The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
PRESENTED BY:
Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.
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To the
Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to investigations of fires and explosions by the state fire marshal.
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PETITION OF:
Name: |
District/Address: |
Timothy J. Toomey, Jr. |
26th Middlesex |
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS
SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2391 OF 2007-2008.]
The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
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In the Year Two Thousand and Nine
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An Act relative to investigations of fires and explosions by the
state fire marshal.
Be
it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court
assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION
1. Chapter 148 of the Massachusetts General Laws, as appearing in the 2006
Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting, after section 3 the following
new section:—
Section 3A. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, whenever
the marshal has reason to believe that a fire or explosion of suspicious origin
may be directly related to the delivery of electricity or gas by an electric or
gas company, as defined in M.G.L c. 164, he shall have exclusive jurisdiction
to investigate the cause and origin of said fire or explosion, until such time
as he has concluded his investigation. The marshal may require said electric or
gas company, as the case may be, to provide payment for laboratory analysis, as
he shall deem necessary, to carry out said investigation. The laboratory
testing shall remain confidential and not available to any persons, including
said gas or electric companies or other regulatory agencies until the marshal
has concluded his investigation or sooner if the marshal has determined the
sharing of such information is in the public’s interest.