§ 1 Definitions
§ 1A Department of correction; application of chapter
§ 1B Department of youth services; application of chapter
§ 1C Parole board; application of chapter
§ 1D Criminal record review board; application of chapter
§ 2 Regulations requiring hearings; adoptions, amendments or repeals; small business impact statement; emergency regulations
§ 3 Regulations not requiring hearings; small business impact statement; adoptions, amendments or repeals
§ 3A Publication of required notices
§ 4 Petitions for adoption, amendment or repeal of regulations
§ 5 Regulations; filing; small business impact statement
§ 5A Review of rules and regulations regarding economic impact on small businesses
§ 6 Massachusetts Register; publication of filed documents and regulations; legal effect; distribution of issues
§ 6A Code of Massachusetts Regulations; publication
§ 6B Agencies to purchase register issues; public access
§ 6C Failure to comply with Sec. 6B; report
§ 6D Expected regulations; publication of list
§ 6E Failure to comply with Sec. 6D; report
§ 7 Judicial review of regulations
§ 8 Advisory rulings by agencies
§ 9 Standard rules; substitute rules; amendments to rules
§ 10 Adjudicatory proceedings; appeals
§ 10A Damage to environment; intervention in adjudicatory proceeding; procedure
§ 11 Adjudicatory proceedings; additional requirements
§ 11B Studies of state boards, commissions and authorities; notice to city or town affected
§ 11C Hearings in municipalities
§ 12 Adjudicatory proceedings; subpoenas
§ 13 Licenses; revocation, etc.; hearings; exceptions; student loan defaulters
§ 13A Issuance and renewal of licenses; social security number of applicant; information provided to IV–D agency
§ 14 Judicial review
§ 15 Supreme judicial court and appeals court; concurrent jurisdiction
§ 16 Supreme judicial court; powers
§ 17 Partial invalidity of chapter; effect
§ 18 Definitions applicable to Secs. 18 to 25
§ 19 Division of open government; open meeting law training; open meeting law advisory commission; annual report
§ 20 Meetings of a public body to be open to the public; notice of meeting; remote participation; recording and transmission of meeting; removal of persons for disruption of proceedings; office holders to certify receipt of open meeting law and educational mat
§ 21 Meeting of public body in executive session
§ 22 Minutes of meetings
§ 23 Enforcement of open meeting law; complaints; hearing; civil action
§ 24 Investigation by attorney general of violations of open meeting law
§ 25 Authority of attorney general to promulgate rules and regulations, letter rulings and advisory opinions

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws > Chapter 30A - State Administrative Procedure

  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
  • Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.