Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 29, § 17: Withholding appropriations; unadjusted accounts

Section 17. An appropriation act shall not be construed to require a payment to a person with whom the commonwealth has an unadjusted account. The governor, upon receiving satisfactory information that money is illegally withheld from the commonwealth by any person, shall instruct the state treasurer to withhold all payments to such person until the person pays such account.