The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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DEVAL L. PATRICK GOVERNOR TIMOTHY P. MURRAY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Executive Department State House  ·  Boston 02133 (617) 725-4000

February 9, 2007.

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives:

   Pursuant to Article LVI, as amended by Article XC, Section 3 of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I am returning to you for amendment House Bill No. 2014, “An Act Relative To The Procedures of Town Meeting In The Town Of Burlington.”

   The Burlington town meeting approved petitioning for special legislation to make changes to the procedures registered voters in the town of Burlington must follow to reverse a final vote of a representative town meeting session.  These changes include allowing the town additional time, up to 100 days, for the special election to be held (an increase from 35 days), specifying that the board of registrars shall certify the signatures of registered voters within seven days of the filing date and adding a provision allowing lengthy questions to be stated on the ballot in summary form.

This bill also changes the threshold number of registered voters required to reverse the action of the representative town meeting from 20 per cent to 25 per cent.  We have been informed by Representative Murphy that the town would prefer that this threshold number remain at 20 per cent.  I, therefore, recommend that House Bill No. 2014 be amended by striking out, in the second sentence of the third paragraph of subsection (g), the number “25”  and inserting in place thereof the following number:- 20.

Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                       DEVAL L. PATRICK,

                                                                 Governor.