- "While Massachusetts residents were sleeping, our
Legislature rushed through a bill- in response to the recent "Swine
flu" outbreak.
-
- This bill has been on the shelf but (the) state government
felt this was the perfect time to slip this bill through.
-
- What is the big deal about the bill- S18? It gives the
Governor power to authorize the deployment and use of force to distribute
supplies and materials.
-
- It gives local authorities the permission to enter private
residences for investigation and to quarantine individuals.
-
- Basically during any "emergency" our state
can and will declare martial law; you lose your Constitutional rights.
-
- This bill has many disturbing facets." -From the
Blog Ride Tide
-
- From a separate source:
- "It took corporate media swine flu hysteria to ram
through a martial law bill in Massachusetts. S18 gives the Governor the
power to authorize the deployment and use of force to distribute supplies
and materials and local authorities will be allowed to enter private residences
for investigation and to quarantine individuals.
-
- The Massachusetts Senate has unanimously passed a pandemic
flu preparation bill that has languished in the Legislature before the
recent "swine flu" outbreak.
-
- The 36-0 vote today sends the measure to the House. Both
branches have taken it up in past years, but have not been able to agree
on the details.
-
- The new Senate version would allow the public health
commissioner - in a public health emergency - to close or evacuate buildings,
enter private property for investigations, and quarantine individuals.
-
- The bill specifically mandates the following:
-
- (1) to require the owner or occupier of premises to permit
entry into and investigation of the premises;
- (2) to close, direct, and compel the evacuation of, or
to decontaminate or cause to be decontaminated any building or facility,
and to allow the reopening of the building or facility when the danger
has ended;
- (3) to decontaminate or cause to be decontaminated, or
to destroy any material;
- (4) to restrict or prohibit assemblages of persons;
- (5) to require a health care facility to provide services
or the use of its facility, or to transfer the management and supervision
of the health care facility to the department or to a local public health
authority;
- (6) to control ingress to and egress from any stricken
or threatened public area, and the movement of persons and materials within
the area;
- (7) to adopt and enforce measures to provide for the
safe disposal of infectious waste and human remains, provided that religious,
cultural, family, and individual beliefs of the deceased person shall be
followed to the extent possible when disposing of human remains, whenever
that may be done without endangering the public health;
- (8) to procure, take immediate possession from any source,
store, or distribute any anti-toxins, serums, vaccines, immunizing agents,
antibiotics, and other pharmaceutical agents or medical supplies located
within the commonwealth as may be necessary to respond to the emergency;
- (9) to require in-state health care providers to assist
in the performance of vaccination, treatment, examination, or testing of
any individual as a condition of licensure, authorization, or the ability
to continue to function as a health care provider in the commonwealth"
- Bill 122460
-
- PDF of the actual Bill: http://s18.notlong.com
|