate" basis on
which to set a new rate. With this conclusion in place I now address your
two specific questions.
1. Authority to entertain or rule on constitutional questions.
Administrative agencies generally do not possess authority to decide
constitutional challenges to statutes or regulations governing their
operations. See, e.g., School Committee of Springfield v. Board of Education,
362 Mass. 417, 431 (1972) ("[i]t is fundamental to our system of government
that courts and not administrative agencies must resolve conflict between
statutes and constitutional provisions"). 16 However, it is also a principle
that an agency may, in the course of its statutory responsibilities, exercise
judgment in individual situations influenced by its determination of
constitutional requirements, particularly when the constitutional issue
raised depends on the specific fact. See, e.g., Board of Education v. School
Committee of Springfield, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 861. 898-899: Board of
Selectmen of Framingham v. Civil Service Commission, 366 Mass. 547. 554-
555 (1974). See also Davis, supra, §20.04 at 74.
The principal constitutional challenge a provider might properlv raise in
the context of an individual rate appeal to the DHO would center on
confiscation, i.e. a claim that a particular rate was so low as to take or
confiscate the provider's property in violation of constitutional due process
guarantees. Cf, e.g., Wannacomet Water Co. v. Department of Public
Utilities, 346 Mass. 453, 457, 471 (1963); New England Tel. & Tel. Co. v.
Department of Public Utilities, 327 Mass. 81, 86 (1951); cf. also Murphy
Nursing Home Inc. v. Rate Setting Commission, supra, at 461-462 (attack on
general ratesetting regulation on confiscation grounds). 1 " A provider carries
a heavy burden in proving confiscation, cf, e.g., Fitchburg Gas and Electric
Light Co. v. Department of Public Utilities, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 273, 277-
278; New England Tel. & Tel. Co. v. Department of Public Utilities, 331
Mass. 604, 617 (1954), but since a showing of confiscation, if made, would
obviously bear on the standard of "adequate, fair and reasonable" rates
mandated by §36. I fmd that this issue lies within the DHO's authonzed
zone of inquiry. 18
"The winds of change, however, are being felt in this area. See Southern Pacific Transporation Co. v. Public Utilities
Commission. 18 Cal. 3d 308. 556 P. 2d 289 (1976); see generally. Note. The Authority of Administrative Agencies to Consider
the Constitutionality of Statutes. 90 Harv. L. Rev. 1682 (1977)T
|7 A provider might perhaps claim that a rate was so arbitrary and irrational as to reach unconstitutional dimensions, again in
violation of the provider's right to substantive due process, although such an attack would seem more likelv to arise in the
context of a challenge to a general ratesetting formula See. e.g.. \furph\ .\ursing Home v. Rate Setting Commission, supra. 364
Mass. at 460-46 1 Similarly, it seems probable that a prov ider would raise an equal protection claim as part of a challenge to a
general regulation governing an entire provider class rather than in an individual rate appeal See. e,g.. Davis v Wa -
15324 (Suffolk Superior Court. October 28. 1976).
"As in Board of Selectmen of Framingham v Civil Service Commission, supra. 364 Mass. at 554. a provider's assertion of
unconstitutional confiscation is necessarily "rooted m facts . . . ." The DHO's function in conducting §36 adjudicative
hearings is to find the facts in each case from the evidence presented It is therefore appropriate for the DHO hearings officers
to consider confiscation questions raised in the course of such hearings.
114 P.D. 12
It bears repeating, however, that the judgment of a DHO hearings officer
on any constitutional issues raised in a rate appeal is not binding on the
Commission. While the Commission could adopt a recommended rate
determination based on a hearings officer's finding of confiscation, 19 it is
not required to do so. See pp. 12-13 supra. 20
2. Standard of DHO review
Your second question asks if the DHO must confine its scope of inquiry
in a rate appeal to the questions whether the Commission (1) misapplied its
regulations or (2) misinterpreted an ambiguous regulation in a particular
case. My answer follows a course similar to the discussion of the first
question. Just as the DHO lacks authority to overturn the statute under
which it operates as inconsistent with the superior demands of state or
federal constitutional provisions, it may not overturn the Commission's
general ratesetting regulations as violative of either the statute or the
Constitution; the regulations stand on the same footing as a statute. See
Palm Manor Nursing Home, Inc. v. Rate Setting Commission, supra, 359
Mass. at 655-656. As mentioned, challenges to the facial validity of
regulations are allocated as an initial matter to the judiciary. Until the
Legislature indicates plainly a desire to permit the DHO to question the
ratesetting framework, its role must be limited to issues relating exclusively
to the adequacy of the individual rate under review.
There are three areas of inquiry open to the DHO in its role as a
reviewing body of individual rates. 21 First, a DHO hearings officer may
inquire in every case whether the Commission, through its staff, has
properly applied the general rate formula to the particular facts at hand, for
the Commission may not contradict its own regulations. Once given the
force of law, they find the regulating agency as well as providers. See
DaLomba's Case, 352 Mass. 598, 603-604 (1968); see also Finklestein v.
Board of Registration in Optometry, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1548, 1551; cf
Service v. Dulles, 354 U.S. 363, 372-373, 383 (1957); Nader v. Bork, 363 F.
Supp. 104, 108 (D.D.C. 1973).
Second, the hearings officer may determine whether the Commission
through its staff has correctly interpreted and applied an ambiguous
regulation not previously construed by the Commission. However, if the
Commission's interpretation is authoritatively established on the record, he
does not possess authority to contradict that reading unless it is plainly
wrong. Courts have uniformly held that an agency's interpretation of its
own regulations is controlling unless it is clearly erroneous or unreasonable.
See, e.g., Udall v. Tollman, 380 U.S. 1, 16-17 (1965); Bowles v. Seminole
Rock & Sand Co., 325 U.S. 410, 413-414 (1945); see generally Consolidated
Cigar Corp. v. Department of Public Health, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1419,
"This would be true even where the Commission's original rate was properly calculated in accordance with the applicable
ratesetting regulation. The Commission is bound to follow its own regulations, but it may provide by regulation for
administrative adjustment of individual rates in particular circumstances. At least for hospitals, the Commission nas adopted
such an adjustment provision. See, e.g.. 1 14.1 CMR 3.00, §3.15, reprinted in Mass. Register Issue No. 89 (1978).
;0 ln addition, if all the calculations leading to the rate were mandated by Commission regulations, with no room for
adjustment, the confiscation claim would then perforce constitute an attack on the regulations themselves and be cognizable
only in a judicial sitting. See Murphy Nursing Home. Inc v. Rale Selling Commission, supra, 364 Mass. at 461-462;
Massachusetts General Hospital v. Rale Selling Commission, supra, 359 Mass. at 163-166 and n.5 See p. 5 and nn. 5, 6 supra.
: 'Once again. I note that the DHO hearings officer's authority on review is uitimatelv subordinate to the Commission; the
judgments he makes on the issues open to his consideration are subject to rejection by the Commission.
P.D. 12 115
1432-1437. What these cases deem a fitting self-restraint for courts with
strong powers of review over such legal questions, can be no less
appropriate for the DHO, which plays a subordinate role in the process of
rate adjudication. See Consolidated Cigar Corp. v. Department of Public
Health, supra at 1432, 1437.
Finally, as with constitutional questions, the hearings officer may also
consider whether on the facts of a particular case, a rate is so low as to
violate the "adequate, fair and reasonable" standard of §36, even though
the rate has been calculated properly under the governing rate formula. The
purpose of such an inquiry would not be to render a legal judgement on the
facial validity of the general regulation but to determine if its application to
a particular provider resulted in a rate which failed, in the opinion of the
hearings officer, to satisfy the statutory standard. Like the constitutional
question of confiscation, this statutory issue is one "rooted in facts", and
should be treated accordingly. See Board of Selectmen of Framingham v.
Civil Service Commission, supra, 364 Mass. at 554.
Very truly yours
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 18 January 20, 1978
Evelyn F. Murphy
Secretary
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02202
Dear Secretary Murphy:
On November 21, 1977, you forwarded to me 16 questions concerning
the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management (CZM) program. You posed
four of these questions on you own behalf as Secretary of Environmental
Affairs. 1 You transmitted an additional 12 questions on behalf of the Joint
Committee on Natural Resources of the Legislature. 2
As background for your request you stated the following. In 1972
Congress passed the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, Pub. L. 92-
583, 86 Stat. 1280, 16 U.S.C. §§1451-1464. The Act authorized federal
funding to states which were developing plans for the coordinated
management of coastal areas. The Executive Office of Environmental
Affairs (EOEA), pursuant to the Governor's designation, has received
federal and matching state funds for the past three years to develop a CZM
'Your questions may be paraphrased as follows: (1) does the statutory authority of EOEA, including its constituent agencies,
empower appropriate EOEA agencies to implement a CZM plan for the Commonwealth, which includes such policies as
those 27 set forth in the (draft) Massachusetts CZM Plan? (2) Do the Secretary's statutory responsibilities under GX. c. 21A,
§§3 and 4 authorize the Office of the Secretary to develop and implement a CZM program jointly with EOEA agencies, when
requested in a memorandum of understanding? (3) Is it within the authority of the Energv Facilities Siting Council to agree to
recognize and to act consistently with EOEA regulations concerning CZM policies? (4) Does G.L. c. 21A, §2 (7) or any other
provision of law authorize the Secretary to designate areas of critical environmental concern within the coastal zone as
provided in the CZM plan?
2 As Secretary, you are entitled to obtain legal advice from the Attorney General on questions relating to your immediate
official duties. G.L. c. 12, §3. That section does not apply to the Joint Committee, whose legal relationship with the Attorney
General is defined by G.L. c. 12. §9. Under the terms of §9, the Joint Committee would not be entitled to an opinion on the
questions it has raised because none of the questions concerns legislation pending before it. 1 understand that you transmitted
the Joint Committee's 12 questions along with your own as a matter of courtesy.
P.D. 12
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P.D. 12
their -~ ." tall :":: a genera.! exarrur.azzzn zf leauila: - --.- - : r'rzm a
sufficiently developed factual framework- In these f imimdanfw I find I
must abstain from conside m • -ecus zzzns -::: " - -
At the same line :~ z _ ue thai m - to render a
formal opinic a should not cuiuliued as a conclusion that the ap p ropri ate
EOEA agencies and afficei pre - lack the laiui:- _ -
immemenz the r: ... reut: : ore erne; uz zhe i:-:: 1Z
memorandum on zhe t issue: make; rzlam zha: :;..: . nz: ±e case "•'•■ - a: j
more. I wart 1 assure you thai if EOEA r: :eed _ z ." t ■ - : : an
_ r. _ . - _ _ u zh ■: rz : : .z;.:->; : cc.r ] ill r : : e
repfesentatiorj for tl e taze iffioiali and azenoiei nameo _ ;: ; ;
-"" '■ : : -•• 3-en Nc -
■-.~"-
francs \ beixotti
N_zr.-t- . - Fefruur 1 ■
- reaera Vahanl _"z_zz._-
Tne Ac - -. - ~ " -
- z 1 : nunc on eaftfe - ca k
i ic_HnelH Z215
I eai 3enera] '• ufaaiaii
Y;_ z-.: ::.-: "" ' .. oueszicns concerzzzmz z fficers : :
the Massachusetts National juaid die iuard j u dged :z a.z. e :-
pursuanl :: 11 c 33 |lf The questions relate zc zhe office: e: uzlemenz
_ze :: federal z_ - - - : _- -^ _-. 7 - : -. from zhez: naze dune
.acaucr: :_ : : rarticiratzcn m mandator training rrograzz
Because : the number :: zhe question 1 shall am t: them ■::_-_ ze
the order proposed.
1. Does G.L . 33 ^ 1 _■ intend that those office: zdered _.;
active ;_ perz mz : dunes assigned - th:
: zmmur. or o : B&cer ; : the I . zsicn zn a state zznz _s
or a civilian emnloyee statasl
Under the teems of GL : 33 : ! : . - ±e : zr.cerf arrvuuted are
Dideied I acta e im ~ :r I understand :c zzze_zz full-tirn: du:
. - .-: See 32 U.S. C : . .1 . -" 1 federal definition c: _. :
dun Ir additicn the :.* officers ccmr>ensai:cn . .- dezernzzzned -
:efe:er.:e be the pa) which ocmoara'rle :zzi:ers zn federal —.:'. :tar =«er ::e
receive and their dutief are assz^ned - _ zznzmandmi ~ " za.- :f:z:e:
. . ■• e: in order z: . ualir. :: z ^rr : znznz enz under i the officers must
obtain "federal recognition" from zze federal National Lruard Bureau
Chief, under regulations rrescr. bed : ~e Secrezar
118 P.D. 12
The prerequisites and terms pertaining to the officers' appointments
under §18 are thus entirely military in character. Jobs held by civilian
employees of the Commonwealth are not subject to any such conditions. In
my judgment, §18 clearly contemplates that the officers appointed under its
terms will perfom the duties assigned to them in a state military status.
2. Is an officer ordered to state active duty under § 1 8 entitled to
vacation and sick leave time without forfeiture of his state
pay for the periods of such absences, and if so, what is the
amount of leave time to which he is entitled?
Neither §18 nor any other provision of G.L. c. 33, the statute governing
the Commonwealth's military forces, provides for vacation and sick leave
benefits for the officers ordered to duty under §18. 3 Cf. G.L. c. 33, §88
(disability compensation). Nevertheless, under the Massachusetts Constitu-
tion, the Governor as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth's armed
forces may "make regulations for their government" to the extent
authorized by the Legislature. Massachusetts Constitution, Part 2, c. 2, §1,
art.7. 4 The Legislature has authorized the Governor to "make and publish
regulations for the government of the organized militia in accordance with
law." G.L. c. 33, §5. I construe these constitutional and statutory
rulemaking provisions as including the authority to regulate vacation and
sick leave for officers appointed under §18. 5 Therefore, my answer to the
first part of Question 2 is that an officer ordered to duty under §18 is
entitled to vacation and sick leave with pay to the extent that regulations
duly adopted or ratified by the Governor may permit.
In view of this conclusion, I cannot now answer the second part of
Question 2, viz., "the amount of leave time to which" an officer appointed
under §18 is entitled. The amount of time is a matter properly left to the
discretion of the Governor and those who are in charge of the Guard under
the Governor's direction. Although it does not appear that the Governor
has yet adopted regulations on vacation and leave time for § 1 8 officers, 6 I
The term "pay" in §18 does not itself appear to incorporate these types of benefits. Section 18 defines the officers' "state pay"
in terms of the "pay [of) an officer of the regular service of corresponding grades. . ." The federal statutes governing
compensation for officers in the uniformed services of the United States provide for monthly "basic pay," see 37 U.S.C
§§201, 203-205 (1970 and Supp. V), §1009 (as amended by Pub.L 94-361); a subsistence allowance, see 37 U.S.C. §402
(Supp.V); and an allowance for quarters, see 37 U.S.C. §403 (Supp.V). See also 37 U.S.C.§101 (25) (Supp. V) (definition of
"regular compensation"). I note, however, that officers in the United Slates Army do receive both leave or vacation time with
active duty pay under separate statutory provisions. See 10 U.S.C. §§701, 704 (1970 and Supp. V). They also receive sick time
with pay. See 37 U.S.C. §502 (1970).
'Article 7 of Part 2, chapter 2, section 1 of the Massachusetts Constitution provides:
The general court shall provide by law for the recruitment, equipment, organization, training and discipline of the
military and naval forces. The governor shall be the commander-in-chief thereof, and shall have power to assemble
the whole or any part of them for training, instruction or parade, and to employ them for the suppression of
rebellion, the repelling of invasion, and the enforcement of the laws. He may. as authorized by the general court,
prescribe from time to time the organization of the military and naval forces and make regulations for their
government.
'In other contexts, the power to promulgate regulations governing vacation and sick leave has been expressly granted. See,
e.g., G.L. c. 7, §28 (personnel administrator to make rules for regulating "vacation leave, sick leave and other leave with pay. .
. .") The Governor's powers as Commander-in-Chief, however, are necessarily broad in scope, and the Legislature has chosen
to define his rulemaking authority over the militia in very general terms. In these circumstances, it would be inappropriate to
view the scope of that authority in such a way as to preclude his making rules for vacation and sick leave for officers serving
full-time under §18. Cf. Cambridge Electric Light Co. v. Department of Public Utilities. 363 Mass. 474. 494 (1973).
Furthermore, other full-time employees of the Commonwealth are entitled to both vacation and sick leave with pay, see G.L.
c. 7, §28; see also c. 149, §52A, as are federal military officers situated similarly to the §18 officers. Considerations of common
sense and of equity strongly suggest that the statutes pertinent to the §18 officers be interpreted to permit vacation and sick
leave time with pay if authorized by the Governor.
'You have furnished me with a copy of Military Division Regulation No. 600-4. which concerns vacation and sick leave for
§18 officers, among others. The regulation is issued under your name, and does not indicate that it was approved by the
Governor I treat the Adjutant General's independent authority to issue regulations in response to your third question. See
pp 6-7 infra.
P.D. 12 119
do not believe it appropriate for the Attorney General to give an opinion on
such policy issues, See, e.g., 1977/78 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 10; 1976/77 Op.
Atty. Gen. No. 25; 1961/62 Op. Atty. Gen. at 199.
3. In the event an officer appointed under §18 is not entitled to
vacation and sick leave time, does the Adjutant General, as
the operational and administrative head of the Military
Division, Executive Branch, have the inherent administrative
authority at his discretion to authorize such leave without loss
of state pay?
The Adjutant General is the chief-of-staff to the Governor as
Commander-in-Chief, and is also chief of the state military staff. The
Adjutant General possesses broad supervisory and managerial authority as
the "executive and administrative head of the military division of the
executive branch of the government of the commonwealth." G.L. c. 33,
§ 15(b). His powers, however, have specified limits. General Laws, c. 33,
§ 15(b) also provides:
Except in those cases where by law or regulation specific
powers are conferred on the adjutant general as such, he shall
have no authority independently of the commander-in-chief,
from whom his orders shall be considered as emanating, and the
acts of the adjutant general shall be regarded as in execution of
commander-in-chief.
This language indicates that the Adjutant General does not have
inherent administrative authority, independent of the Governor, to
authorize vacation or sick leave without loss of pay for §18 officers. 7 . The
question remaining is whether the Governor may delegate his rulemaking
powers to the Adjutant General, thereby enabling him to adopt regulations
which provide for authorized vacation and sick leave. The answer is not
free from doubt. The Supreme Judicial Court long ago held that "'[o]fficial
duties involving the exercise of discretion and judgment for the public weal
cannot be delegated [to a subordinate officer].'" Sodekson v. Lynch, 298
Mass. 72, 74 (1939), quoting from Commonwealth v. Badger, 243 Mass. 137,
142 (1922). This restrictive view of administrative authority, once shared by
many courts, has been subject to much criticism, and has been considerably
relaxed in other jurisdictions during the intervening years. See, e.g., Fleming
v. Mohawk Wrecking & Lumber Co., 331 U.S. 1 1 1, 121-123 (1947); E.E.O.C.
v. Raymond Metal Products Co. 530 F.2d 590, 594 (4th Cir. 1976); Warren v.
Marion County, 222 Or. 307, 353 P.2d 257, 263-264 (1960); see generally K.
Davis, Administrative Law Treatise, §9.06 (1958 and 1970 Supp.) The more
flexible attitude, however, has not been extended to approve the
subdelegation of substantive rulemaking powers absent an express
legislative mandate. See, e.g., Relco, Inc. v. Consumer Products Safety
Comm'n, 39 IF. Supp. 841, 845-846 (S.D. Tex. 1975); cf. Fleming v. Mohawk
Wrecking & Lumber Co., supra, 331 U.S. at 121. But see Gaston v. United
States, 34 A.2d 353 (Mun. Ct. App. D.C. 1943), affd 143 F.2d 10, cert,
denied 322 U.S. 764 (1944) (National Guard uniform regulations).
'The conclusion is supported by the fact that in certain instances, not pertinent to the question of pay. the Legislature has
specifically granted rulemaking authority to the Adjutant General. See. e.g.. G.L. c. 33. §84 (travel expense regulations).
120 P.D. 12
In view of (1) the Massachusetts courts' failure to overrule their prior
subdelegation decisions and (2) the general and continuing reluctance to
find statutory authority for implied subdelegations of rulemaking powers, I
conclude that the Governor may not vest you with independent authority to
promulgate vacation and sick leave regulations for the §18 officers. Any
regulations on the subject must come from the Governor himself as
Commander-in-Chief acting pursuant to G.L. c. 33, §5. 8
4. May an officer ordered to state active duty under § 1 8 receive
both his state pay and federal military pay during his service
with the active national guard on training under G.L. c. 33,
§60^
Under G.L. c. 33, §60. all members of the active Guard must annually
perform at least 15 days' training under service conditions. State pay is
provided for this annual training. G.L. c. 33, §83(a) 9 . However, the state
pay must be reduced by any federal pay received for military service
performed during the same period of annual training. G.L. c. 33. §83(d). 10 .
Therefore the officers serving under §18 may not receive both state and
federal pay for annual training, but may receive from the Commonwealth
only the excess, if any. of state pay over federal pay for the training
period. 11
5. May an officer ordered to state active duty under §18 receive
both his state pay and federal military pay during his service
with the active national guard on so-called inactive duty
training under G.L. c. 33. §61 (which is usually conducted on
weekends or evenings but may be performed at times during
weekdays)?
General Laws. c. 33. §61 requires every unit of the Guard to assemble for
training at least 48 times each year. See 32 U.S.C. §502(a)(l) (Supp. V).
There is state pay for performing this training duty. G.L. c. 33, §83(a), 12 and
federal pay is also provided. 37 U.S.C. §204(a)(2). However, no statute
prohibits Guard members, including the officers appointed under §18. from
receiving both state and federal pay for duty required by §61. General
Laws. c. 33. §83(d). which requires that state pay for duty performed under
§§38, 40, 41, 42 and 60 of that chapter shall be reduced by any federal pay
received for the same period, 13 does not refer to state pay received for
training duty under §61. "It is a familiar principle of statutory
interpretation that the express mention of one matter excludes by
'You mav. of course, advise the Governor on Ihe proper content of such regulations. See G.L. c. 33. §15(b).
"General Laws, c. 33, §83(a). provides:
For dutv performed under the provisions of sections thirty -eight, sixty and sixty-one. there shall be allowed and paid
from funds appropriated therefor to members of the armed forces of the commonwealth the same rate of pay of like
grade as would be received by them if they were on an active duty status in the armed forces of the United States
with less than two vears' service, and such subsistence, travel or other allowance as the adjutant general may
authorize.
l0 Section 83(d) reads:
For duty performed under the provisions of sections thirty-eight, forty, forty-one. forty-two and sixty, the pay and
allowances authorized by this section shall be reduced by any amounts received from the United States government
as pay or allowances for military serv ice performed during the same pav period.
Federal pay is available for annual training periods. See 37 U.S.C §204<a)(2) ( 1970).
1 I recognize that practical problems may arise in trying to administer the state and federal pav provisions. I do not address
these problems in this opinion, but leave their resolution to the discretion of the appropriate military and executive officials.
l See footnote 3. supra.
,} See footnote 10. supra.
P.D. 12 121
implication all other similar matters not mentioned." County of Bristol v.
Secretary of the Commonwealth, 324 Mass. 403, 406. 407 (1949). The
Legislature, in enacting §83 (d), was presumably aware of existing federal
laws providing pay for training assembly duty. Board of Assessors of
Melrose v. Driscoll, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1497. 1503. Therefore, the
officers serving under §18 are entitled to receive both state and federal pay
for §6 1 training assembly duty.
6. May an officer ordered to state active duty under §18 receive
both his state pay and his federal military pay during his
service with the active national guard on full-time training
duty (FTTD) under G.L. c. 33, §38?
The three officers serving under §18 may not receive both state and
federal military pay for full-time training duty (FTTD). for the reasons
stated in the opinion on this issue which I rendered to the Governor, dated
February 1, 1977. 1976/77 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 19.
7. In the event your answer to questions [2] and/or [3] are in the
affirmative and your answer to question [6] is in the negative,
may an officer order to state active duty under § 1 8 charge his
FTTD training days under G.L. c. 33, §38 against entitled or
authorized vacation or sick leave time and receive both state
pay and federal military pay?
My answers to your second and third questions indicate that the
existence and amount of vacation and sick time available to the officers
appointed under §18 are matters left to the Governor. Since the Governor
has not yet promulgated regulations on vacation and sick leave, your
seventh question is hypothetical and I cannot presently answer it. See 1964/
65 Op. Atty. Gen. at 112. I note, however, that sick leave with pay is
available only in the event of an employee's actual illness, injury, or
incapacity. See Quinlan v. Cambridge, 320 Mass. 124 (1946).
8. Does the state active duty ordered under §18 contemplate a
seven (7) day, twenty-four (24) hour per day availability to
the Military Division of the Executive Branch, and if not.
what period of time does it contemplate?
"State active duty" is not defined in §18. As indicated above. I
understand the term to mean full-time military duty, but "full-time" itself
has not been defined. The materials which the three officers currently
appointed under §18 have submitted to me state that they ordinarilv work
regular hours, but are available for emergency duties on an 24-hour day. 7-
day week basis, if their commanding officer should so order. I do not
consider whether such a working schedule is appropriate or required. In my
view, the determination of appropriate hours of duty for the §18 officers is a
matter properly left to the officials who supervise the officers' functions,
including the Governor as Commander-in-Chief, the Adjutant General and
the officers' commanding officer.
Verv trulv vours.
FRANCIS X' BELLOTTI
Attorney General
122 P.D. 12
Number 20 March 8, 1978
Paul E. Hall
Acting Regional Director
Federal Disaster Assistance
Administration, Region I
150 Causeway Street, Room 710
Boston, Massachusetts 021 14
Re: Presidentially Declared "Major Disaster"
FDAA-546-DR-Massachusetts;
Damage to Water Pollution Control Facility,
Hull, Massachusetts
Dear Mr. Hall:
On behalf of the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, you have
requested a state legal determination on two questions relating to the water
pollution control facility located in the Town of Hull, Massachusetts
(hereafter "facility"). These questions arise because of the significant
damage sustained by the facility during the February snowstorm and
flooding which brought about the above-referenced "major disaster." The
two questions are the following:
1. Who owned the water pollution control facility when
damaged by this major disaster?
2. Who bears legal responsibility and liability for the damage
incurred?
The facility is being constructed pursuant to a general contract between
the Town of Hull and Vappi & Co., Inc., executed on February 17, 1976
(hereafter "Contract"). Based on an examination of the Contract and for
the reasons summarized below, it is my opinion that (1) the Town of Hull
owned the facility at all relevant times; and (2) the general contractor,
Vappi & Co., Inc., bears legal responsibility and liability for the damage
incurred to the facility during the major disaster.
1. Ownership: The Contract defines the Town of Hull throughout as the
"Owner" of the Project. See, e.g., pp. A-3, E-l, 1-1, E-2 (signature page).
While Hull has not finally accepted the facility, the contract treats
acceptance of the work performed independent of any consideration of
ownership, see, e.g., §§ 10(f), 5(c); it does not condition ownership on final
acceptance of the work. Moreover, information provided by Hull indicates
that approximately 95 percent of the work had been completed and paid for
at the time the major disaster occurred. These circumstances together
indicate that ownership of the facility resided in the Town of Hull at that
time.
2. Risk of Loss: The Contract expressly provides in §8(e) that:
The Contractor shall take all responsibility for the work . . . shall
bear all losses resulting to him on account of the amount or
character of the work, or ... on account of the weather, elements
or other cause.
See also §8(m) ("The work shall be entirely at the Contractor's risk until the
P.D. 12 123
same is fully completed and accepted and he will be held liable to the
amount of the Owner's interest in the same as shown by payments on
account . . . ."); § 10(a) (rights and duties of payment).
These provisions clearly indicate that until the facility is completed and
accepted by the Town of Hull, Vappi & Co., Inc. bears the risk of loss and
responsibility for the damages incurred by the facility.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 21 March 10, 1978
Gregory R. Anrig
Commissioner of Education
3 1 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA 021 16
Dear Commissioner Anrig:
You have requested my opinion about the application of statutory
restrictions on employment and receipt of compensation to certain activities
of Board of Education members. Specifically, you have asked whether an
appointive Board member is prohibited from accepting a fellowship at the
Institute of Politics, John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University, by G.L. c. 15, §1E, which states in relevant part that:
No appointive member of said board shall be employed by or
derive regular compensation from any educational institution,
or school system, public or private, in the commonwealth, be
employed by or derive regular compensation from the
commonwealth, or serve as a member of a governing board of
any public institution for higher education in the com-
monwealth or as a member of any school committee. . . .
For the reasons which follow, I conclude that the quoted provisions of G.L.
c. 15, §1 E preclude acceptance of the fellowship in question.
You have provided me with a description of the program for fellows at
the Institute of Politics. Under this program, individual fellows typically
receive a four-month appointment at the Institute. They receive a monthly
stipend of $1,500, of which $300 is tax exempt under federal and
Massachusetts law. 1 Fellows are entitled to Harvard University library and
athletic privileges, membership in the Harvard Faculty Club, eligibility for
health insurance, use of an office at the Institute, and secretarial assistance.
The program for fellows is individually tailored, but all fellows are
involved in three areas of activity: (1) supervision of a non-credit study
group of undergraduate students on a general topic, such as political
campaign management or congressional reform; (2) completion of a
project, usually written, related to the political process; and (3) interaction
'Section 1 17 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes scholarship and fellowship grants from the definition of gross income.
Section 1 17(b) (2) (B) of the Code limits this exclusion in the case of non-degree candidates to a maximum of $300 per month
up to 36 months. The Massachusetts income tax law adopts the federal definition of gross income in this respect. G.L. c. 62,
124 P.D. 12
with faculty and staff on social occasions, as well as occasional assistance in
teaching, research or case development at the Kennedy School.
The task at hand is to determine whether a fellow's relationship with
Harvard University is such as to characterize him as being "employed by or
deriving] regular compensation from" the University. These terms are not
defined in G.L. c. 15. §1E. but guidance concerning their scope may be
obtained from the history and purpose of the statute. See, e.g., First Data
Corp. v. State Tax Common, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2731. 2735; Leonard v.
School Committee of Attleborough, 349 Mass. 704. 406 (1965): see also Gallo
v. Division of Water Pollution Control, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 195. 201;
Board of Education v. Assessor of Worcester, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 2626,
2629.
General Laws. c. 15. §1E. establishing the Board of Education, was
enacted by St. 1965. c. 572. The relevant provisions defining qualifications
for appointive Board members were part of §1E from the beginning. 2 The
provisions were based on the recommendations set forth in the Report of the
Special Commission to Investigate and Study Educational Facilities in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mass. H. Doc. No. 4300 (1965). known as
the Willis-Harrington Report (hereafter "Report"). The Report recom-
mended a major overhaul of the Commonwealth's public educational
system, including the creation of a strong board of public school education
to oversee the Department of Education and the provision of public
education at the elementary and secondary school levels. Id. at 189-191.
The Report clearly voiced its concern that the proposed board be an
impartial body, composed of persons with no professional or formal
connections to education:
[T]he Board of Public School Education faces in two
directions. Looking one way. it confronts the General Court and
Governor, the ultimate authority for commiting the police
power of the state to compulsory attendance and the taxing
power of the state to school support. Looking the other way. it
must represent all of the people. In this regard, it is especially
important that the political aspect of the Board of Public School
Education be impeccable. Its campaigns cannot afford to be in
the least compromised by the slightest hint of bias, or partiality.
It must represent the public interest of the whole Com-
monwealth and speak for all citizens together. If it is to be able
to do so. its membership must at the very least exclude
schoolmen, whose profession stands to gain most in power from
expanding education. The best composition can consist basically
of the taxpayers who must find the money to finance expansion.
Within that group, labor, management, industry, the private
professions, finance, all stand at the frontiers of the
Massachusetts economy and can argue most persuasively for its
educational demands. Such statewide civilian leadership should
be able to argue most persuasively and hardheadedly in support
-See aho G.L. c. 15. §§1 A (Board of Higher Education). IH i Advisor. Council on Education). 20A (Board of Trustees of State
Colleges). Bv virture of St. 1965. c. 572. these statutes similarly prohibit appointive members of the boards and the council
established thereunder from being employed by or receiving regular compensation from public or private educational
institutions.
P.D. 12 125
of the returns it sees in particular investments in education. This
is one of its primary missions. Id. at 190. 3
The legislative history of G.L. c. 15. §1E, thus suggests that a broad
reading of the statute's restrictions on outside educational activities of
Board members is appropriate. 4 Two previous opinions of the Attorney
General interpreting these statutory provisions support this conclusion.
The first opinion, 1965/66 Op. Atty. Gen. at 320, considered the relevant
language in G.L. c. 15, §1E and the corollary provisions in G.L. c. 15, §1 A,
the statute establishing the Board of Higher Education. The opinion
stressed the "broad terms" chosen by the Legislature "to express the
prohibition against service on certain boards by persons connected with
education in various ways." Id. at 321. It then advised the Commissioner of
Education that, while giving an occasional lecture or seminar for a school
or other educational institution would not render a person an employee,
more regular remunerative work for an institution would be considered
employment for purposes of the statute; this would be true regardless of
whether the work was full- or part-time or for all or part of the academic
year.
The second opinion, 1966-67 Op. Atty. Gen. at 231. followed suit. It
examined the legislative history of G.L. c. 15, §1E and the applicable
portions of the Report in particular. It concluded that the language of §1E
at issue here would prohibit a Board member from teaching an
undergraduate seminar at Harvard with or without compensation since he
would be considered to be "employed by" the institution.
The employment status of a fellow in the Institute of Politics* program
presents a more difficult question than that addressed in the 1966/67
opinion of the Attorney General just described. Some of the terms of the
program distinguish fellowship status from that of a typical employee. On
the other hand, the perquisites of faculty membership offered fellows and
the teaching duties required of them suggest an employment relation
between the fellow and the University. In view of the terms of your
question, however, it is unnecessary to finally resolve whether a fellow is or
is not "employed" by Harvard; if a fellow derives "regular compensation"
from the University, his membership on the Board would thereby be
prohibited by G.L. c. 15, §1E.
In my view, a fellow does receive "regular compensation" as a
participant in the Institute of Polities' program. Compensation is generally
defined to mean payment conferred for services rendered or to be rendered.
See, e.g., G.L. c. 268A, §l(a) (defining "compensation" under the
Commonwealth's conflict of interest statute). The stipend received by the
fellow is "regular" since it is received on a monthly basis co-extensive with
the duration of the fellowship program. It is also substantial, totalling
$6,000 for the four-month fellowship period. Finally, the terms of the
'The need for an impartial, lav citizen-controlled citizen board whose members have no professional ties to educational
institutions is echoed in the Report's recommendations for the Board of Higher Education. See Report at 171.
'It should be noted that the language of §1E relating to emplovment and compensation by educational institutions, quoted at
p. 1 supra, is actuallv broader than that recommended bv the Special Commission Draft legislation appended to the Report
suggested the following provision: "No member of [the Board of Public School Education) shall be employed bv or derive
regular compensation From anv public or private school system, institution or agency in Massachusetts. . ." This language
indicates that the onlv restriction deemed necessary related to elementary or secondary schools, and not to colleges or
universities As enacted. G.L. c. 15. §1 E proscribed ties to educational institutions at all levels.
126 P.D. 12
fellowship program indicate that the stipend constitutes, at least in part,
compensation for the services rendered to the Institute or Harvard
University by the fellow. 5
I recognize that the primary statutory responsibility of the Board of
Education is in the area of public elementary and secondary education.
G.L. c. 15, §1G. Since Harvard University, the source of the compensation
here, is a private institution of higher education, receipt of a fellowship by a
Board member may not pose the type of conflict with Board membership
suggested by the original proponents of §1E. See p. 4 and nn. 3 and 4 supra.
Nevertheless, the language of §1E prohibits in unambiguous terms
compensation from any educational institution in the Commonwealth. I am
not free to disregard the clear terms of the statute to rationalize a particular
result. Desmarais v. Standard Accident Ins. Co., 331 Mass. 199, 202 (1954),
and cases cited. Any relief from the statute's prohibitions must come from
the legislature. First Data Corp. v. State Tax Commission, supra, at 2736.
In summary, given the plain language of §1E and the partially
compensatory character of the stipend offered by the Institute of Politics, it
is my opinion that the provisions of G.L. c. 15, §1E prohibit a fellow of the
Institute from serving as an appointive member of the Board of Education.
Very truly yours
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 22 April 3. 1978
John F. Kehoe, Jr.
Commissioner of Public Safety
1010 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
Dear Commissioner Kehoe:
You have asked two questions relating to your duties under G.L. c. 136,
§4(1), 1 a statute which gives the Commissioner of Public Safety authority to
approve or disapprove certain types of entertainment held on Sunday. Both
your questions concern flea markets:
1. May you approve as "public diversion^]" applications for the
Sunday operation or conduct of flea markets at which a
general admission charge is made to the public?
The fellowship stipend apparently is not considered as compensation for •■employment services" for federal income lax
purposes. Otherwise, no tax exemption would be available. See I.R.C. Reg. §1.1 17-4(c) (1977). which provides that payments
for such services do not qualify as a fellowship grant under I.R.C. §117. Nevertheless, the Internal Revenue Code only
exempts S300 per month of a fellowship grant in a non-degree program. I.R.C. §1 17(b) (2) (B). This limitation suggests a
Congressional judgment that payments exceeding the S300 maximum are sufficiently akin to compensation to be taxable.
Moreover, the provisions of G.L. c. 15. §1E do not permit the drawing of lines similar to those in I.R.C. §1 17(b) (2) (B). I
must instead determine whether a Board member's acceptance of the fellowship and of its accompanying stipend taken as a
whole is precluded by §1E.
'That section reads m pertinent part:
The mayor of a city or the selectmen of a town, upon written application describing the proposed dancing, or
game, sport, fair, exposition, play, entertainment or public diversion, except as provided in section one hundred and
five of chapter one hundred and fonv-nine. may grant, upon such reasonable terms and conditions as they mav
prescribe, a license to hold on Sunday' dancing. o"r any ... [of the other activities listed above] for which a charge in
the form of payment or collection of money or other valuable consideration is made for the privilege of being present
thereat or engaging therein . provided . . . that such application to conduct an athletic game or sport, shall be
approved by the commissioner of public safety . . . . ( Emphasis supplied. )
P.D. 12 127
2. Is it necessary for a person to obtain both a local license and
your approval for the operation of a flea market on Sunday,
if the general public is not required to pay admission, but the
vendors at the flea market are charged a rental charge for the
privilege of setting up booths and stands?
For the reasons discussed below, I conclude that you may approve as a
"public diversion" an application for a Sunday flea market at which a
general admission charge is made to the public. Neither a license nor your
approval is required, however, if there is no admission charge to the general
public.
You have informed me that for the last five years, various cities and
towns have submitted applications for licenses to conduct flea markets on
Sunday to the Department of Public Safety for approval. The Department
has always considered flea markets to come within the category of "public
diversion" within the meaning of G.L. c. 136, §4(1), and therefore subject to
the Department's jurisdiction under that statute. However, the Department
has taken the position that only those flea markets which impose a general
admission charge on the attending public are subject to the license
requirements of G.L. c. 136, §4(1). 2
The term "public diversion" is not defined in G.L. c. 136, §4(1), and has
not been judicially construed by Massachusetts courts. Cf, State v. Ryan, 80
Conn. 582, 69 A. 536, 537 (1908) (interpreting "public diversion" in similar
Connecticut statute). In these circumstances the consistent reading given the
term by your Department, the agency charged with administering the
statute, is entitled to weight. See, e.g., Ace Heating Service, Inc. v. State Tax
Comm'n, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2490, 2492; see also First Federal Savings &
Loan Ass'n v. State Tax Comm'n, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 895, 902-903; cf.
Opinion of the Justices, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 347, 352-353.
The contours of the phase "public diversion" in G.L. c. 136, §4(1) can be
ascertained from the words which precede it in the statute, namely,
"dancing or any other game, sport, fair, exposition, plan, [and]
entertainment . ..." I have been informed by the official in your
Department directly involved in reviewing flea market license applications
that the flea markets at issue can generally be characterized as similar to a
fair or exposition or a combination of the two. Given this description and
the Department's consistent treatment of flea market license applications,
the classification of a flea market as a "public diversion" represents a
reasonable and valid construction of the statutory phrase. Cf. Consolidated
Cigar Corp. v. Department of Public Health, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1419.
1427, 1433; cf. also Foxborough v. Bay State Harness Horse Racing and
Breeding Ass'n. Inc., Mass. App. Ct. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1031, 1039.
Your second question is whether G.L. c. 136, §4(1) applies to Sunday flea
markets where the public is granted free admission, but individual vendors
or exhibitors are charged a fee as a condition of participation. The recent
case of Foxborough v. Bay State Harness Horse Racing and Breeding
2 l understand from your letter that the Department does not consider its approval to be necessary for flea markets ( 1 ) where
neither a public admission charge nor vendor fee is imposed, or (2) where a general admission charge is not imposed but a
vendor fee is. Flea markets falling in the first category are clearly not covered by G.L c. 136. §4(1). See the underlined
portions of §4(1) quoted in n. 1 above. Flea markets in the second category are the subject of your second question: I address
that question in the text below.
128 P.D. 12
Association, Inc., supra, is dispositive of this issue. In that case the Appeals
Court held that the fee paid for the use of a booth at a flea market is not a
charge made to those engaging in an activity listed in G.L. c. 136, §4(1).
Mass. App. Ct. Adv. Sh. (1977) at 1038-1039. Thus, the provisions of the
statute have no application to the flea markets you describe. Accordingly,
neither a license nor your approval is required in such instances.
Very truly yours
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 23 April 26, 1978
Leroy Keith
Chancellor
Board of Higher Education
31 St. James Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 021 16
Dear Chancellor Keith:
On behalf of the Board of Higher Education, you have requested my
opinion on the following question:
Does the 97th Article of Amendments to the Massachusetts
Constitution, enacted on November 7, 1972. preclude the
transfer to Southeastern Massachusetts University by the
Department of Natural Resources of a certain tract of land, as
directed by Chapter 648 of the Acts of 1969?
The statute referred to in your request, St. 1969, c. 648, directed the
Department of Natural Resources (now known as the Department of
Environmental Management [DEM} 1
... to transfer to the Southeastern Massachusetts Technological
Institute 2 a certain tract of land not exceeding twenty acres in
the town of Westport located in the area known as Gooseberry
Neck, which tract shall be selected and designated by said . . .
Institute and the department of natural resources, and which
shall be used for the construction thereon of an oceanographic
experimental station for scientific study and research. C. 648, §1.
Your question arises because DEM has refused to transfer any land in
Gooseberry Neck to the University. DEM takes the position 3 that since the
transfer did not occur before 1972, 4 when art. 97 of the Amendments to the
'See St. 1974, c. 806. §8.
: The Institute's name was changed to Southeastern Massachusetts University in 1969. St. 1969, c. 391. §1, and c. 684, §1.
'DEM. through its general counsel, has submitted a memorandum to me explaining its position regarding the transfer.
^The reason for the delay has not been provided to me.
P.D. 12 129
Massachusetts Constitution 5 was passed, art. 97 now operates to prohibit
that transfer; art. 97 requires a two-thirds vote of each branch of the
Legislature for the taking of certain kinds of land. The agency also argues
that the description in St. 1969, c. 648, of the land to be transferred is not
sufficiently precise to satisfy the standards laid down by the Supreme
Judicial Court under the doctrine of "prior public use" to govern shifts in
uses of public lands.
For the reasons discussed below, I conclude that (1) art. 97 of the
Amendments does not bar the transfer of land authorized by St. 1969, c.
648, and (2) c. 648 satisfies the requirements of the prior public use
doctrine. Accordingly, in my opinion, the transfer which the statute
contemplates may validly take place and should be made forthwith to carry-
out the provisions of c. 648.
Gooseberry Neck is a spit of land of approximately 75 acres extending
into Buzzards Bay in Westport, Massachusetts. It is part of Horseneck
Beach Reservation, a public park under the jurisdiction of DEM. From
1957 to 1968, Gooseberry Neck (and all of Horseneck Beach) were owned
and maintained by the Department of Public Works for public recreational
purposes. In 1968, DEM acquired Horseneck Beach, including Gooseberry
Neck, pursuant to St. 1968, c. 501, which transferred all beaches under the
supervision of the Department of Waterways in the Department of Public
Works to the Division of Forests and Parks in the Department of Natural
Resources. Since 1968, Gooseberry Neck has been used for public
recreation, such as fishing and bird watching, and for conservation
purposes.
Article 97 of the Amendments to the Constitution was the subject of a
lengthy and well reasoned opinion of my predecessor which answered
several questions raised by the House of Representatives concerning the
proper interpretation of the amendment. 1972/73 Op. Atty. Gen. at 139.
That opinion concluded that art. 97 applies, inter alia, to public lands
acquired for park and recreational purposes, id. at 143; to such public lands
acquired prior to the amendment's effective date, id. at 140; and "to
transfers of legal or physical control between agencies of government,
between political subdivisions, and between levels of government, or land,
easements and interests therein originally taken or acquired for the
purposes stated in Article 97." Id. at 144.
Application of these conclusions to the present situation establishes that
Gooseberry Neck is used for purposes within the scope of art. 97, and that
the transfer directed by St. 1969. c. 648, is of the kind covered by that
article. What remains to determine is whether the amendment's
requirement of a two-thirds vote of the Legislature for disposition of public
lands applies to a transfer which was authorized but not completed before
the article's enactment.
'Article 97 provides in pertinent part as follows:
. . . The people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the
natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic qualities of their environment; and the protection of the people in their right to
the conservation, development and utilization of the agricultural, mineral, forest, water, air and other natural
resources is hereby declared to be a public purpose.
Lands and easements taken or acquired for such purposes shall not be used for other purposes or otherwise
disposed of except bv laws enacted by a two thirds vote, taken by yeas and nays, of each branch of the general court.
130 P.D.12
138, § 23 does not authorize the pledge of a liquor license to secure the pay-
ment of taxes owed to the Commonwealth by the licensee. It is thus un-
necessary to consider whether independent considerations, such as a lack of
authority of the Department of Revenue to hold a liquor license, would
otherwise preclude such a pledge.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 21 November 24, 1978
Frank T. Keefe
Director of State Planning
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02180
Dear Mr. Keefe:
You have requested my opinion as to whether a city or town may remove
itself form a regional planning district established pursuant to G.L. c. 40B,
§ 3, without specific authorization for the Legislature. As your letter in-
dicates, this question was the subject of a previous opinion of the Attorney
General, Rep. A.G., Pub. Doc. No. 12, at 305 (1966), and was answered in
the negative. You ask whether the Home Rule Amendment, 1 with its broad
delegation of power to municipalities, now requires that the question be
answered differently. 2
For the reasons outlined below, I follow and adopt the opinion of my
predecessor as continuing to reflect the correct reading of the relevant
statutes. In my view, a municipality which has joined a regional planning
district pursuant to G.L. c. 40B, § 3, may not remove itself from the district
at will and in the absence of legislative permission.
It is useful to begin by considering the function and duties of regional
planning districts and the relationship of your office to them. Regional
planning districts are primarily established pursuant to G.L. c. 40B § 3 3 or
special act of the Legislature. They are composed of groups of citites and
towns which vote to form a planning district, G.L. c. 40B, §3. Each is
governed by a regional planning commission consisting of one member of
the planning board of each city and town in the district, id., §4. The respon-
sibilities of these districts and commissions include: (1) to study and develop
"a comprehensive plan of development" for the district; id., § 5; and (2) to
review all proposals for federal grants pertaining to the district and all
federal environmental impact statements for projects within it. See e.g., id.,
§ 4A. 4 . These functions are, you state, vital to the continuation of
'The Home Rule Amendment was adopled in 1966 as an. 89 of the Amendmenis to the Massachusetts Constitution, amending
art. 2 ot the Amendments.
1 lie factural background ot youi question relates n> a dispute between the Town ol Granville and th Lower Pioneer Vallev
Regional Planning District. This district was formed undei G.l . c. 40B, 5?. In March of 1970, Granville voted to become a
member; on June 6, 1977 the town voted to withdraw its membership. At issue is whether Granville had the power to withdraw
from the district on its own motion.
'General I aws, c. 40B. iJS 9 and 10 provide tor the formation of the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Develop-
ment District. As discussed below, the Southeastern Planning District is distinct in several respects from the regional planning
districts established under c. 40B, 5 1. The description of planning districts in the text refers to the section ' districts.
'The distiicts perform many of these federal review functions as federally designated regional review clearinghouses.
P.D.12 131
certain federal aid to the Commonwealth. The Office of State Planning
serves as the Commonwealth's liaison with all regional planning agencies
established under G.L. c. 40B. You have thus requested this opinion in your
capacity as director of the supervisory state agency for the regional planning
districts.
General Laws, c. 40B, § 3 provides:
Any group of cities, towns, or citites and towns may, by vote
of their respective city councils or town meetings, vote to
become members of and thus establish a planning district,
which shall constitute a public body corporate. After a plann-
ing district has been thus established, any other city or town
within the district area as hereinafter defined may by vote of
its city council or town meeting apply for admission. Upon
the affirmative vote of two thirds of the representatives of the
cities and towns comprising the district, said city or town shall
became a member thereof. The area of jurisdiction of said
district shall be an area defined or redefined as an effective
regional planning region by the division of planning of the
department of commerce and development. All rights,
privileges and obligations applicable to the original members
of the district shall be applicable to the new members.
The statute thus speaks in detail about the ability of a city or town to join a
regional planning district and the process it is to follow in joining, but does
not address the issue of removal from a district.
As indicated above, in 1966 the Attorney General issued an opinion con-
cluding that in the absence of any provision in G.L. c. 40B, § 3 (or any other
statute) for the withdrawal from or dissolution of a regional planning
district, a city or town could only remove itself through legislative action.
Rep. A.G., Pub. Doc. No. 12, at 305, 306 (1966). As a general matter, I
adhere to my previously stated view that it is inappropriate to reconsider
and reverse a prior opinion of the Attorney General unless there are com-
pelling reasons for doing so. See 1975/76 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 77, Rep.
A.G., Pub. Doc. No. 12, at 198, 199(1976). I can find no compelling reason
to conclude that the subsequently enacted Home Rule Amendment requires
modification of the prior opinion issued on the question you have raised.
The grant of independent powers to municiplites in the Home Rule
Amendment, though large, is not unrestricted. See Arlington v. Board of
Conciliation and Arbitration, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2035, 2039-2040. The
municipal authority conferred by § 6 of the Amendment has been given firm
boundaries by the Supreme Judicial Court. On several occasions the court
has determined that the prime limit on the power of municipalities under § 6
"is that it not be exercised in a manner which frustrates the General Law of
the Legislature." Collura v. Arlington, 367 Mass. 881, 885, n. 3 (1975). See
Board of Appeals of Hanover v. Housing Appeals Committee in the Dept.
\ofComm. Affairs, 363 Mass. 339, 360 (1973).
It is apparent that the legislative intent underlying c. 40B could be
frustrated if the Home Rule Amendment were construed to allow
municipalities the right to withdraw from regional districts at will. The
132 P.D. 12
•"shall be used for the construction thereon of an oceanographic
experimental station for scientific study and research."
The third requirement is that there appear in the statute a statement
"showing in some way legislative awareness of the existing public use."'" As
noted above. Gooseberry Neck is used for public recreation and
conservation. Given the limited uses for which DEM could own or hold
land at the time c. 64S was enacted, see. e.g.. G.L. c. 21. §1: 1965/66 Op.
Attv. Gen. at 335. 336. the Legislature's awareness that the land was owned
bv DEM implies a general knowledge that the land was used for recreation
and conservation purposes at that time. 9 In addition, c. 648. §§2 and 3.
furnish specific evidence of legislative awareness of the existing recreational
use I conclude therefore that c. 648 indicates sufficient "legislative
awareness" of the existing uses to satisfy the prior public use doctrine. Cf.
Boston v. Massachusetts Port Authy.. 356 Mass. 741, 742 (1970).
Since the three requirements of the prior public use doctrine set forth in
Robbins are met by c. 64S. the propsed transfer is not proscribed by that
doctrine. In order to effectuate the intent of the statute, the transfer should
take place expeditiously.
Verv trulv vours
FRANCIS X.'BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 24 May 2. 1978
Charles J. Doherty. Director
Office of Campaign and
Political Finance
8 Beacon Street
Boston. Massachusetts 01108
Dear Mr. Doherty:
You have requested an opinion concerning the recordkeeping
responsibilities of candidates and treasurers of political committees under
the provisions of G.L. c. 55. the statute regulating political campaign
expenditures and contributions. Specifically, you ask whether candidates
and treasurers of political committees are required to keep records of the
name, address, date and amount of each person who makes a political
i that this requirement appeared for the first time in Robbins v. Department of Public Works, supra i
------- —:.-: - • -.- ; City Council of Cambridge, 166 M-
m Robbais did not ir. : . tzt to overrule or otherwise alter the holdings and conclur
ablic ase" decisions. Ir. -.it ike third Robbins standi" :
. ;~mandmg on. -.e statute thi ;:eness of the
he Lea ttare had ramferred the owaei is beaches to DEM.
eck Beach and Gooseberry Neck. St. 1968. c. 501.
the public to take 5n fish from the water m rr mmHing the tract. Section 3 directs the Department to n
ability and cost of constructing a protected harbor on Gooseber- . nnecting the various ponds
P.D. 12 133
contribution under S15. or S25 in the case of a "depository candidate."" 1 For
the reasons discussed below, it is my opinion that candidates and treasurers
of political committees need keep records of the amount and date of each
contribution under S15. but not the name and address of each such
contributor.
The recordkeeping responsibilities of political treasurers are set forth in
G.L. c. 55. §§2 and 5. : Section 2 provides in pertinent pan:
Every candidate shall keep detailed accounts of all
contributions received by him or by a person acting on his
behalf, and of all expenditures made by him. or by a person
acting on his behalf. . . . Such accounts shall include:
( 1 ) the full name and residential address of each person who
has made a contribution, in an amount or value of fifteen
dollars or more, or twenty-five dollars or more, if the candidate
is required to designate a depositor.' in accordance with the
provisions of section nineteen, in a reporting period, and such
information for each contribution of less than the sum of fifteen
dollars, or twenty-five dollars, if the aggregate of all
contributions are received from such contributor within said
reporting period is the sum of fifteen dollars or more, or twenty-
five dollars or more, as the case may be. and the amount or
value and date of the contribution. . . .
(3) the amount or value and date of each contribution made,
in a reporting period . . . which is not otherwise included under
clause (1). . . .
These provisions should be read in relation to each other and to G.L. c.
55 taken as a whole, in order to give a coherent and harmonious effect to
the entire legislative scheme. See. e.g.. Boston v. Massachusetts Bar Trans.
Authy.. Mass" Adv. Sh. (1977) 2588. 2593.
When §2(1) and (3) are read together, they plainly require a candidate
or treasurer to keep a record of the amount and date of even contribution
made, but not of every contributor. As to the contributors, a candidate must
record their names and addresses only when they give either (a) an
individual contribution of S15 or more in a reporting period.-' or (b) more
than one smaller contribution in a reporting period which in the aggregate
equal or exced the S15 minimum figure. 4
General Laws. c. 55. §10. is not inconsistent with this reading of the
"Depositor, candidates" are candidates fat '.he political offices specified in G.L . ' : - -■
to designate a national bank or trust companv m Massachusetts as a depositors for campaign funds.
In all the sections of G.L c 55 which pertain to vour question, the relevant dollar a- -.butions spec
$15 for non-depository candiates and £25
in this opinion will refer only to the provisions relating to non-deposiiory candidates. Such rcfcxt noes si c ->e understood
however, to applv as » ell to the statutory provisions governing depositors cand.c_
^Section 2 specificalh concerns political candidates The provisions of §2 are made applicable to treasurers of political
committees under G.L C 5~ §5,
'Reporting periods are defined in G.L c 55. §18.
The pertinent reporting requirements set forth in c S3 : ■ i rectfj track the recordk;. 55, §2
Section IS 1 2) provides that candidates and political committees must fiie re ? its (fist aaf - e name and re> :
of each person who has made a contribution of S15 or more, or smaller contribute- -er total $15 .
Reports of the names and addresses of smaller contributions are not required.
134 P.D. 12
respective accounting and reporting requirements of c. 55, §§2 and 18.
Section 10 reads in relevant part:
No person shall. . . make a campaign contribution in any
name except his own . . . nor unless he makes his name and
residential address known to the person receiving such
contribution is made .... No candidate or political committee
or person acting under its authority or in its behalf shall
knowingly receive a campaign contribution, or knowingly enter
or cause the same to be entered in the accounts or records of
such candidate or committee, unless the provisions of this
section have been complied with.
The import of this section, when read in conjunction with G.L. c. 55, §§2
and 18, is solely that the contributor must give his name and residential
address to the candidate or committee receiving his contribution. Section 10
does not address the issue of what the candidate or committee is to do with
these items of information; it is necessary to look at §§2 and 18 for an
answer to that question.
In sum, the language of G.L. c. 55, §2, considered alone and in relation
to the statutory scheme of which it is a part, is clear and unambiguous. It
requires political candidates and political committee treasurers to record
the names and addresses only of individuals who give an aggregate of $15
or more in a reporting period. This plain expression of legislative purpose
must be given effect. Cf Hoffman v. Howmedica, Inc., Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1977) 1488, 1493; Chouinard, petitioner, 358 Mass. 780, 782 (1971).
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 25 May 3, 1978
Robert Q. Crane
Treasurer and Receiver General
State House, Room 227
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Mr. Crane:
You have requested my opinion whether the state board of retirement, of
which you are the chairman, should set off any federal disability
compensation against the accidental disability retirement allowance to
which a member of the Massachusetts National Guard is otherwise entitled
pursuant to G.L. c. 32, §7. Specifically, you have asked the following
question:
[W]hether a member of the Massachusetts National Guard,
who is to be retired by the State Board of Retirement for reasons
of Accidental Disability under Section 7 of Chapter 32, is
entitled to receive the 72%, plus the annuity, plus an allowance
for minor children if any, as well as a compensation payment
P.D. 12 135
from the Federal Government of approximately 75% for the
same disability, without [the board] being permitted to offset.
For the reasons stated below, I conclude that the board should not set off
any such federal compensation against the state disability retirement
allowance.
A full-time member of the Massachusetts National Guard whose salary
is paid from United States funds allocated to the Massachusetts Guard, is
eligible to be a member of the state employees' retirement system. G.L. c.
32, §§1 (definition of "employee") and 3 (2) (a) (i). 1 A full-time Guardsman
may also qualify for an accidental disability retirement allowance under the
state system. See G.L. c. 32, §§3 (2) and 7 (1).
General Laws, c. 32 §7 (b) (2) defines the annual amount of the
accidental disability retirement allowance as the sum of the following
yearly amounts: (1) the annuity specified in G.L. c. 32, §12 (2) (a) (i); (2) a
pension equal to 72 percent of the employee's annual rate of "regular
compensation" 2 on the date of the disabling incident; and (3) any additional
pension for dependents. Your question asks how the disability retirement
allowance provisions of §7 should be interpreted in the case of an eligible
National Guardsman who also receives disability retirement benefits from
the federal government on account of the same illness or injury. 3
No section of G.L. c. 32 directly addresses this issue. Nevertheless,
several provisions of the retirement statute, G.L. c. 32, as well as the statute
governing the Massachusetts National Guard, G.L. c. 33, demonstrate a
clear legislative awareness of the a fact of double compensation. The
treatment of double compensation in these provisions provides the key to
resolving your question.
Thus, G.L. c. 32, §14 (2) (a) requires any disability benefits available to a
disabled retiree under the workers' compensation law, G.L. c. 152, to be
offset against disability pension otherwise payable to the individual
pursuant to G.L. c. 32, §7; the disabled retiree may receive from the state
system only the amount, if any, by which his retirement pension exceeds the
workers' compensation benefits. Similarly, G.L. c. 32, §91 A in pertinent
part directs each person receiving a disability retirement allowance to (1)
file annually a sworn statement of his employment earnings and (2) refund
any amounts by which his independent earnings and retirement benefits
together in the past year exceeded the amount he would have earned if still
a state employee, plus $1,000. In both of these instances, the principle of set
off is operating.
Turning to the National Guard statute, several sections specifically
require set offs of federal compensation against compensation or
allowances received by Guardsmen from the Commonwealth. General
'These two sections respectively establish (1) that a full-time National Guardsman is an "employee" within the meaning of the
retirement statute, and (2) that as an employee, a Guardsman may become a member of the state retirement system so long as
he is not at the same time a member of the federal civil service retirement system.
"•Regular Compensation" is defined in G.L. c. 32, §1 as the salary or wages determined bv the employee's employing
authority, and specifically as including salary or wages paid from federal grants.
'National Guardsmen are eligible for the same hospital benefits, pensions and other compensation as members of the United
States Regular Army if they are disabled while performing or participating in federal National Guard training duty exercises
or school programs. See 32 U.S.C §318 (1970); 10 U.S.C. §§1201-1205 (1970) A member of the Guard may also be'entitled to
veteran's disability compensation under 38 U.S.C. §§331-336 (1970).
136 P.D. 12
Laws, c. 33, §88 provides for disability compensation to be paid a National
Guardsman who suffers an injury in the line of duty which incapacitates
him from pursuing his usual occupation. 4 A board within the
Commonwealth's military division reviews an injured Guardsman's claim
and determines the appropriate amount of compensation to be given. In
performing these functions,
[t]he board in consideration of the claim shall (1) except as
otherwise provided in section eighty-eight [as to the death of a
National Guardsman], take into account any compensation
received by the claimant or his dependents from the United
States. G.L. c. 33, §90.
In G.L. c. 33, §90, then, the Legislature has clearly expressed its decision to
set off any federal disability compensation against whatever disability
compensation the Commonwealth would otherwise provide under G.L. c.
33. 5 Similarly, in G.L. c. 33, §83 (d), the Legislature has required that state
compensation to National Guardsmen for the period of their annual
training must be reduced by any federal pay which they receive for the
same military training service.
The provisions of G.L. c. 32 and c. 33 described above show not only a
plain legislative recognition of the issue of double compensation in the area
of disability retirement allowances; they also demonstrate that when the
Legislature has chosen to preclude a public employee from receiving such
double benefits, it has taken the necessary steps to do so. In these
circumstances, I believe that had the Legislature intended the state
retirement board to set off any federal disability benefits which a member
of the National Guard receives against his state disability retirement
allowance, it would have expressly so provided. 6 See Negron v. Gordon,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1701, 1706; Commonwealth v. Hayes, Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1977) 928, 933; see also County of Bristol v. Secretary of the Commonwealth,
324 Mass. 403, 406-407 (1949); 1977/78 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 19 at 9. 7
In sum, the provisions of G.L. c. 32 §7 in my view are clear. They do not
require or permit the state Board of Retirement to set off any federal
disability benefits which a Guardsman receives against the accidental
'Section 88 also provides for payment of compensation to the dependents of a National Guardsman who dies in the line of
duty.
'Disability claims approved by the board under G L. c. 33, §90, are deemed *'. a charge against the commonwealth [to be]
paid in the same manner as other military accounts." Id.
The compensation provisions of G.L. c. 32, §7, and G.L. c. 33, §88, overlap, for both provide disability benefits to National
Guardsmen The two sections differ, however, in that c. 32, §7 applies in the case of any retirement, whether temporary or
permanent, while disability compensation under c. 33, §88, except in the case of death, is available only during the period in
which the individual is prevented by the injury from pursuing his usual occupation.
"Moreover, my reading of the statutes at issue here is bolstered by the fact that when the Legislature amended G.L. c. 32 to
include full-time National Guardsmen within the state retirement system by St. 1950, c. 600, the Congress had recently
enacted the provisions entitling National Guard members to federal disability retirement benefits: the substance of what is
now 32 U.S.C. §31 was first enacted as the Act of June 20, 1049, c 225, §3, 63 Stat. 201; the substance of what is now 10 U.S.
C §§1201-1205 was first enacted as the Act of October 12, 1949, c. 681, §402. 63 Stat. 802. The Legislature is presumed to
have been aware of existing state as well as federal statutes when it enacted St 1950, c. 600. See, e.g.. Board of Assessors of
Melrose v. Driscoll. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1497, 1503; see also Velasco v. Minler. 352 F. Supp 1 109, 11 16 (D. Mass., affd4$[
F. 2d 573 ( 1st Cir. 1973); CD. Sands, Sutherland Statutory Construction. §51.06 (4th Ed. 1974).
'The provisions of G.L c. 32, §7 (2) are not inconsistent with this conclusion. That section provides that an individual cannot
receive an annual retirement allowance under §7 greater than the annual rate of his regular compensation at the time he was
injured. "Allowance' is specifically defined in G.L. c. 32, §1; it does not include federal retirement benefits Thus a
Guardsman's receipt of federal payments does not affect the level of the disability "allowance" he receives from the
Commonwealth
P.D. 12 137
disability retirement allowance provided for in §7, so long as the
Guardsman is not a member of the federal civil service system. Arguments
about the wisdom of this scheme as a matter of social policy cannot justify a
different reading. See Druker v. State Tax Comm'n, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978)
80, 82-83. The Legislature is the appropriate forum to resolve such social
policy issues. See Negron v. Gordon, supra, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) at 1711-
1712.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 26 May 16, 1978
Wallace C. Mills
Clerk
House of Representatives
State House
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Mr. Mills:
You have forwarded to me a copy of House Document 4635 (1978),
which sets forth an order of the House of Representatives requesting my
opinion on the following question:
Does the State Fire Marshal have the authority pursuant to
the Department of Public Safety, Board of Fire Prevention
Regulations, FPR-3, Oil Burning Equipment-Fuel Oil and
Other Inflammable Liquid Products (filed June 30, 1976 and
published July 8, 1976), to approve multi-fuel boilers that are
fired by wood and/or oil, where the fuel oil burner component
of said boilers have already received such approval?
Having reviewed the cited regulations, I answer the question in the
affirmative: the state fire marshal is empowered to review and approve
multi-fuel boilers in situations where the oil burner component is already
approved. 1
The Board's current regulations governing oil burning equipment,
designated as FPR-3, 2 provide that "[a]ll fuel oil burners 3 and all
equipment in connection therewith shall be installed and maintained in
accordance with these rules and regulations." FPR-3, Rule 2. They go on to
require that the state fire marshal approve every fuel oil burner before it is
installed, maintained or used in any structure (Rule 4), and further, that
'I note a! the outset that the Representatives' question may soon be moot. On December 14. 1977. the Board of Fire
Prevention Regulations adopted emergency regulations amending FRR-3 specifically to require the state fire marshal's
approval of all multi-fuel boilers installed and used in Massachusetts See 87 Mass. Reg. 71. 73 (1977). The Board held a
public hearing on these new regulations on February 23. 1978. Upon the Board's compliance with the filing requirements of
G.L. c. 30A, §§2 and 6. the new regulations will be in full force and effect.
; These regulations are published in 12 Mass. Reg. 81 ( 1976).
'"Fuel oil burner" is defined in FPR-3. Rule 1(0 as
any device designed and constructed for the purpose of burning oil for heating or cooking in any range, stove,
boiler, furnace or other heater.
138 P.D. 12
applications for such approval be accompanied by "complete assembly
drawings and specifications . . . ." Id., Rule 5. The provision of direct
relevance to the question here posed is Rule 6, which reads:
A device or equipment not described in the original
application for approval shall not be installed nor connected to
any oil burner until approval has been obtained from the
marshal.
In my view, Rule 6 authorizes the state fire marshal to approve multi-
fuel boilers where the fuel oil burner component has previously been
approved. The information I have been furnished by the fire marshal's
office concerning multi-fuel boilers indicates that they are single heating
units with separate oil-burning and coal- or wood-burning compartments.
Thus, a previously-approved oil burner can only become part of a multi-
fuel boiler by connecting the burner to the boiler equipment. Rule 6 directly
speaks to the issue of connecting "device[s]" or "equipment" to oil burners,
and specifically requires the marshal's approval for the same. Thus, by its
terms, the language of the regulation applies to the multi-fuel boilers
described in the Representatives' question; that clear language must be
given effect. Cf. Hoffman v. Howmedica, Inc., Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1488,
1493; Commonwealth v. Gove, 366 Mass. 351, 354 (1974).
That the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations has taken steps {see n. 1
supra) to amend its oil burner regulations in order to regulate multi-fuel
boilers specifically does not in itself show the current regulations cannot be
applied to such heating equipment. The Board legitimately could seek to
clarify its existing regulations without being forced to adopt the position
that absent clarification, the regulations fail to reach the multi-fuel boilers
at issue here. Cf. Massachusetts Comm'n Against Discrimination v. Liberty
Mut. Ins. Co. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2403, 2412 (agency seeking clarifying
legislation).
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 27 May 18, 1978
Charles J. Doherty, Director
Office of Campaign and
Political Finance
8 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02 108
Dear Mr. Doherty:
As Director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, you have
requested my opinion regarding the extent of your obligation to respond to
requests for legal interpretations under G.L. c. 55, the statute governing
disclosure and regulation of campaign expenditures and contributions.
Specifically, you ask whether you are required to give an answer to a
candidate, political committee or member of the public on a general
question such as the following:
P.D. 12 139
Are the reports filed with your office by the XYZ Committee or
by X Candidate in full compliance with the requirements of the
law based upon the information presently in your possession?
For the reasons set forth below, it is my opinion that you are not required to
answer a question propounded in this form.
The duties of the Director of Campaign and Political Finance, as they
relate to the question you present, are contained in G.L. c. 55, §3. Pursuant
to that section, the Director "[is] . . . free to advise and consult with . . .
persons affected by the laws under [his] jurisdiction . . ."(14), and ". . . shall
also . . . respond with reasonable promptness to requests for information,
interpretations and advice presented by candidates, state committees,
political committees, and members of the public." (^6)
Treating the cited provisions separately, I conclude that those in §3, f4,
impose no obligation on you to answer an inquiry whether reports filed
with your office are in full compliance with the law. This portion of the
statute serves to authorize your rendering advice to individuals affected by
G.L. c. 55; it cannot reasonably be interpreted as requiring your response
on the validity of financial disclosure reports in your possession. 1
I am also of the opinion that the portions of G.L. c. 55, §3, ^[6, quoted
above, do not envision your responding to the type of question you
describe. The provisions of G.L. c. 55, §3 must be construed in light of the
entire statutory scheme set forth in c. 55, so as to constitute a harmonious
whole consistent with the legislative purpose. See, e.g., Boston v.
Massachusetts Bay Transp. Authy., Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 2588, 2593;
Massachusetts Comm'n Against Discrimination v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co.,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2403, 2407. The conclusory type of question you cite
could only be answered by determining the ultimate legality of financial
disclosure reports filed with your office. Although c. 55 grants the Director
"the power and authority to investigate the legality, validity, completeness
and accuracy" of reports, G.L. c. 55, §3; §§28-29, it specifically delegates to
the Attorney General and the District Attorneys the duty to make final
legal determinations on these questions. G.L. c. 55, §§3 and 29. 2 An answer
to the broad question whether reports are "in full compliance with the law"
could interfere not only with the responsibilities of these officials, but also
with your own investigative duties and powers described in §§3 and 29. 3
In sum, in order to preserve the discrete functions and responsibilities of
the officials responsible for enforcing G.L. c. 55, and to give full meaning to
the statute as a whole, I conclude that the Director's duty to respond to
questions pursuant to c. 55, §3, must be read in a limited way. The Director
is responsible for answering factual and general questions about the
campaign finance laws of the Commonwealth. However, the legal
'It is a well-established principle of statutory construction that where the words of a statute are unambiguous, the language is
to be given its plain and ordinary meaning See. e.g., Hoffman v Howmedica. Inc.. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1488, 1493.
2 It is worth noting that G.L. c. 55 does not require the Director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to be a lawyer,
although you yourself are a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
'In a recent opinion, I concluded that the Director's primary function under G.L. c. 55 is to serve as a record keeper; his
investigatory functions are limited 1976/77 Op Atty. Gen. No. 38. There may be violations of c. 55 or of other statutes that
would or could not be uncovered in the Director's examination of filed reports I hesitate to adopt a construction of c. 55
calling upon the Director to rule on issues that he may be without power to investigate fully.
140 P.D. 12
determination whether reports on file are in "full compliance with the law"
is entrusted to the Attorney General and the appropriate District Attorney.
A contrary interpretation would impair the ability of these law enforcement
officers adequately to investigate and enforce violations of c. 55, and
thereby interfere with the effective working of the statutory scheme. Such
an interpretation should be avoided. See, e.g., School Comm. of Springfield
v. Board of Educ, 362 Mass. 417, 438 (1972); Atlas Distrib. Co. v. Alcoholic
Bev. Control Comm'n, 354 Mass. 408, 414, 415 (1968); Gosselin v. Gosselin, 1
Mass. App. 146, 148(1973).
In reaching this conclusion, I do not intend to unduly restrict you in your
advisory functions. You are, of course, free to advise those candidates who
ask general questions like that contained in your request as to the existence
or nonexistence of violations which appear on the face of their reports or as
to the timeliness or their reports. You may not, however, substitute your
judgment for that of the appropriate prosecuting or judicial officers by
declaring a candidate's filing to be in conformity with the law.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 28 June 2, 1978
John R. Buckley, Secretary
Executive Office for Administration
and Finance
State House
Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Secretary Buckley:
In a letter dated March 21, 1977, 1 addressed certain questions you raised
relating to the interpretation of St. 1976, c. 434 (c. 434). 1976/77 Op. Atty.
Gen. No. 25 (1976 Opinion). Chapter 434 charges you with establishing a
"small business purchasing program" which will ensure that at least five
percent of all goods and services purchased by the Commonwealth are
purchased from "small businesses." 1 You now ask two additional questions
which I summarize as follows:
1) Does the program apply to purchases made by the legislative
and judicial departments?
2) May agency purchases of less than five hundred dollars be
included in computing the aggregate of agency purchases
included in the program to arrive at the minimum five
percent figure required by c. 434?
For the reasons which follow, I conclude that ( 1 ) the program does not
apply to the legislative and judicial departments; and (2) agency purchases
of less than $500 may be included in computing the five percent of all
'A "small business" is defined in c 434, §2(6) as "a business which is independently owned and operated, has its principal
place of business within the commonwealth, which is not dominant in its field of operation, and is not a corporation which is
a member of an affiliated group ..."
P.D. 12 141
purchases which are to be included in the program, provided, however, that
such purchases are made through competitive bidding.
With regard to your first question, c. 434, §3, provides that the small
business purchasing program "shall apply to all purchasing agencies."
Section 2(4) of c. 434 in turn defines a "purchasing agency" as "any agency,
department, board, commission, office, or authority of the commonwealth
empowered by law to purchase goods or services." Clearly the legislature
and judiciary do not come within the terms "agency," "board,"
"commission," "office," or "authority." Thus, the question you pose is
whether they should each be considered a "department" for purposes of the
definition of "purchasing agency." In my judgment they should not.
A number of decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court have considered
the meaning of the word "department" as it appears in statutory or
consitutional provisions listing several types of governmental entities (e.g.,
"board," "commission," "office," "authority"), in a manner and order very
similar to c. 434, §2(4). See, e.g., Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., Inc. v.
Sergeant-at-Arms of the General Court, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 1213, 1219
(construing "department" in G.L. c. 4, §7, cl. 26, the definition of "public
records"); Massachusetts Probation Ass'n v. Commissioner of Administration,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 1814, 1829-1830 (construing "department" in G.L. c.
149, §78F, prior state employee collective bargaining statute); Yont v.
Secretary of the Commonwealth, 275 Mass. 365, 367-368 (1931) (construing
"department" in art. 48 of the Amendments to the Constitution, The
Referendum, III, §2, definition of "excluded matters" from referendum
petitions). See also art. 66 of the Amendments to the Constitution (dividing
executive and administrative work of Commonwealth into 20 "depart-
ments"). In each case the court concluded that "department" referred only
to departments within the executive branch of government, and did not
include either the legislative or judicial branches. 2
Given the similarity between the language in c. 434, §2(4) and the
statutes under review in the cited cases, I follow the court's decisions and
conclude that "department" in c. 434, §2(4) does not encompass the
legislative or judicial branch. 3 Accordingly, it is my view that both branches
fall outside the definition of "purchasing agency" as used in c. 434, and are
therefore not subject to the small business purchasing program.
My conclusion finds support in the structure of the small business
purchasing program itself, when considered in light of the methods by
which legislative and judicial expenditures are made. As the Secretary of
Administration and Finance you are responsible, together with the
Commissioner of Commerce and Development, for the establishment and
administration of the program created by c. 434. See c. 434, §§3-7. Both you
2 In each case the court noted that the legislature and judiciary were referred to in the Constitution as two of the three
"departments" of government, see art 30 of the Declaration of Rights, but expressly concluded that the term "department"
had been used in a far more restrictive way in the statutory and constitutional provisions under review in the case before it
than was true of art. 30. Westinghouse Broadcasting Co.. Inc.. supra Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) at 1219; Massachusetts Probation
Ass'n. supra at 1830; Yont. supra. 275 Mass. at 368.
^Moreover, when the legislature has intended to include the legislative and judicial branches within the word "department" it
has stated so specifically See G.L. c. 268A. §l(p) ("department" of state government includes legislative and judicial
branches for purposes of conflict of interest statute). The legislature presumably would have made the same express
designation in c. 434 if it intended to include those two branches within the definition of "purchasing agency " Cf.
Commonwealth v. Hayes. Mass Adv. Sh. ( 1977) 928, 933.
142 P.D. 12
and the Commissioner are officers within the executive branch of the
government, and your statutory duties extend only to agencies,
departments, and other entities within the executive branch. See G.L. c. 7,
§§4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4G (setting forth powers and duties of the Secretary, and
the divisions and agencies within the Executive Office of Administration
and Finance); G.L. c. 23 A, §§1, 3, 4, 5 (describing powers and duties of the
Commissioner and the divisions and bureaus under his supervision).
Nothing in the statutes generally governing the functions of your and the
Commissioner's offices authorizes either of you to supervise, regulate or
review expenditures of the legislature or the courts.
On the contrary, legislative expenditures are governed and approved
exclusively by the legislature and its own officers. See G.L. c. 3, §§30-38. 4
With respect to the judiciary, the great majority of court expenditures are
currently paid by the counties (or cities) rather than the state. 5 To interpret
the definition of "purchasing agency" in c. 434, §2(4) as including the
legislative and judicial branches would bring certain purchases of these
branches under the supervision of the Secretary and Commissioner even
though neither officer has any authority over their purchases or
expenditures generally. The legislature could not have intended such an
anomalous result. Cf. Massachusetts Probation Ass'n v. Commissioner of
Administration, supra, Mass. Adv. Sh. at 1827.
Your second question asks if a purchasing agency's purchases of less
than $500 may be included in determining whether the aggregate amount of
purchases in the program amounts to five percent of all purchases of the
Commonwealth. 6 The question appears to arise because state agencies are
not required to use competitive bidding procedures for purchases under
$500, see G.L. c. 7, §22(2). At the same time c. 434 applies only to purchases
for which bids are received. See c. 434, §§4, 5, 7.
Chapter 434, §3, f 1 states that the provisions of c. 434 are to,
apply to all small business purchases which the Secretary
institutes pursuant to this program, notwithstanding the
provisions of [G.L. c. 7, §§22-23A, G.L. c. 39, §29 A], or any
other law or regulation concerning the authority and the
procedure for purchasing by the commonwealth. (Emphasis
supplied.)
General Laws, c. 7, §22 7 directs the Secretary of Administration and
Finance to make rules governing "the manner and method of purchasing
'The comptroller of the Commonwealth authorizes payment of bills for expenditures incurred by the legislature, see G.L. c. 7,
§13; Westinghouse Broadcasting Co., Inc. v. SergeanlalArms of the General Court. Mass. Adv. Sh. (1978) 1213, 1215, n. 2, and
the Comptroller's Division is within the Executive Office of Administration and Finance. G.L. c. 7, §4A. Nevertheless, the
Secretary does not supervise the Comptroller's functions. See G.L. c. 7, §4.
'See. e.g., G.L. c. 213, §8 and c. 35, §12 (Supreme Judicial Court and Superior Court); c. I85A, §19 (Boston Housing Court); c.
I85B, §19 (Hampden County Housing Court); c. 218, §39 (books and supplies for District Courts).
'Under c 434, §3, "the aggregate amount of the purchases included in (the small business purchasing program] shall equal or
exceed five percent of the aggregate amount of all purchases made by the commonwealth ..." The Act defines "purchases"
as "contracts by which a purchasing agency agrees to buy goods or services from a specified vendor at a specific price and
according to specified conditions." Chapter 434, §2(3) The regulations you have promulgated to implement c. 434 track these
statutory provisions. "Rules and Regulations for the Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program" §§22(b), 3(c), 57
Mass Reg. I, 3,4(1977)
'The other statutory provisions listed in c. 434, §3, quoted above, are not relevant to your question.
P.D. 12 143
and contracting for supplies, equipment, etc. "for the various state
departments, offices and commissions . . . ." Pursuant to G.L. c. 7, §22(2),
these rules are to provide, inter alia, for the purchase by agencies of supplies
without advertisement or public bids, "where the amount involved will not
exceed five hundred dollars . . . ." As the portion of c. 434, §3, ^]1 quoted
above indicates, however, the small business purchasing program is to take
precedence over G.L. c. 7, §22 and regulations promulgated under it. In
light of this statutory mandate, it is clear that as Secretary you may exercise
the broad powers vested in you by c. 434 over the purchases to be included
in the program by designating goods or supplies costing less than $500 for
inclusion. 8 However, any such purchases that are so designated must then
be made through the competitive bidding procedures referred to in c. 434,
§§4, 5 and 7; under the plain terms of the statute, these bidding procedures
are not discretionary and may not be waived by the Secretary. 9
The construction I adopt of c. 434 will best advance the clear legislative
intent underlying c. 434. See Board of Education v. Assessor of Worcester,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1975) 2626, 2629. That purpose or intent, as set forth in c.
434, §1, was to,
aid, counsel, assist, and protect, insofar as possible, the interests
of small business concerns in order to preserve free competitive
enterprise and to ensure that a fair proportion of the total
purchases for the Commonwealth be placed with small business
enterprises.
If the statute is construed to exclude purchases of $500 or less from the
program, significant portions of an agency's total purchases may not be
covered, since, as you indicate in your letter, many agencies probably spend
a large percentage of their annual budget on individual purchases of under
$500. On the other hand, a reading of c. 434 as permitting purchases of this
amount to be included in the program without competitive bidding would
contravene the clear language of c. 434, §§4, 5 and 7, and therefore should
not be adopted. Cf. Hoffman v. Howmedica, Inc., Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977)
1488, 1493.
In concluding that purchases of $500 or less may be included in the small
business purchasing program, I do not intend to suggest that they must be.
As the 1976 Opinion and the discussion above make clear, as Secretary you
possess a great deal of discretion in determining which purchases are to be
included in the program.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
"Your authority to determine the purchases that will be subject to the program is described in G.L. c. 434, §3. H2: ". . . [t]he
Secretary shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing guidelines for determining which purchases by such agencies
shall be eligible for the program . . . ." Further, c. 434, §3. 1|4 vests additional authority in the Secretary ". . . to include
specific purchases in the program . . . if such action is necessary in the Secretary's judgment to ensure that the five percent
minimum is met or exceeded." Your letter requesting this opinion implies that unless at least some $500 or smaller purchases
are included in the program, it may be difficult to meet the five percent figure.
'In effect, therefore, the rules or regulations promulgated under G.L c. 7, §22 would not apply to purchases of $500 or less
which are included in the small business purchasing program, insofar as the §22 rules authorized an agency's direct purchase
from a vendor without competitive bidding In contrast to the bidding requirements set forth in c. 434, §4, the provisions of c.
434, §3 appear specifically to contemplate the waiving of rules and regulations promulgated under G.L c. 7, §22
144 P.D. 12
Number 29 June 9, 1978
Bruce S. Gullion
Commissioner
Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and
Recreational Vehicles
100 Cambridge Street
Boston, MA 02202
Dear Commissioner Gullion:
You have requested my opinion concerning the rulemaking authority of
the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Recreational Vehicles
(Department) under G.L. c. 21, §17 A. 1 Specifically you ask whether G.L. c.
21, §17A, grants to the Department 2 the authority to create, by regulation,
uniform fee schedules for public use of any "designated", municipally-
owned, public access sites and facilities and related parking facilities, even
in the absence of a formal land management agreement between the
municipality and the Department.
Your request arises in the context of the following facts. Over the years, a
number of municipalities have agreed with the Department to allow the use
of town land designated for public access or for construction of public
access facilities. In such instances arising since 1973, the Department has
entered into formal land management agreements with the municipal
owners of the designated sites or facilities. The agreements provide that all
users of the facilities or sites — residents of the municipality in question as
well as non-residents — are to be treated equally, and that no fees are to be
imposed on users without the Department's consent. For sites or facilities
designated and constructed before 1973, however, no such formal
agreements exist. Some of these municipal owners have imposed fee
schedules discriminating in favor of residents or imposing fees on non-
residents only. The Department's contemplated rulemaking would simply
extend the requirement of equal treatment for all users to the pre- 1973 sites
and facilities which are not governed by formal agreements.
It is my opinion that the Department may govern the use of designated
sites by exercising its rulemaking authority under G.L. c. 21, §17A, and it
may, pursuant to that authority, create uniform fee schedules without
regard to the existence of any land management agreements. I further
conclude, however, that the Department's rulemaking authority does not
extend to sites which have not been designated by the Board. Hence
uniform fee schedules may not be set for non-designated, but related
parking areas.
'General Laws, c. 21, §17A, creates within the Department a Public Access Board (Board) whose function is to designate
various locations of public access to inland and coastal waters within the Commonwealth, and locations of trails and paths for
recreational uses. After designation by the Board, the Department is to acquire the designated land or water areas by
purchase, gift, lease, or, with the Governor's consent, by eminent domain The Department may also use public lands without
formal acquisition if it has the consent of the governmental agency in charge After acquiring the land or the consent to use
the land, the Department may construct such public facilities, including parking areas and boat ramps, as the Board may
designate The Department is required as well to maintain, operate and improve the facilities and associated land and water
areas unless other public agencies agree to assume those responsibilities.
Section 17A expressly authorizes the Department to adopt regulations governing the use of land and water areas designated
under the section.
2 Your request asks if the Commissioner may adopt the regulations. Inasmuch as the statute actually authorizes the
Department to adopt regulations, I will consider the reference to be to the Department.
P.D. 12 145
In G.L. c. 21, §17 A, the Legislature has delegated to the Department
power to "adopt . . . regulations governing the use of land and water areas
under this section." Given this clear grant of rulemaking authority, the
principal questions presented by your request are (1) whether a regulation
requiring uniform fee schedules for use of designated public access sites is
within the scope of the Department's rulemaking power, and if so, (2)
whether it is constitutional. See Colella v. State Racing Commission, 360
Mass. 152, 155(1971).
The general rule in Massachusetts is that in carrying out statutory duties
expressly conferred, an agency has implicit power to use all ordinary means
for the full performance of those duties. See Attorney General v. Trustees of
Boston Elevated Ry. Co., 319 Mass. 642, 655, 656 (1946); see also
Massachusetts Comm'n Against Discrimination v. Liberty Mutual Insurance
Co., Mass. Adv. Sh. (1976) 2403, 2405; Bureau of Old Age Assistance of
Natick v. Commissioner of Public Welfare, 326 Mass. 121, 124 (1950); cf.
1975/76 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 63.
Section 17A imposes specific duties upon the Department and the Board
to designate, acquire and improve public access and recreational sites for
public use, and grants the power to govern the use of such sites by
regulation. The Supreme Judicial Court has held that similar obligations
and grants of power entitle agencies to exercise broad discretion in enacting
rules and regulations in the pursuit of their statutory duties. E.g., Colella v.
State Racing Commission, supra at 155; 3 cf 1977/78 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 10
(Supervisor of Public Records may adopt fee schedule under general
rulemaking authority); Supervisor of Public Records v. City Clerk of Revere,
C.A. No. 25839 (Suffolk Superior Court, May 10, 1978) (upholding fee
schedule).
The purpose of §17A is to make access sites more available to the public.
The section sets forth the procedures for designating, acquiring, improving
and maintaining public access sites and vests in the Department authority
to regulate their use. Since differences in user fees, based on place of
residence, can tend to limit or restrict use of the facilities, fee schedules are
a fit subject of regulation under §17 A, and are "reasonably related to the
purposes of the enabling legislation." Thorpe v. Housing Authority of
Durham, 393 U.S. 268, 280-281 (1969).
Moreover, such fee regulations, under examination by a court, would be
entitled to "all rational presumptions in favor of [their] validity" and must
be sustained "unless [their] provisions cannot by any reasonable
construction be interpreted in harmony with the legislative mandate."
Consolidated Cigar Co. v. Department of Public Health, Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1977) 1419, 1433. In my opinion, regulations governing fee schedules are
related to the use of designated public access sites, are consistent with the
legislative mandate, and thus are within the scope of the Department's
rulemaking power.
'In Colella, the plaintiff attacked a regulation of the State Racing Commission which sets fees paid to jockeys in the absence of
independent agreements. The court ruled that the fee regulations were authorized by the legislative delegation of "full power
to prescribe rules, regulations, and conditions under which all horse or dog races at horse or dog racing meetings shall be
conducted in the Commonwealth." The court noted that the Legislature had established the overall plan by which the
conduct of racing meetings would be governed, but left to the commission the authority to regulate the details of racing
operations. Id. at 115.
146 P.D. 12
In assessing the constitutionality of the contemplated regulation. I apply
the same standard as in evaluating the constitutionality of a statute: would
the regulation, if enacted as a statute, constitute a valid exercise of the
legislative police powers? In considering this question, all rational
presumptions are to be made in the regulation's favor. See Consolidated
Cigar Co. v. Department of Public Health, supra at 1428. 1433; Palm Manor
Nursing Home v. Rate Setting Commission, 359 Mass. 651. 655-656 (1971);
Colella v. State Racing Commission, supra at 155-156. While it is obviously
not possible to pass on the constitutional validity of currently unwritten
regulations, it can be fairly stated that a regulation simply requiring
uniform fee schedules for the use of public access sites without regard for
place of residence would not offend the Constitution. The regulation would
be constitutionally vulnerable only if no rational basis in fact can
reasonably be conceived to sustain it. Colella v. State Racing Commission,
supra at 156; see also Coffee- Rich, Inc. v. Commissioner of Public Health.
348 Mass. 414. 422 (1965); Druzik v. Board of Health of Haverhill, 324 Mass.
129. 139 (1949). The Department may find that fee differentials imposed by
municipalities in favor of their own residents restrict or impede the use of
public access sites in a way not in the best interests of the citizens of the
Commonwealth. Such a finding, if not manifestly unreasonable, would be
sufficient to sustain the constitutional validity of the regulation. 4
One additional issue is raised by your opinion request. You have stated
that at least one town charges no fee for the use of the designated public
access site, but charges a non-resident fee for the use of a non-designated
but related parking area. As noted above. §17A confers rulemaking
authority on the Department to regulate "the use of land and water areas
under this section . . ." (emphasis added). Inasmuch as the only references to
land and water areas in the section are to sites which are designated by the
Board, regulations promulgated pursuant to §17A must be limited to the
control of these sites. Thus in the situation you have described, the
Department may not regulate the use of the town's non-designated parking
area.
It is open to the Department to designate the parking area and enter into
a management agreement with the town's consent. G.L. c. 21. §17A. Absent
consent, if the property is held solely for a public use, it may be taken by
the Department without compensation. Cambridge v. Commissioner of
Public Welfare, 357 Mass. 183, 186 (1970). If the municipality holds the
property in a proprietary capacity, the property may be taken by eminent
domain. G.L. c. 21, §17A; Cambridge v. Commissioner of Public Welfare,
supra at 186-187. If any of these procedures is followed, the parking lot
would be land used under §17A, and would therefore be subject to the
Department's rulemaking authority.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
4 Of course, such regulations would be subject to the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act G.L. c.
30A. §§2 and 3. Moreover. I do not express an opinion on any particular regulations the Department may wish to promulgate,
for "... it is not the function of this office to draft and pass upon regulations in advance of actual rights involved
thereunder" 1961/62 Op Atly. Gen. at 1 15. 1 16. See also 1977/78 Op Any Gen No. 10.
P.D. 12 147
Number 30 June 16, 1978
Gary F. Egan
Executive Director
Massachusetts Criminal Justice
Training Council
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Dear Mr. Egan:
The Secretary of Public Safety has forwarded to me your request for my
opinion on a number of issues regarding the interpretation and application
of recent statutory amendments affecting the duties and authority of the
Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council (Council). The statute in
question, G.L. c. 41, §96B (§96B), was amended by St. 1977, c. 932. ' Section
96B. in conjunction G.L. c. 6, §118, 2 delineates the duties of the Council
with respect to the approval of police training schools and the designation
of courses of study for law enforcement officers. Given the length and
number of your question, I have set forth the substance of each question
separately below, and have answered them in the order presented.
1. (a) May the Council reasonably assume that a police officer is
not to be considered a "permanent" employee before
completing the training requirements prescribed by §96B and
G.L. c. 6, §118, since under §96B, |5, the officer is to be
removed from his position if these training requirements are
not met? (b) In addition, may the Council reasonably use the
definition of an officer "appointed to a position on a
permanent full-time basis" that has been established by the
Division of Personnel Administration?
The first part of your question refers to the language in §96B, |1,
defining the persons subject to its terms: "[e]very person who receives an
appointment to a position on a permanent full-time basis in which he will
The paragraphs of amended §96B may be summarized as follows:
Paragraph I: Every person appointed on a "permanent full-time basis" to a position in which he will exercise "police
powers" in a municipal police department, the M DC. police. M.B.T.A police. Capitol police, division of law enforcement
within the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, and Registry of Motor Vehicles, shall, prior to exercising such police
powers, complete courses prescribed by the council; while attending those courses, he shall be paid wages and reasonable
expenses.
Paragraph 2: Every regular police officer in the police departments listed above (with the exception of the Capitol police
department), shall participate in such in-service training programs as the Council mav approve and determine. Participants
shall be paid wages and expenses.
Paragraph 3: Every person "appointed as a reserve, or intermittent police officer" in a citv or town shall complete courses
prescnbecf by the Council before exercising any police powers.
Paragraph 4: Every appointing authority shall submit to the Council the name and date of appointment of anv person who
will exercise police powers within one month of appointment. The Council mav exempt a person from the provisions of §96B
prior to his exercising police powers, upon petition of an appointing authorm
Paragraph 5: An appointed police officer's failure to complv with §96B prior to his exercise of police powers, or to
satisfactorily complete the prescribed course of study, shall result in his removal bv the appointing authoritv (absent an
exemption under Paragraph 4).
Paragraph 6: Every employee of the Department of Correction. Division of Youth Services. Parole Board or county
correctional institution, whose duties require contact with inmates of institutions or parolees, is to complete a course of study
prescribed by the Council The Council may exempt individuals enrolled in specific training programs from the requirement
that training be completed prior to exercising anv police powers.
Kleneral Laws. c. 6. §1 18 provides that the Council:
. shall approve or disapprove municipal police training schools and shall make rules and regulations subject to
the approval of the governor and council, for such schools, relating to courses of studv. attendance requirements,
equipment and facilities and qualifications of instructors. No municipal police training school shall be approved
unless it provides for training members of the rape prevention and prosecution unit established bv section ninetv-
seven B of chapter forty-one.
148 P.D. 12
exercise police powers ..." (emphasis supplied). It is my view that the
Council would be unwarranted in assuming that a police officer is not a
"permanent" employee until the officer completes the Council's training
requirements.
A governing principle of statutory construction provides that:
A statute is to be interpreted with reference to the pre-existing
law. If reasonably practicable, it is to be explained in
conjunction with other statutes to the end that there may be a
harmonious and consistent body of law. Everett v. Revere, 334
Mass. 585, 589(1962).
Accord, Walsh v. Commissioners of Civil Service, 300 Mass. 244, 246 (1938).
The word "permanent," as used in connection with "full-time" in §96B,
refers to the character of a position of public employment. In my judgment,
the term must be construed to comport with the explicit and well-
established meaning under the existing civil service law, G.L. c. 31, §§1, 15. 3
When this is done, it is clear that an officer's status as a "permanent"
employee has no direct connection to the power of the appointing authority
to remove an officer for failure to complete the Council's training
requirements, as suggested by your question.
My response to the first part of your question in effect answers the
second part. I believe that the Council should utilize the Personnel
Administrator's definition of "permanent employee" in administering the
statutory training programs under its charge.
2. Did the Legislature intend that the terms "reserve" and
"intermittent", as used in §96B, \h, be applied generically,
thereby including under this provision all persons regardless
of specific title who work with or without compensation, who
work regularly or irregularly as required, but less than a
schedule consistent with full-time employment for the
appointing agency?
It is my opinion that the terms "reserve" and "intermittent" were not
intended to be applied generically. Section 96B, ^3 is plain in its application
only to the reserve and intermittent police officers of cities and towns; it.
does not extend to the officers of other agencies who work less than full-
time. 4 Further, while words of a statute must be construed according to the
common and approved usage of the language, technical words that may
have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law must be
construed according to such meaning. G.L. c. 4, §6, cl. 3. See Corcoran v.
S.S. Kresge Co., 313 Mass. 299, 303 (1943). The words "reserve" and
"intermittent" have clear statutory definitions and meanings in the civil
'The word "permanent" relates to the budgetary status of particular positions which are to be contrasted with "temporary"
positions; the word further denotes the tvpe of appointment made, distinguishing between permanent and "provisional"
appointments. The qualifying phrase "full-time" distinguishes the affected appointments from intermittent positions, which
do not ensure regular employment, but would be subject to the requirements of the civil service system. See generally Sullivan
v Commissioner of Labor and Industries, 35 1 Mass. 462. 464 ( 1 966).
'Section %B. 113 reads in pertinent part: "Each person appointed as a reserve, or intermittent police officer, in a city or town,
shall . . satisfactorily complete a course of study . . " (emphasis supplied)
P.D. 12 149
service system. Thus, the position of "reserve" police officer is authorized
by G.L. c. 147, §§1 1-13C. As specified in G.L. c. 147, §13, a reserve officer
is assigned to duty "whenever and for such length of time as [the] mayor,
chief of police or marshall may deem necessary," and has all the powers
and duties of members of the regular force when on duty. The intermittent
position is defined in the civil service statute, G.L. c. 31, §1, as "an
appointment from an eligible list to recurrent employment which may be
regular or irregular as the needs of the service require." See also 1941 Op.
Atty. Gen. at 90. As discussed in the answer to your first question,
governing rules of construction mandate that these particular statutory
definitions of "reserve" and "intermittent" be applied in the discharge of
the Council's responsibilities under §96B, ^3.
3. What is a substantive definition of "police powers" as
specified in §96B, \\\ and 3?
Your third question requests a substantive definition of the term "police
powers," presumably to determine the class of individuals subject to the
Council's training requirements. However, it would be inappropriate for me
to supply a general definition of the term since the powers and duties of the
various police officers specified in §96B are established by the common law
and by the respective statutes under which they operate. See, e.g., G.L. c.
41, §98 (municipal police); c. 92, §61 (Metropolitan District Commission
police); c. 8, §12 (Capitol police); c. 21, §6B (division of law enforcement in
the Office of Environmental Affairs); c. 90, §29 (Registry police). See also
Caswell v. Somerville Retirement System, 306 Mass. 373, 376 (1940) (duties
of municipal police); Hartley v. Granville, 216 Mass. 38, 39-49 (1913) (duties
of constable); Buttrick v. Lowell, 1 Allen 172, 173-174 (1861). In these
circumstances, I believe a single, generalized definition of "police powers"
is not called for because it would not aid the Council in implementing
§96B.
4. If the Council can reasonably determine that an appointing
authority is in violation of the provisions of §96B, f4, can the
Council take any action beyond informing that specific
appointing authority that it is in violation of the statute?
Section 96B, |4 requires each appointing authority to submit, within one
month of appointment, the name and date of appointment of any person
who will exercise police powers. You now ask whether the Council can take
any action against an appointing authority which fails to comply with this
provision. Although the language of the reporting requirement is
mandatory, there are no sanctions for noncompliance specified in §96B.
Nor does the statute expressly or impliedly indicate that the Council has the
power to impose a penalty in the event of a failure or refusal to comply.
Compare Commonwealth v. Racine, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1101, 1105-1108.
Therefore, the Council's response to the failure to submit the names of
appointments is limited to the notification of noncompliance.
5. (a) Does the reporting requirement specified in §96B, ^4
apply to the agencies designated in ^6 of the same section;
and (b) can the Council require said information on all
persons employed on the effective date of the legislation?
150 P.D. 12
(a) The statutory requirement, set forth in §96B, ])4, that the appointing
authorities submit the names of appointments to the Council, seems to
apply only to individuals subject to the terms of §96B, lffll-3. See n.l supra.
However, it is apparent that the Council must be informed of the persons
covered by §96B, 1J6, in order to effectuate the purposes of the statute by
providing the training which f 6 calls for.
As a general rule, where a specific duty is imposed upon an
administrative agency or board, it has authority to employ all ordinary
means reasonably necessary for the full exercise of the power. See, e.g.,
Bureau of Old Age Assistance of Natick v. Commissioner of Public Welfare,
326 Mass. 121, 125 (1950). Cf Commonwealth v. Cerveny, Mass. Adv. Sh.
(1977) 1943, 1952. I do not read the absence of a specific reporting
requirement applicable to employees within ^|6 as an intentional effort to
restrict the Council's general rulemaking powers. A regulation requiring
reports about the appointment of officers to the positions described in ^]6
would appear to be necessary and reasonably related to the purposes of
§96B generally and to 1J6 of §96B in particular. It therefore would be within
the Council's power to adopt such a regulation pursuant to its rulemaking
authority "relating to courses of study, attendance requirements, equipment
and facilities and qualifications of instructors" conferred by G.L. c. 6, §1 18
(emphasis supplied). See Consolidated Cigar Co. v. Department of Public
Health, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1419, 1433; Cambridge Elec. Light Co. v.
Department of Pub. Utils., 363 Mass. 474, 494 (1973). 5
(b) The related question is whether the Council may require appointing
authorities to report the names of persons who exercise police powers and
are so employed on the effective date of the amendments to §96B. I believe
this issue can similarly be resolved by regulation, even though §96B does
not in terms specify that appointing authorities must supply the Council
with a list of such persons. The scope and effectiveness of the in-service
training authorized by §96B, 1J2 obviously requires a current list of
individuals for whom that training is deemed appropriate. A regulation
requiring the submission of the names of employees subject to the
requirements of §96B would appear to be rationally related to the
performance of the Council's duty to provide in-service training.
6. Do the compensation requirements specified in §96B, ^jl
and 2 apply to the employees of those agencies designated in
§96B, W
Although §96B, ff 1 and 2 both require the payment of regular wages
and expenses to officers engaged in the Council's training programs, a
similar provision does not appear in §96B, 1J6, which requires the training
of employees in contact with institutionalized or paroled individuals. In
these circumstances, the statute cannot be interpreted as providing for the
payment of compensation to the ^j6 employees. It is an established rule that
statutory omissions cannot be supplied by the courts or those charged with
administering the law. Thatcher v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, 250
P.D. 12 151
Mass. 188, 190 (1924); see Boylston Water Dist. v. Tahanto Reg'l School
Dist., 353 Mass. 81, 84 (1967). Despite its potential adverse impact on the
Council's ability to perform the training duties described in §96B, \6, the
omission cannot be corrected by the Council's rulemaking authority. The
continued payment of wages and expenses to the employees mentioned in
|6 is a matter relating to the internal operations of the employees' several
appointing authorities, and is beyond the scope of the Council's
responsibilities. There is nothing in the statute which suggests that the
Council can dictate the employment practices of the agencies to such an
extent.
7. Since the agencies specified in §96B, ^|1 as being subject to
the statute's training requirements are identically specified in
paragraph 2, except that the Capitol Police were omitted,
may the Council assume that this omission was inadvertent
or a clerical error, particularly since the Capitol Police were
included in both paragraphs 1 and 2 of G.L. c. 41, §96B prior
to the amendments made by St. 1977, c. 932?
This question in effect asks whether the omission of the Capitol Police
from the statutory provision dealing with in-service training, §96B, \2, can
be treated as a curable error. My answer to the previous question applies
here. Again, the accepted rule is that courts or agencies cannot supply
statutory omissions. Thatcher v. Secretary of the Commonwealth, supra, 250
Mass. at 190. As stated in Cole v. Brookline Housing Authority, Mass. App.
Ct. Adv. Sh. ( 1976) 1238:
[I]f the omission was intentional, no court can supply it. If the
omission was due to inadvertance, an attempt to supply it . . .
would be tantamount to adding a meaning not intended by the
Legislature. Id. at 1241.
Therefore, regardless of the cause of the omission of the Capitol Police
from §96B, ^J2, officers in that police force are not subject to the Council's
in-service training program.
Very truly yours,
FRANCIS X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
Number 31 June 23, 1978
Leroy Keith, Chancellor
Board of Higher Education
Park Square Building
31 St. James Avenue, 6th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 021 16
Dear Chancellor Keith:
The Board of Trustees of Southeastern Massachusetts University
(S.M.U.) has requested, through the Board of High Education, my opinion
about the use of certain university property by an organization not formally
152 P.D. 12
connected with S.M.U. The specific question raised is whether the Trustees
may legally authorize a rental arrangement between the S.M.U. student
newspaper and For The People, a private, non-profit organization, for use
of the student newspaper's office space, printing equipment and facilities.
On the basis of the information which I have been furnished, I conclude
that the Board of Trustees has authority to permit the private organization
in question to use the S.M.U. newspaper facilities and space, provided,
however, that the fee paid under the rental arrangement covers the cost of
making the facility available to For The People.
The factual background to the Trustees' request is this. The student
newspaper, entitled "The Torch", has certain printing equipment which
was purchased with funds allocated from mandatory student fees. The
Torch also uses office space in a building on the S.M.U. campus which is
owned by the Commonwealth. For The People publishes a community-
oriented newspaper which is also called "For The People," and which
apparently seeks to cover issues of interest and concern to low-income
residents and members of the New Bedford/Fall River community. Foi
The People publishes its newspaper approximately once every six weeks,
and uses some of The Torch's office space and printing equipment to pul
the newspaper together. It pays The Torch a rental fee of $80 for each issue:
these rental payments are in turn used in connection with publishing "The
Torch" itself. It appears that For The People has been using "The Torch's' -
facilities since 1971, although the financial arrangements related to that use
were somewhat different in the past. Finally, there is general agreement
that other organizations not formally connected with S.M.U. have
traditionally been allowed to use university property for their own
programs and activities. 1
The facts just stated appear in your letter requesting this opinion and in a
memorandum submitted on behalf of For The People. In considering For
The People's use of S.M.U.'s space and newspaper facilities, I begin by
examining the character of the university and the general scope of the
Board of Trustees' powers in light of these facts. S.M.U. is a "state
institution of higher learning" directed by the Legislature to "provide
educational programs, research, extension and continuing education
services in the technological and engineering and physical science fields
through the master's degree level, with general education subjects as may
be appropriate to such programs." G.L. c. 75B, §1. S.M.U. is governed by a
Board of Trustees established under G.L. c. 15, §21A. The powers of the
Board of Trustees are those conferred by the enabling act. See Attorney
General v. Trustees of Boston Elevated Ry. Co., 319 Mass. 642, 655 (1946); cf.
Commonwealth v. Cervey, Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1943, 1952.
General Laws, c. 75B, §§1-7, confer on the Board of Trustees an
extensive degree of control over the university. 2 However, none of the
'A memorandum submitted on behalf of For The People lists a number of such groups. Counsel for the university has
acknowledged that several different organizations use S.M.U. property, while reserving his right to question specific details
on the submitted list. I find no need to address such details in the context of this opinion.
: The Trustees select and determine the conditions of employment for the president and professional staff of the university,
§10. They establish qualifications and standards for admission, promotion and graduation, §1. They also have a variety of
other specifically defined powers such as those relating to the maintenance of an accounting system, §7. the administration of
special trusts, §8, the purchase of supplies and equipment. §9, and the issuance of annual and special reports. §11.
P.D. 12 153
specific provisions in G.L. c. 75B directly governs the situation presented in
your request. 3 Reference must therefore be made to the general grant of
authority contained in that chapter. In this regard, G.L. c. 75B, §1, provides
in pertinent part:
In addition to the authority, responsibility, powers and duties
specifically conferred by this chapter, the board of trustees shall,
subject only to such general authority in the board of higher
education, have all authority, responsibility, rights, privileges,
powers and duties customarily and traditionally exercised by
governing boards of institutions of higher learning.
The construction of this language governs whether approval of the rental
arrangement with For The People is within the scope of the Trustees'
authority.
The language of §1 places reliance upon notions of custom and tradition.
As stated above, there is general agreement that organizations not formally
connected with the university traditionally have been allowed to use
university property for different types of functions and purposes. 4 The
question, then, is not whether private organizations may as a general matter
use the school's property, but whether For The People's particular use of
S.M.U. property is permissible.
The pertinent issue was set forth in an opinion of the Attorney General
which approved the use of the recreational facilities of Lowell Textile
Institute, a state educational institution, by private groups. The trustees of
the institution were said to "have the authority, in the exercise of their
sound discretion and judgment ... to permit . . . [such] use . . . provided that
such use is so limited and regulated by them as not to interfere with its
employment for the school's purposes and for the needs of the pupils of said
institution." 1940 Op. Atty. Gen. at 74, 75.
The present opinion request does not indicate that For The People has
interfered with the use of S.M.U. property by its students or is likely to do
so in the future. 5 The question of interference, however, has more than a
physical dimension. In any case where a private group uses facilities
belonging to a public university, it is also necessary to determine whether
the nature of the activitiy is such as to clash with the school's educational
purposes. Thus, the nature of the activity may be so unrelated to the
educational purpose that it constitutes an impermissible use even in the
absence of actual physical interference.
Compare G.L. c. 75B. §13, which specifically authorizes the Trustees to lease dwellings on the S.M.U. campus to former
teachers or employees of the university for successive one-year terms, provided a reasonable rent is paid. A year's lease of a
home is clearlv o( a very different character than intermittent and short-term use of printing equipment. That the dwelling
lease should be dealt with specifically by statute arrangement involving university propertv requires express statutory
permission Cf. Securities & Exchange Comm'n v. CM. Joiner Leasing Corp., 320 U.S. 344, 350-351 (1943); City of New York
v. Davis. 7 F. 2d 566, 575 (2d Cir. 1925).
It should be noted at the outset that I find no constitutional or statutory prohibition generally against any use of the
university's properu by private interests. In particular, it is clear that the Anil- Aid Amendment, art. 18 of the Amendments to
the Massachusetts Constitution, does not prohibit every such use, cf. 1975/76 Op. Atty. Gen. No. 72 at 183; 1974/75 Op. Atty.
Gen No. 65 at 153; 7 Op. Atty. Gen at 616 ( 1925) With respect to statutory provisions, the recently enacted G.L. c. 7, §36.
furnishes implicit authorization for use of property in circumstances like those at issue here. This statute is discussed below.
See p 7 infra.
Indeed, the fact that the student newspaper has voluntarily entered into the arrangement with For The People supports a
:onlrary conclusion. Moreover. For Tne People's memorandum specifically states that it uses The Torch's equipment on
weekends and other times when S.M.U. students are not themselves using it.
154 P.D. 12
The term educational purpose is broad indeed, transcending the granting
of academic degrees. See Harbor Schools, Inc. v. Board of Appeals oj
Haverhill, Mass. App. Ct. Adv. Sh. (1977) 1012, 1018, and cases cited: cf
Cummin gt on School for the Arts, Inc. v. Board of Assessors of Cummin gt on,
Mass. Adv. Sh. (1977) 2283, 2289-2290. As the existence of The Torch
demonstrates, the preparation and distribution of a newspaper is certainly
within the ambit of educational activities pursued at S.M.U. Moreover, it
appears that the educational purposes of S.M.U. are linked directly with the
area in which it is located. Thus, the Trustees must reside in specified cities,
towns or communities surrounding S.M.U. in order to qualify for
appointment. G.L. c. 15, §21 A. In addition, a recent report prepared by
representatives of the various university "constituencies" (students, faculty,
administrators and Trustees) on future goals for S.M.U. stresses the
university's role as an educational resource for the Southeastern
Massachusetts region. 6 As explained above, the newspaper published by
For The People focuses on issues of interest and concern to the
communities around S.M.U. Permitting For The People to rent space and
printing equipment may be viewed as one means by which S.M.U. can
serve those communities. 7
In sum, it is my judgment that authorization for the use of the S.M.U.
newspaper facilities by For The People does not contravene the educational
purposes of the university. Accordingly, the Trustees may exercise their
discretion to permit such a use.
Two additional considerations deserve note in connection with For The
People's use of university property. First, G.L. c. 7, §3B, provides in
relevant part that:
No. . . building, facility or equipment owned by the
commonwealth [shall] be used by any person for private
purposes or gain unless the commonwealth receives at least the
cost of providing such building, facility or equipment. . .
The secretary of administration shall . . . from time to time . . .
determine the cost hereinbefore mentioned and shall inform
each . . . institution of the commonwealth . . . having control of
such property or equipment of the cost so determined.
In order to lease The Torch's office space and newspaper printing
equipment to For The People, it appears that the Trustees of S.M.U. will
need to ensure compliance with the pertinent cost regulations promulgated
by the Secretary of Administration and Finance. See 106 Mass. Reg. 1. 10
(1978) (rental charges for space used in state buildings).
The report is entitled "A Report to the President and the University Community." and is authored by the Mission of S M.U.
Committee. It has been furnished to me by the university's counsel
7 It deserves mention, however, that such permission need not be considered an endorsement of the contents of For The
People's publication. Allowing the use of university space and equipment is only to be viewed as a mechanism for enabling a
local group to express its own views. Cf. Bazaar v. Fortune. 476 F. 2d 570 (5th Cir), modified on rehearing, en banc. 489 F. 2d
225 (5th Cir 1973). cert, denied, 416 U.S. 985 (1974).
P.D. 12 155
Finally, a question arises in allocating the university's space or facilities
between permissible but competing uses. I have been informed that the
issue of proper allocation standards is presently under consideration by the
Board of Trustees of S.M.U. A fair, impartial policy requires that no
individual or group be discriminated against in claim for use of university
space or equipment because of the content of its message. Cf. Police Dept. of
Chicago v. Mosely, 408 U.S. 92, 95 (1972); cf. also Southeastern Promotions,
Ltd. v. Conrad, 420 U.S. 546, 555 (1975); Stacy v. Williams, 306 F. Supp.
963 (N.D. Miss. 1969) (three-judge court); compare Advocates for the Arts,
Inc. v. Thomson, 532 F. 2d 792, 795-797 (1st Cir. 1976). So long as a private
use of university property neither interferes physically with the students'
use nor contravenes the educational purposes of the school, neutrality
should provide the key to the allocation process.
Very truly yours,
FRANC I ES X. BELLOTTI
Attorney General
156 P.D. 12
INDEX OF OPINIONS
TOPIC OPINION PAGE
Advertising
Expenditure of funds for advertising promoting expansion
of industry in Commonwealth 16 106
Affirmative Action
Declines reply on validity of proposed rule 6 82
Alcoholic Beverages
Regulation of liquor traffic on state and federal military
reservations 83
Appealability of Decision
Powers of Governor and Executive Council in appeals
from decisions on veterans' benefits 4 75
Appointments
Designation of state hospital area unit as "facility"; powers
and duties of area director 8 85
Armed Forces
1 ) Regulation of liquor traffic on state and federal military
reservations 7 83
2) Entitlement of National Guard officers to state and/or
federal pay in certain situations 19 117
Banks and Banking
Collection agency license for Pennsylvania corporation 12 96
Boards and Commissions
1) Constitutionality of bill granting immunity and
privilege to members of Board of Registration and
Discipline in Medicine 5 78
2) Statutory restrictions on outside educational activities
of Board of Education members 21 123
3) Authority of State Fire Marshal to review and approve
multi-fuel boilers where oil burner component is already
approved 26 137
4) Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and
Division of Hearing Officers 17 109
Building Code
Application of G.L. c. 143, § 3R ("lock law") to buildings
erected prior to effective date 11 94
Chapter 766
Financial responsibility for special education of "grand-
fathered" children 3 72
Civil Service
1) Declines reply on validity of proposed affirmative
action rule
2) Employee class reallocation appeals 14 100
3) Authority of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council with respect to police training programs 30 147
Coastal Zone
Declines reply concerning Coastal Zone Management
program
18 115
P.D. 12 157
TOPIC OPINION PAGE
Constitutionality
1) bill granting immunity and privilege to members of
Board of Registration and Discipline in Medicine 5 78
2) Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and
Division of Hearing Officers 17 109
3) Transfer of land to Southeastern Massachusetts Univer-
sity 23 128
Contracts
Ownership of water pollution control facility and responsi-
bility for damage in major disaster 20 122
Disasters
Ownership of water pollution control facility and responsi-
bility for damage in major disaster 20 122
Discrimination
Declines reply on validity of proposed rule 6 82
Educational Institutions
Use of university property by outside organization 31 151
Elections
1 ) Recordkeeping requirements for small campaign contri-
butions 24 132
2) Obligations of Office of Campaign and Political
Finance to respond to inquiry on validity of financial dis-
closure reports 27 138
Employees, Public
1) Declines reply on validity of proposed affirmative
action rule 6 82
2) Employee class reallocation appeals 14 100
3) Authority of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council with respect to police training programs 30 147
Fees
1) Fee limits for copying public records 10 92
2) Sunday licenses for flea markets 22 126
3) Uniform fee schedules for municipal public access facil-
ities 29 144
Fire Prevention, Board of
Authority of State Fire Marshal to review and approve
multi-fuel boilers where oil burner component is already
approved 26 137
First Amendment
Use of university property by outside organization 31 151
^lea Markets
Sunday licenses 22 126
-reedom of Information
Public access to files on injured employee 9 88
3un Control: see Weapons
hospitals
Compliance with determination of need process 1 64
^and Use
Transfer of land to Southeastern Massachusetts University 23 128
158 P.D. 12
TOPIC OPINION PAGE
Leaves of Absence
Treatment of unused sick leave payments in computing
teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
Liability
Ownership of water pollution control facility and responsi-
bility for damage in major disaster 20 122
Licenses
1) Collection agency license for Pennsylvania corporation 12 96
2) Sunday licenses for flea markets 22 126
"Lock Law"
Application of G.L. c. 143, § 3R to buildings erected prior
to effective date 11 94
Medicine, Board of Registration and Discipline in
Constitutionality of bill granting immunity and privilege to
members 5 78
Mental Health
Designation of state hospital area unit as "facility"; powers
and duties of area director 8 85
National Guard
1) Entitlement of officers to state and/or federal pay in
certain situations 19
2) Set off of federal disability compensation against state
disability retirement allowance 25
Nursing and Convalescent Homes
Compliance with determination of need process 1
Open Records: see also Public Records
Public access to files on injured employee 9
Physically Handicapped
Set off of federal disability compensation against state dis-
ability retirement allowance 25
Police
Authority of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council with respect to police training programs 30
Political Contributions
Recordkeeping requirements for small campaign contribu-
tions 24
Preemption
Regulation of liquor traffic on state and federal military
reservations
Prisoners
Interpretation of term "furlough" in gun control law 15
Public Buildings
Use of university property by outside organization 31
Public Hearings
Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and Divi-
sion of Hearing Officers 17
Public Lands
1 ) Transfer of land to Southeastern Massachusetts Univer-
sity 23
P.D. 12 159
TOPIC OPINION PAGE
2) Uniform fee schedules for municipal public access facil-
ities 29 144
Public Records: see also Open Records
1) Public access to files on injured employee 9 88
2) Fee limits for copying public records 10 92
Purchasing
Application of small business purchasing program 28 140
Rate Setting
Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and Divi-
sion of Hearing Officers 17 109
Retirement
1 ) Treatment of unused sick leave payments in computing
teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
2) Set off of federal disability compensation against state
disability retirement allowance 25 134
Rulemaking Power
1) Application of G.L. c. 143, § 3R ("lock law") to build-
ings erected prior to effective date 11 94
2) Uniform fee schedules for municipal public access facil-
ities 29 144
Rules and Regulations
1) Declines reply on validity of proposed affirmative ac-
tion rule 6 82
2) Application of G.L. c. 143, § 3R ("lock law") to build-
ings erected prior to effective date 11 94
3) Interpretation of term "furlough" in gun control law 15 102
4) Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and
Division of Hearing Officers 17 109
5) Authority of State Fire Marshal to review and approve
multi-fuel boilers where oil burner component is already
approved 26 137
6) Uniform fee schedules for municipal public access fa-
cilities 29 144
Safety Equipment
Authority of State Fire Marshal to review and approve
multi-fuel boilers where oil burner component is already
approved 26 137
Salaries
1) Treatment of unused sick leave payments in comput-
ing teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
2) Entitlement of National Guard officers to state and/or
federal pay in certain situations 19 117
3) Statutory restrictions on outside educational activities
of Board of Education members 21 123
Sick Leave
Treatment of unused sick leave payments in computing
teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
Small Business
Application of small business purchasing program 28 140
160 P.D. 12
TOPIC OPINION PAGE
Southeastern Massachusetts University
1) Transfer of land 23 128
2) Use of university property by outside organization 31 151
Statutory Construction
1) Definition of word "teacher" in G.L. c. 71, § 38 2 68
2) Treatment of unused sick leave payments in comput-
ing teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
3) Interpretation of term "furlough" in gun control law 15 102
4) Expenditure of funds for advertising promoting expan-
sion of industry in Commonwealth 16 106
5) Relationship between Rate Setting Commission and
Division of Hearing Officers 17 109
6) Declines reply concerning Coastal Zone Management
program 18 115
7) Statutory restrictions on outside educational activities
of Board of Education members 21 123
8) Transfer of land to Southeastern Massachusetts Uni-
versity 23 128
9) Obligation of Office of Campaign and Political
Finance to respond to inquiry on validity of financial dis-
closure reports 27 138
10) Application of small business purchasing program 28 140
1 1 ) Authority of Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council with respect to police training programs 30 147
Teachers
1) Definition of word "teacher" in G.L. c. 71, § 38 2 68
2) Treatment of unused sick leave payments in comput-
ing teachers' retirement allowances 13 97
"3 + 3" Rule
Declines reply on validity of proposed affirmative action
rule 6 82
Transfer of Land
Transfer of land to Southeastern Massachusetts University 23 128
Veterans
1) Powers of Governor and Executive Council in appeals
from decisions on veterans' benefits 4 75
2) Declines reply on validity of proposed affirmative ac-
tion rule 6 82
Weapons
Interpretation of term "furlough" in gun control law 15 102
Workmen's Compensation
Set off of federal disability compensation against state dis-
ability retirement allowance 25 134
P.D. 12 161
INDEX OF REQUESTING AGENCIES
AGENCY
Adjutant General
Administration and Finance, Executive
Office of
Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission .
Banks, Commissioner of
Building Code Commission: see State
Building Code Commission
Campaign and Political Finance, Office of
Civil Service Commission
Correction, Department of
Criminal Justice Training Council: see
Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council
Education, Department of
Environmental Affairs, Executive Office of
Executive Council
Federal Disaster Assistance Administra-
tion, Region I
Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreational Vehi-
cles, Department of
Higher Education, Board of
House of Representatives
Human Services, Executive Office of
Industrial Accidents, Division of
Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training
Council
Mental Health, Commissioner of
Public Health, Department of
Public Records, Supervisor of
Public Safety, Commissioner of
Retirement, State Board of: see Treasurer
and Receiver General
Senate Committee on Ways and Means . . .
State Building Code Commission
Treasurer and Receiver General
OPINION
PAGE
19
117
6, 13,28
82, 97, 140
7
83
12
96
24,27
132, 138
6, 14
82, 100
15
102
2,21
68, 123
18
115
4
75
20
122
29
144
23,31
128, 151
16,26
106, 137
3, 17
72, 109
9
88
30
147
8
85
1
64
10
92
22
126
5
78
11
94
25
134