Adopted by the voters in November 1972, Article 97 of Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution requires special, high-level consideration of any proposed disposition of or change in use of parklands. Specifically, Article 97 requires a two-thirds roll call vote of each house of the state legislature in order to dispose of or change the use of certain state, county or local public lands taken or acquired for natural resources purposes, broadly defined. Amendment Article 97 created Article 49 of the constitution itself.
