Section 16G Executive office of housing and economic development
Section 16G. (a) In the executive office of housing and economic development, there shall be a department of business development, a department of consumer affairs and business regulation and a department of housing and community development. Subject to appropriation, the departments shall be provided with offices in Boston and elsewhere as may be approved by the governor and may expend sums for necessary expenses of those departments. The executive office may accept gifts or grants of money or property whether real or personal, from any source, public or private, including, but not limited to, the United States of America or its agencies, for the purpose of assisting the departments in the discharge of their duties.
(b) The following state agencies shall be within the department of business and technology: the office of business development, the office of small business and entrepreneurship, the office of science and technology, the office of travel and tourism, the trade office and the office of minority and women business assistance.
(c) The following state agencies shall be within the department of consumer affairs and business regulation: the state racing commission, the division of banks, the division of insurance, the division of standards and the division of professional licensure.
[There are no subsections (d) or (e).]
(f) The secretary of housing and economic development shall be appointed by the governor and shall be a person of skill and experience in the fields of housing and economic development. The secretary shall serve at the pleasure of the governor, shall receive such salary as the governor shall determine and shall devote full time to the duties of his office.
(g) In the case of a vacancy in the office of the secretary or in the case of a disability, as determined by the governor, or in his absence, the governor may designate an acting secretary to serve until the vacancy is filled or the absence or disability, as determined by the governor, ceases. The acting secretary shall have all the powers and duties of the secretary and shall have like qualifications.
(h) The secretary shall appoint a director for each department within the executive office. Any such director and any inspectors and other full-time employees appointed shall devote their full time during business hours to the duties of their offices and shall not engage in other employment or business activities during business hours. In accordance with the provisions of chapter 30A, and with the advice of the directors of the various departments, the secretary shall promulgate regulations with respect to the departments under the secretariat’s control.
(i) In accordance with chapter 30A, the secretary shall require the directors of each department to develop performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the individual agencies and programs in accomplishing their missions. The measures, by department, shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) In the department of workforce development: income levels of program participants before and after participation in training programs administered by the division, completion rates, placement rates and the total number of individual participants in the division’s programs, employer satisfaction with the programs and direct training expenditures as a share of total expenditures;
(2) In the department of labor: the number of complaints filed, the number of caseworkers per completed case, the number of caseworkers per uncompleted case, the rates of incidences of occupational injuries and illnesses, enforcement actions as a share of complaints received and prevention costs as a share of total program costs;
(3) In the department of economic development: the incremental job growth attributed to services provided, the incremental trade growth attributed to the services provided, the return on investment for marketing campaigns, the number of businesses that relocated to Massachusetts as a result of marketing campaigns, the share of expenses due to administrative expenses, the amount of non-governmental funds leveraged;
(j) The secretary shall require the departments within the executive office to report on the measures annually by December 15 to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the house and senate committees on ways and means. In its report, each department may include analysis as to why the measures may or may not give a true indication of the effectiveness of the programs.
(k) The secretary shall establish in the executive office an office of planning and research for economic development. The office shall compile and produce statistics and analyses regarding labor markets and the general economic situation, in order to assist workers and businesses and to assist departments within the executive office in carrying out their missions. The office shall prepare and annually update a state economic data book, which shall contain a statistical and economic profile of the state and its regions. A copy of said data book shall be placed in the state library and in the central offices of the division of unemployment assistance, the department of labor, and the department of workforce development and shall be made available to any person for review. The secretary may accept gifts or grants of money or property, whether real or personal, from any source, public or private, including, but not limited to, the United States of America or its agencies, for the purpose of assisting the office in the discharge of its duties. Subject to appropriation, the secretary may appoint a senior staff member who shall be responsible for developing a comprehensive plan to promote economic development in all regions of the commonwealth. Nothing in this section shall confer any powers or impose any duties upon the secretary with respect to the foregoing agencies except as expressly provided by law.