Current through act 12 of the 2019 legislative session. Although multiple stores throughout the country have said they will open up earlier on thanksgiving day for black friday deals, massachusetts is not included in those promotions. Published under contract with the commonwealth, general laws of massachusetts contains the full unannotated text of all statutes passed by the massachusetts general court, the massachusetts constitution, and the constitution of the united states. These 16 crazy laws in massachusetts will leave you scratching your head in wonder.
Blue laws may also restrict shopping or ban sale of certain items on specific days, most often on sundays in the western world. Here are 10 laws you should know if youre in massachusetts. Blue laws have been a part of our history since colonial times and were enforced in massachusetts until the 1990s when alcohol sales were allowed on sundays first it was the border towns that were allowed to open, then in 2003 governor romney approved a bill that allowed all stores in massachusetts the opportunity to open on sunday. Other than the aforementioned exempt businesses, massachusetts blue laws restrict any business to operate on thanksgiving day.
There are nearly 300 chapters of massachusetts general laws, covering everything from property and domestic issues to criminal cases. From parking tickets to kinder eggs, sometimes the law works in mysterious ways. See handbook of massachusetts legal research for listing of early codifications. Massachusetts law welcome to the massachusetts law section of findlaw s state law collection. Blue laws, also known as sunday laws, are laws designed to restrict or ban some or all sunday activities for religious reasons, particularly to promote the observance of a day of worship or rest. Legislation is enacted by the general court, published in the acts and resolves of massachusetts, and codified in the general laws of massachusetts. Massachusetts lawmakers consider bills to update state gun laws updated aug 29, 2019. Breedspecific legislation is banned in massachusetts. Welcome to findlaws hosted version of the massachusetts general laws. However, if it is not a crime of violence, the person will be entitled to receive the fid after five years from the date of conviction or release from prison, probation or parole whichever is longer. Massachusetts antihazing law abuses of process respect for shared.
With a little help from, weve gathered together some of the most bizarre laws and regulations in massachusetts. On august 10, 2018, governor charlie baker signed into law a bill governing noncompetition agreements. State agency regulations sometimes called administrative law are published in the massachusetts register and codified in the code of massachusetts. Although the infamous blue laws are more than 340 years old, many still remain on the books. Please select a topic from the list below to get started. This guide discusses the new law and provides helpful practice tips for employers. These laws are enforced by the attorney generals office. Here you will find a collection of state laws passed by the massachusetts legislature and organized by subject area into parts, titles, chapters and sections. New hampshire 2230 companies found narrow results by. Citations to massachusetts laws will typically look like 1 of the following. Massachusetts blue laws date back to the puritan era, and are often hard to square with modern life. A brief and random history of weird massachusetts laws by danny.
The constitution of massachusetts is the foremost source of state law. A retail employer who employs more than a total of seven persons, including the proprietor, on any day throughout the week may remain open on sundays and. Commonly used massachusetts secondary sources rule 15. The commonwealths laws are promulgated by an elected bicameral twochamber legislative body, the massachusetts general court. The settlers have passed away, but the laws still remain, even though.
Quick guide to massachusetts noncompete law beck reed. Blue laws are enforced in parts of the united states and canada as well. If you have questions about statewide approval of local permits for holiday openings, contact the department of labor standards minimum wage program at 617 6266952. Massachusetts legislature, officially known as the general court of the commonwealth. Under massachusetts blue laws, the general rule is that most employers may not be open for business on sundays and certain holidays. The different abbreviations simply refer to the same laws published by different companies. Massachusetts early settlers fled england to escape religious persecution, but ended up imposing some pretty strange laws in order to stay in gods good graces. Restrictions on business openings on sundays and holidays, also known as the massachusetts blue laws, are enforced by the attorney generals fair labor.
Massachusetts constitution the rights, structure, and amendments of the commonwealths constitution. On this day in 1642, massachusetts bay colony passed the first law in the new world requiring that children be taught to read and write. In 1975, the soil conservation service, usda, in massachusetts published the first edition of the. Pages in category massachusetts law the following 34 pages are in this category, out of 34 total. In boston, duels can be carried out to death on sunday as long as the governor is present. Massachusetts fair and safe labor practices posted on aug 20. False teeth must be removed during sexual intercourse. Massachusetts is viewed by much of the country as a bastion of progressive thought. A complete collection of massachusetts session laws, dating back to 1654, is located in the state session laws collection on microfiche, microform room cabinet 5, drawers 2426.
Massachusetts firearms law disqualifiers all of the following crimes will disqualify a person from immediately obtaining an fid. Most birds are protected by federal laws under the migratory bird act of 1918, as well as by massachusetts state laws. Browse general laws the general laws of the commonwealth. Many of the birds and animals we encounter are protected in some way by local and national laws. A brief and random history of weird massachusetts laws. The following regulations, to be known as the blue book, are hereby. All of these refer to massachusetts general laws, chapter 93a, section 1. Citing the law student legal services libguides at university of. Reading legal citations, boston college law library. Browse session laws laws specific to general court sessions past and present.
A cop reveals the crimes, racism, and injustice in americas law enforcement by matthew horace and ron harris aug 7, 2018 4. Massachusetts blue laws affect a large number of its businesses, especially concerning holiday operations. Cadets shall use sir or maam in addressing college officials and staff. With that said, if a massachusetts retailer or nonretail business satisfies at least one of fiftyfive eligible exemptions, it may operate on holidays. Session laws state statutory research libguides at boston. Annotated guide to massachusetts evidence, 20192020 ed. Laband and deborah hendry heinbuch in their book, blue laws. Massachusetts erosion and sediment control guidelines for urban. Massachusetts statutes citation guides libguides at westfield. The earliest known reference to these strictures as blue laws comes from a connecticut history written in 1781 by the reverend samuel peters, who noted that punishments for breaking them. Hazing is a violation of south carolina law and citadel regulations and is punishable by up to expulsion.
Luckily for us, most have been ruled unconstitutional and are no longer enforced. Breedspecific legislation is banned in massachusetts gov. There are thousands of other law on the books, some of which. The english puritans who founded massachusetts believed that the wellbeing of individuals, along with the success of the colony, depended on a people literate enough to read both the bible and the laws of the land. Section 204 denial, revocation, suspension, cancellation, and withdrawal of. Section headings are editorially supplied for clarity and easier location, and the set includes an extensive index. Chapter 149 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2014 official edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 24k the following section. Chapter 112, section 5c of the massachusetts general laws addresses noncompete agreements for social workers licensed under the massachusetts board of registration for social workers. Besides massachusetts, only rhode island has remnants of antiquated blue laws, so the issue doesnt apply broadly. Within massachusetts courts you may find a shorter citation for the same law, such as. Massachusetts blue laws are back in the headlines, this time tied to accusations that the oldschool laws are unfairly inapplicable to online retail giant amazons business, even if. The quad newstrition state of the first amendment survey. Deval patrick signs a bill that also creates a spayandneuter program and gives pets protection in domesticabuse cases. Amazons pantry grocery service competes with large chains such as.
Monthly reports of state tax and other revenue collected by dor. The resulting lawsboth session laws and general lawstogether make up the statutory law of the commonwealth. Massachusetts passes first education law mass moments. A resource guide to benefit seniors and their families city of. Abbot, flagstaff, pine knoll, west quad north, or west quad south. Free, online guide to bluebook citations by georgetown law library. The department of labor standards has authority over the statewide approval of local permits allowing businesses to. Every massachusetts employee is entitled to workplace rights that are protected under state labor laws. Massachusetts noncompete law a primer fair competition. Massachusetts blue laws if you have questions about possible violations of these laws, please contact the attorney generals fair labor division at 617 7273465. For those looking for a basic primer on massachusetts noncompete law, i thought id provide the following from my book, negotiating, drafting, and enforcing noncompetition agreements and related restrictive covenants 5th ed. See the article in its original context from november, 1886, page 4. The massachusetts blue laws control hours of operation for certain businesses and require some businesses to pay extra compensation known as premium pay on sundays and some legal holidays. Fortunately, things have certainly settled down a bit from those days in massachusetts.
However, there is an exception for certain retail employers. Cite the statute as found in the massachusetts general laws, or if not there, in the massachusetts acts. These tables give the various abbreviations for the u. Massachusetts nonattainmentmaintenance status for each. Tercentenary edition of the general laws of the commonwealth of massachusetts, comprising the general laws enacted december 22, 1920, to take effect january 1, 1921, as amended prior to january 1, 1932. Violation of massachusetts blue laws may result in. Massachusetts lawmakers consider bills to update state gun. Rhode island or boston eastern mass and southern new hampshire or. Most of these laws are still on the books, though they may not be. David linsky, dnatick, testifies on gun control related bills at a hearing on aug. They are known by a variety of names blue laws, sunday blue laws. For example, oftfrequented retailers such as restaurants, libraries, bakeries, hotels. But whether youre traveling through or looking to relocate, its a good idea to become familiar with massachusetts laws. This section contains userfriendly summaries of massachusetts laws as well as citations or links to relevant sections of massachusettss official online statutes.
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