Articles CXI-CXX, Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution
| Massachusetts Constitution |
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| Preamble |
| Part the First: |
| Articles I - XXX |
| Part the Second: |
| Chapter 1 |
| Chapter 2 |
| Chapter 3 |
| Chapter 4 |
| Chapter 5 |
| Chapter 6 |
| Articles of Amendment |
Article CXI
No student shall be assigned to or denied admittance to a public school on the basis of race, color, national origin or creed.[1]
Article CXII
Article IV of chapter 1 of Part the Second of the Constitution is hereby amended by inserting after the words "and to impose and levy proportional and reasonable assessments, rates and taxes, upon all the inhabitants of, and persons resident, and estates lying, within said Commonwealth" the words: -, except that, in addition to the powers conferred under Articles XLI and XCIX of the Amendments, the general court may classify real property according to its use in no more than four classes and to assess, rate and tax such property differently in the classes so established, but proportionately in the same class, and except that reasonable exemptions may be granted.[1]
Article CXIII
The first sentence of the sixth paragraph of Section 3 of Article II of the Amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth, as appearing in Article LXXXIX of said Amendments, is hereby amended by striking out the words "ten months" and inserting in place thereof the words: -- eighteen months.[1]
Article CXIV
No otherwise qualified handicapped individual shall, solely by reason of his handicap, be excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity within the commonwealth.[1]
Article CXV
No law imposing additional costs upon two or more cities or towns by the regulation of the compensation, hours, status, conditions or benefits of municipal employment shall be effective in any city or town until such law is accepted by vote or by the appropriation of money for such purposes, in the case of a city, by the city council in accordance with its charter, and in the case of a town, by a town meeting or town council, unless such law has been enacted by a two-thirds vote of each house of the general court present and voting thereon, or unless the general court, at the same session in which such law is enacted, has provided for the assumption by the commonwealth of such additional cost.[1]
Article CXVI
Article XXVI of part 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth is hereby amended by adding the following two sentences: No provision of the Constitution, however, shall be construed as prohibiting the imposition of the punishment of death. The general court may, for the purpose of protecting the general welfare of the citizens, authorize the imposition of the punishment of death by the courts of law having jurisdiction of crimes subject to the punishment of death.[1]
Article CXVII
Section 1
Note: Article CXVII Section 1 was amended by Amendments, Art. CXIX.
Section 1 of Article CI of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph, as amended by Article CIX of said Articles of Amendment, and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph: - The federal census shall be the basis for determining the representative districts for the ten year period beginning with the first Wednesday in the [fifth] January following the taking of said census.[1]
Section 2
Note: Article CXVII Section 2 was amended by Amendments, Art. CXIX.
Section 2 of said Article CI of said Articles of Amendment is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence: - Said federal census shall likewise be the basis for determining the senatorial districts and also the councillor districts for the ten year period beginning with the first Wednesday in the [fifth] January following the taking of such census.[1]
Article CXVIII
The base compensation as of January first, nineteen hundred and ninety-six, of members of the general court shall not be changed except as provided in this article. As of the first Wednesday in January of the year two thousand and one and every second year thereafter, such base compensation shall be increased or decreased at the same rate as increases or decreases in the median household income for the commonwealth for the preceding two year period, as ascertained by the governor.[1]
Article CXIX
Section 1
Section 1 of Article CI of the Articles of Amendment to the Constitution is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph, as appearing in section 1 of CXVII of said Articles of Amendment, and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:--
The federal census shall be the basis for determining the representative districts for the ten year period beginning with the first Wednesday in the third January following the taking of said census.[1]
Section 2
Section 2 of said Article CI is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence, as appearing in section 2 of said Article CXVII, and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-- Said federal census shall likewise be the basis for determining the senatorial districts and also the councillor districts for the ten year period beginning with the first Wednesday in the third January following the taking of said census.[1]
Article CXX
Article III of the Amendments to the Constitution, as amended, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word "upwards" the following words:-- , excepting persons who are incarcerated in a correctional facility due to a felony conviction, and.[1]
Article CXXI
Article XLIV of the Massachusetts Constitution is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph at the end thereof:-
To provide the resources for quality public education and affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation, all revenues received in accordance with this paragraph shall be expended, subject to appropriation, only for these purposes. In addition to the taxes on income otherwise authorized under this Article, there shall be an additional tax of 4 percent on that portion of annual taxable income in excess of $1,000,000 (one million dollars) reported on any return related to those taxes. To ensure that this additional tax continues to apply only to the commonwealth’s highest income taxpayers, this $1,000,000 (one million dollars) income level shall be adjusted annually to reflect any increases in the cost of living by the same method used for federal income tax brackets. This paragraph shall apply to all tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2023.
Amendments
- Added with voter approval of Question 1 on November 8, 2022.
See also
- State constitution
- Constitutional article
- Constitutional amendment
- Constitutional revision
- Constitutional convention
- Amendments
External links
Additional reading
- The Heritage Foundation, "Massachusetts Constitution"
- Social Law Library Research Council, "Timeline of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780"
Footnotes
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