Chap. 0611 An Act authorizing cities and towns to borrow on account of public welfare and veterans' benefits.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which in part is to make immediately operative, in view of the existing financial emergency in certain cities and towns, the provisions of this act authorizing cities and towns to borrow certain sums during the current year and the next succeeding year on account of expenses for public welfare and for aid to veterans, therefore this act is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted, etc., as follows:

Section 1. Subject to the provisions of this act, any city or town, by a two thirds vote as defined in section one of chapter forty-four of the General Laws, and with the approval of the mayor or selectmen and of the emergency finance board established under section one of chapter forty-nine of the acts of nineteen hundred and thirty-three, may borrow in each of the years nineteen hundred and forty-seven and nineteen hundred and forty-eight inside its limit of indebtedness as prescribed by section ten of said chapter

forty-four, for use only for meeting appropriations made or to be made for public welfare, including in such term old age assistance and aid to dependent children, and for veterans' benefits to an amount not more than one half of one per cent of the average of the assessors' valuation of its taxable property for the three preceding years, such valuation to be reduced and otherwise determined as provided in said section ten of said chapter forty-four, and may issue bonds or notes therefor, which shall bear on their face the words (name of city or town) Municipal Relief Loan, Act of 1947. Each authorized issue shall constitute a separate loan, and such loans shall be paid in not more than five years from their dates, as said board shall fix, and, except as herein provided, shall be subject to said chapter forty-four, exclusive of the limitation contained in the first paragraph of section seven thereof.

Loans may be issued hereunder in the year nineteen hundred and forty-seven or nineteen hundred and forty-eight, as the case may be, only by a city or town which in such year has appropriated to be raised by taxation, or appropriated from available funds for the purposes enumerated in the preceding paragraph, an amount not less than the aggregate of its expenditures made in the year preceding the year of issue for old age assistance and aid to dependent children to be met otherwise than from the proceeds of federal grants, and of its expenditures made in said preceding year for veterans' benefits, together with an amount equal to not less than seventy-five per cent of its expenditures made in said preceding year for all public welfare purposes other than old age assistance, aid to dependent children and veterans' benefits, all as determined by the board.

If a loan under authority of this act has been approved by said board during the year nineteen hundred and forty-seven or nineteen hundred and forty-eight for a city or town, the amount of any appropriation voted by such city or town for said year for public welfare, including in such term old age assistance, aid to dependent children and veterans' benefits, shall not be reduced during the said year by appropriation, transfer or otherwise, except with the written approval of the board. Whenever used in this act the words "veterans' benefits" shall include the forms of aid to veterans now or formerly known as state aid, military aid, soldiers' relief, and soldiers' burials, or any words or phrases connoting the same.

Section 2. The members of the board aforesaid, when acting under this act, shall receive from the commonwealth compensation to the same extent as provided for services under chapter three hundred and sixty-six of the acts of nineteen hundred and thirty-three, as amended, including chapter seventy-four of the acts of nineteen hundred and forty-five.

Section 3. A loan order voted in any city under authority of this act shall be deemed to be an emergency order and

as such may be passed in such manner as is provided for emergency orders or ordinances in its charter, and shall be in full force and effect immediately upon final favorable action thereon by its city council or chief executive, as the case may be, or upon the expiration of any period specified by such charter for the approval or disapproval of such orders by its chief executive in any case where he fails to approve or disapprove such an order within such period, notwithstanding any provision of general or special law or ordinance to the contrary; provided, that in the city of Boston such loan orders may be passed in the manner provided in its charter for loan orders for temporary loans in anticipation of taxes.

Section 4. In any city a loan order under authority of this act may be passed by vote of two thirds of all the members of the city council, or of each branch thereof where there are two branches, exclusive of those members who are in the military or naval forces of the United States and are not present at the meeting at which any such vote is taken at the time of the vote, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary. Approved June 28, 1947.