Mass. Gen. Laws » Part IV Title I Chapter 268B
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 268B, § 6 (2026)

Gifts from executive or legislative agents; exclusions to be established by state ethics commission

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 6. No executive or legislative agent shall knowingly and willfully offer or give to any public official or public employee or a member of such person's immediate family, and no public official or public employee or member of such person's immediate family shall knowingly and willfully solicit or accept from any executive or legislative agent, any gift of any kind or nature; provided, however, that the state ethics commission shall promulgate regulations: (i) establishing exclusions for ceremonial gifts; (ii) establishing exclusions for gifts given solely because of family or friendship; and (iii) establishing additional exclusions for other situations that do not present a genuine risk of a conflict or the appearance of a conflict of interest.

For the purposes of this section, a person who holds a license issued by the Massachusetts gaming commission, who was required to apply for that license pursuant to section 14 of chapter 23K, shall be considered a legislative agent.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 1995–2001 · leading case: United States v. Sawyer, 85 F.3d 713 (1st Cir. 1996).
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United States v. Sawyer, 85 F.3d 713 (1st Cir. 1996). · cites it 3× “Briefly, these two Massachusetts statutes, discussed more fully infra, are: (1) Mass. Gen. L. ch. 268B, § 6 (the “gift” statute), which prohibits — under threat of civil penal *726 ties—a “legislative agent” from offering or giving to a public official (or an official’s…”
Sawyer v. United States, 239 F.3d 31 (1st Cir. 2001). · cites it 2× “268A, § 3, or the Massachusetts gift statute, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 268B, § 6. See Sawyer, 85 F.”
United States v. Sawyer, 878 F. Supp. 279 (D. Mass. 1995). · cites it 6× “Do meals and “shared hospitality” qualify as “gifts” under M.G.L. c. 268B, § 6, M.G.L. c. 3, § 43 and House Rule 16A(12)? The government charges Sawyer with devising a scheme to deprive the public of the honest services of Massachusetts legislators.”
Scaccia v. State Ethics Comm'n, 727 N.E.2d 824 (Mass. 2000). · cites it 3× “268A, § 3 (b)\ the gift statute, G. L. c. 268B, § 6; the financial disclosure law, G.”
United States v. Sawyer, 74 F. Supp. 2d 88 (D. Mass. 1999). · cites it 3× “[state] statute violation with the deprivation of honest services.” See id. at 729.”
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