Massachusetts § 55A - Continuous consolidation of the general statutes; General Laws; correction, revision, etc.

§ 55A. Continuous consolidation of the general statutes; General Laws; correction, revision, etc.

Section 55A. The committees on rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, shall appoint a skilled person as recodification counsel and a skilled person as assistant recodification counsel. The assistant recodification counsel shall assist the recodification counsel in the performance of his duties and, in the absence of the recodification counsel, shall act in his stead. The recodification counsel and the assistant recodification counsel shall not be deemed to be executive or administrative officers within the meaning of the constitution, but shall serve directly under the general court. The recodification counsel may employ such legal and other assistance as may be necessary in the discharge of his duties, subject to the approval of the committees on rules of the two branches, acting concurrently, and may expend with like approval such sums as may be necessary for office, printing and other expenses.

The recodification counsel shall, from time to time, submit to the counsel to the senate and to the counsel to the house of representatives, jointly, recommendations, including drafts of legislation, for the correction, revision, amendment, rearrangement, consolidation, compilation and recodification of the General Laws, or any of them, and amendments thereof, including recommendations for the repeal of such statutory provisions as have become obsolete or the reasons for the enactment of which have ceased to exist. In submitting recommendations under this section the recodification counsel may recommend the omission or repeal of redundant enactments and those which may have ceased to have any effect on existing rights, the rejection or elimination of superfluous words, the condensation of circuitous, tautological and ambiguous phraseology and the correction of mistakes, inconsistencies and imperfections. Recommendations for changes of provisions of the General Laws and amendments thereof, as provided for in this section, shall be consistent with the will and intent of the general court as expressed in such provisions at the time of such recommendations.