On Wednesday, June 16th, 2021, the Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act Relative to Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted During the State of Emergency. Several key provisions of the bill are listed are below; for more detail, visit the recent blog post on NAIOPma.org.
- State and local public entities can conduct remote public meetings until April 20, 2022, extending remote public meeting legislation that expired after midnight on June 15th.
- As a reminder: Advisory committees, planning subcommittees and other non-official public bodies are not required to follow the same legislation when it comes to holding public meetings; they will be able to continue holding meetings in whatever format they prefer beyond the extension outlined in this act.
- Notarization procedures can remain remote through December 15, 2021. These provisions were set to expire three days after the end of the State of Emergency.
- Current residential evictions procedures were extended:
- If the tenancy is being terminated for (i) the non-payment of rent for a residential dwelling unit, (ii) the non-payment of rent due to financial hardship related to or exacerbated by the COVID-19 emergency, or (iii) the defendant demonstrates a pending application for short-term emergency rental assistance, the court shall grant a continuance for a period as the court may deem just and reasonable, through April 1, 2022.
- Landlord notification requirements relating to the issuance of a Notice to Quit, as well as a report detailing all activities of the Governor's Eviction Diversion Initiatives will be submitted through January 1, 2023.
- Special permits related to outdoor dinging were extended through April 21, 2022.
- To-go wine, beer and cocktail sales were extended through May 1, 2022. Additionally, all takeout and delivery drinks must be sold at the same price as those consumed on-site.
Post-State of Emergency State Permitting Guidance Issued
Following the declaration of the State of Emergency in March 2020, Governor Baker issued COVID-19 Order No. 42, Order Resuming State Permitting Deadlines and Continuing to Extend the Validity of Certain State Permits. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development have now issued guidance to clarify how Order 42 will apply to state permits after the end of the State of Emergency.
