Notices of Public Hearing (Published 2/14/2025)

Fisheries & Wildlife, Division of - 321 CMR 2.00 & 3.00 (3.02 (4))

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

321 CMR 7.0

In accordance with M.G.L., Chapter 131, Sections 5 and 63, and Chapter 30A, Section 2, NOTICE is hereby given that the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments to 321 CMR 7.0 Wildlife Sanctuaries Regulations in Massachusetts on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., via a Zoom video webinar with the Hearing Officer and MassWildlife staff, with the public joining via computer or phone line. The proposed amendments will specify how Wildlife Sanctuaries will be posted, as mandated by and in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 131 § 10.

The proposed regulatory amendment relative to 321 CMR 7.0 and the link to join the Zoom webinar are posted at Mass.gov/MassWildlife/Hearings so that interested persons can review the proposed regulations and provide written comments prior to the hearing or oral comments during the virtual hearing. The instructions to join the webinars are also contained in the draft regulations document posted on the public hearings page above. 

Written public comments will be accepted before the hearing and after it closes, until Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 4:00 p.m.

Please note: MassWildlife is committed to providing equitable access to its public meetings, hearings, and events. American Sign Language (ASL) and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioning, as well as live interpretation, including in Español, Português, 中文, Kreyòl Ayisyen, or Tiếng Việt, will be provided for this hearing upon request. Please contact Susan Sacco at susan.sacco@mass.gov to request accommodation or interpretation by 12:00 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Mark S. Tisa, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Director

CMR No.: 321 CMR 7.00: Wildlife Sanctuaries
Small Business Impact Statement

(As required by M.G.L. c. 30A §§ 2, 3 & 5) 

• Estimate of the Number of Small Businesses Impacted by the Regulation:

  0

• Will small businesses have to create, file, or issue additional reports?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to implement additional recordkeeping procedures?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to provide additional administrative oversight?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to hire additional employees in order to comply with the proposed regulation?

  No.

• Does compliance with the regulation require small businesses to hire other professionals (e.g. a lawyer, accountant, engineer, etc.)?

  No. Small businesses are not required by this regulation to hire other professionals.

• Does the regulation require small businesses to purchase a product or make any other capital investments in order to comply with the regulation?

  No.

• Are performance standards more appropriate than design/operational standards to accomplish the regulatory objective?

  
  (Performance standards express requirements in terms of outcomes, giving the regulated party flexibility to achieve regulatory objectives and design/operational standards specify exactly what actions regulated parties must take.)

  No.
  

• Do any other regulations duplicate or conflict with the proposed regulation?

  No.

• Does the regulation require small businesses to cooperate with audits, inspections, or other regulatory enforcement activities?

  No.

• Does the regulation require small businesses to provide educational services to keep up to date with regulatory requirements?

  No.

• Is the regulation likely to deter the formation of small businesses in Massachusetts?

  No.

• Is the regulation likely to encourage the formation of small businesses in Massachusetts?

  No.

• Does the regulation provide for less stringent compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Does the regulation establish less stringent schedules or deadlines for compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Did the agency consolidate or simplify compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Can performance standards for small businesses replace design or operational standards without hindering delivery of the regulatory objective?

  No.

• Are there alternative regulatory methods that would minimize the adverse impact on small businesses?

  No.

Housing and Livable Communities, Executive Office of - 760 CMR 72.00

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A, § 3, notice is hereby given of the emergency promulgation effective January 14, 2025, of regulation 760 CMR 72.00 – Multifamily Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities. EOHLC’s regulatory authority for this action is provided under M.G.L. c. 40A, § 3A and 23B. In accordance with M.G.L. c. 30A, § 5, the proposed regulation has a minimal or non-existent Small Business Impact. The purpose of the regulation is to encourage the production of multi-family housing by requiring MBTA communities to adopt zoning districts where multi-family housing is allowed as of right, and that meet other requirements set forth in the statute.

Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, § 3, written comments on the proposed regulation may be submitted from January 31, 2025 through 11:59 pm on February 21, 2025, by: (1) sending the same electronically to EOHLCRegulationComments@mass.gov , including “Comments on 760 CMR 72” in the subject line; and/or (2) through a form that is available at: www.mass.gov/3APublicCommentForm .

A copy of the proposed regulation will be posted on EOHLC’s website at:
  https://www.mass.gov/infodetails/ eohlc-regulations-current-regulations-and-proposed-amendments .

CMR No: 760 CMR 72.00
Small Business Impact Statement

(As required by M.G.L. c. 30A §§ 2, 3 & 5) 

• Estimate of the Number of Small Businesses Impacted by the Regulation:

  EOHLC does not anticipate that the regulation will have any impact on small businesses. G.L. c. 40A, s. 3A requires MBTA Communities to adopt a zoning ordinance or by-law that provides for at least one district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right. The regulation establishes rules, standards and procedures to set forth how MBTA Communities may achieve compliance with G.L. c. 40A, § 3A.

• Will small businesses have to create, file, or issue additional reports?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to implement additional recordkeeping procedures?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to provide additional administrative oversight?

  No.

• Will small businesses have to hire additional employees in order to comply with the proposed regulation?

  No.

• Does compliance with the regulation require small businesses to hire other professionals (e.g. a lawyer, accountant, engineer, etc.)?

  No.  

• Does the regulation require small businesses to purchase a product or make any other capital investments in order to comply with the regulation?

  No.

• Are performance standards more appropriate than design/operational standards to accomplish the regulatory objective?

  
  (Performance standards express requirements in terms of outcomes, giving the regulated party flexibility to achieve regulatory objectives and design/operational standards specify exactly what actions regulated parties must take.)

  No.
  

• Do any other regulations duplicate or conflict with the proposed regulation?

  No.

• Does the regulation require small businesses to cooperate with audits, inspections, or other regulatory enforcement activities?

  No.

• Does the regulation require small businesses to provide educational services to keep up to date with regulatory requirements?

  No.

• Is the regulation likely to deter the formation of small businesses in Massachusetts?

  No.

• Is the regulation likely to encourage the formation of small businesses in Massachusetts?

  No.

• Does the regulation provide for less stringent compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Does the regulation establish less stringent schedules or deadlines for compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Did the agency consolidate or simplify compliance or reporting requirements for small businesses?

  No.

• Can performance standards for small businesses replace design or operational standards without hindering delivery of the regulatory objective?

  No.

• Are there alternative regulatory methods that would minimize the adverse impact on small businesses?

  No.

State Lottery Commission: 961 CMR 2.00

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Notice is hereby provided that in accordance with M.G.L. c. 30A, §2, the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission will hold a public hearing for purposes of gathering comments relative to proposed amendments to 961 CMR 2.00: Rules and Regulations. The amendments are authorized by M.G.L. c. 10, §24.

The amendments change the game rules for the Mega Millions game that will go into effect on April 5, 2025. Some of the changes include a new numbers matrix and prize structure, increased ticket prices and the incorporation of a guaranteed multiplier. These regulations are governed by M.G.L. c. 10, §24 and M.G.L. c. 30A.

The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission will hold this public hearing remotely on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. To participate in the remote public hearing by telephone, call 1-(972) 301-8269 and enter conference ID number 393569258# when prompted.

A copy of the proposed amendments referenced above may be downloaded by visiting www.masslottery.com. Anyone wishing to offer comments may participate in the remote public hearing at the designated date and time above or submit written comments. Those who wish to receive a written copy of the proposed amendments, or to submit written comments, may do so by sending an email to cporche@masslottery.com, or by mail to Cecelia Porche, Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, 150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125. Written comments must be received by 4:00 p.m. on February 28, 2025.

Additionally, attached please find the accompanying Small Business Impact Statement in accordance with M.G.L. c. 30A, §2.

830 CMR 64H.1.9
Small Business Impact Statement

In accordance with M.G.L. c. 30A, §2.

The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission (“Commission”) hereby files this small business impact statement in accordance with G.L. c.30A, §2 relative to the proposed amendments in 961 CMR 2.00: Rules and Regulations; notice of which was filed this day with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

The amendments change the game rules for the Mega Millions game that will go into effect on April 5, 2025. Some of the changes include a new numbers matrix and prize structure, increased ticket prices and the incorporation of a guaranteed multiplier. These regulations are governed by M.G.L. c. 10, §24. In accordance with G.L. c.30A, §2, the Commission offers the following responses:

• Estimate of the number of small businesses subject to the proposed regulation:

  There are approximately 6899 licensed Lottery agents, approximately 5584 of whom would be considered a small business. These amendments change the game rules for the Mega Millions game. There is minimal impact caused by these regulations as agents will conduct ongoing Lottery business.

• State the projected reporting, recordkeeping and other administrative costs required for compliance with the proposed regulation:

  There are no projected additional reporting, recordkeeping or administrative costs created by these regulations that would affect small businesses. Lottery agents will conduct ongoing Lottery business.

• State the appropriateness of performance standards versus design standards:

  These regulations do not implicate a design or performance standard that would affect small businesses. Lottery agents will conduct ongoing Lottery business.

• Identify regulations of the promulgating agency, or of another agency or department of the commonwealth, which may duplicate or conflict with the proposed regulation:

  The Commission is not aware of duplicate or conflicting regulations.

• State whether the proposed regulation is likely to deter or encourage the formation of new businesses in the commonwealth:

  These regulations are not likely to deter or encourage the formation of new businesses in the Commonwealth.

• Gregory M. Polin

  GREGORY M. POLIN
  GENERAL COUNSEL
  January 29, 2025