Chapter 171 of the Acts of 2006
AN ACT ALLOWING UNSIGNED CIRCULARS AND POSTERS.
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to compensate forthwith certain court employees (wha?), therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Section 41 of chapter 56 of the General Laws is hereby repealed.
House of Representatives, July 13, 2006.
This Bill having been returned by His Excellency the Governor with his objections thereto in writing (see House 5123) has been passed by the House of Representatives, notwithstanding said objections, two-thirds of the House (132 yeas to 24 nays) having agreed to pass the same. Sent to the Senate for its action. Salvatore F. DiMasi, Speaker, Steven T. James, Clerk.
Senate, July 13, 2006.
Passed by the Senate, notwithstanding the objections of His Excellency the Governor, two-thirds of the members present (30 yeas to 6 nays) having approved the same.
Robert E. Travaglini, President, William F. Welch, Clerk. July 21, 2006.
Now – WHAT does this have to do with the ‘compensation of court employees’? Do they KNOW what they were voting on?
This is a TERRIBLE idea! Just when we have finished making candidates resposible for their words by requiring a taped approval of the messge – WE COMPLETELY MAKE WRITTEN COMMUNICATOPS NO-HOLDS-BARRED!
I’m getting hundreds of ‘Deval Patick was convicted of child molesation’ posters made up, and plaster them everywhere! Not my problem having to stand behind the truth of a poster or push piece any more!
Could you link to a source verifying this, or if not, at least state your source?
(If it weren’t the weekend, I’d call up the house clerk’s office and ask đŸ™‚
I was perusing it for session laws recently passed, along with garter snake honoring (did you know we made Taj Mahal the Blues Artist of the Commonwealth?) in preparation for a piece on my own blog, and I happened upon this Session Law – Chapter 171 of the Acts of 2006, titled An Act Relative to Unsigned Posters, which repeals Section 41 of Chapter 56 of the MGL. I copy/pasted both from the Mass. General Court web site.
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I barely figured out how to bold, much less link.
The Supreme Court has held that anonymous political speech is protected under the strictest standard. I seriously doubt whether the old law could have been enforced as written, since it seems pretty much indistinguishable from the Ohio law that was struck down in that decision.
Where do we get away with requiring that?
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It doesn’t CONCERN you that candidates are now free to spew what ever invective they choose, with all involved parties daintily holding their togas aloft and doing Sgt. Schultz imitations?