An Act updating the Commonwealth's wiretap statutes

As Massachusetts general law currently stands, law enforcement may use a wiretap or a witness to record conversations only when the crime is linked to “organized crime,” and only when that “organized crime” narrowly includes “a continuing enterprise to supply illegal goods and services.” This is an extraordinarily limiting set of rules and circumstances, and they very often prevent the investigation and prosecution of many other serious crimes that fall outside of those definitions, such as hate crimes, civil rights violations, and illegal firearm trafficking.

This legislation would amend the current wiretapping law, which was passed in 1968, to update the technologies covered by the law and expand the authority of law enforcement to use these capabilities to investigate crimes such as illegal firearm trafficking, hate crimes, and civil rights violations, which are all serious even when they are not connected to organized crime.

This legislation would not change the extremely rigorous process a wiretap request must go through: the only person who may request a wiretap is a DA or the AG, and a request may only be authorized by a Superior Court Judge. Additionally, the existing factors and high bar of exhaustion that needs to be met in order to even request a wiretap would not change.

Resolve establishing the Harmony Commission

The Harmony Commission will be made up of 27 child advocates, welfare experts, legal professionals, and state legislators, and will be required to issue a public report on its findings.

The primary objectives of the Harmony Commission are to:

  • Study how a child’s welfare and best interest considerations are handled in Care and Protection cases and Petition to Dispense with Care cases

  • Study how cases disproportionally impact children of color, immigrant children, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+ children, children who have experienced trauma, and poor children

  • Make recommendations on how we can better ensure the law balances the constitutional rights of parents with the best interest, wellbeing, and safety of children – particularly those who have experienced trauma

An Act relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment

This legislation would require fire departments and firefighters be notified if their gear and equipment contains PFAS. Two years after enactment, firefighting equipment and gear containing PFAS would be banned in Massachusetts.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, fire resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to firefighting equipment to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.

An Act relative to the use of unmanned aerial systems

Advancements in technology have made drones cheaper, more convenient, and more versatile, significantly expanding the use and intended purpose of these systems — including by law enforcement, fire departments, and other state and federal agencies.

This legislation bans the use of weaponized drones and ensures that drones are not used for warrantless surveillance. The bill includes sensible limits on government drone use, including:

  • For execution of a warrant

  • In emergencies when there is a threat to human life or safety

  • For non-law enforcement purposes if the information will not be used as evidence in criminal proceedings.

This bill also protects critical infrastructure and makes it illegal for unmanned areal systems to be used for the purpose of hunting.

An Act establishing a Cybersecurity Control and Review Commission

Our world looks a lot different than it did last century – our lives are now built around software and computers rather than the analog methods of communication and control of days gone by. While this technological revolution has improved our quality of life and created entire new industries around the world, it has also created vulnerabilities that pose structural risks to the basic way of life in our communities. From the computers that keep clean water flowing to our homes to the software that makes sure paychecks reliably deposit in our bank accounts, our societal systems are not prepared for the disruption and chaos that a major cyberattack could cause.

This legislation would take steps toward making sure we are better prepared for the uncertainties of the future by creating a statewide standing commission of cybersecurity experts to do four primary things:

  • Develop a comprehensive recommended cybersecurity standard for governments and businesses operating in the Bay State

  • Create a process of accreditation for private businesses that meet the commission’s standards

  • Require any private businesses who contract with state or local governments to comply with the commission’s standards

  • Require the commission to write an annual report to be shared with the state legislature and the public on the status of the Commonwealth’s critical infrastructure and recommendations on how to maintain the resiliency of our protections

An Act relative to silencers

This legislation will strengthen current state law prohibiting the purchase, possession, and use of silencers by amending the definition of “silencer” to mirror the definition in federal law. At a time when law enforcement officials are seeing an increase in the purchase and possession of illegal firearms, including ghost guns and firearm accessories, this bill will strengthen enforcement capabilities and protect public safety by helping to keep these devices out of the hands of dangerous individuals.

An Act establishing a standing commission on operating under the influence and impaired driving

This legislation was filed in conjunction with the Cannabis Control Commission, to help the Commonwealth better address the effects of impaired driving. While the mission of the Commission would extend to all impaired driving, it includes specific directives regarding the challenges of legalized marijuana. The Commission is directed to study the emerging scientific and medical tests, as well as consider the civil liberties of the driver, the socio-economic impacts of the testing, and the admissibility of evidence in court proceedings.

An Act protecting public higher education student information

Recently, public college and university campuses have been inundated with public records requests for the personal information of students. These requests seek information such as student names, home and school addresses, dates of birth, telephone and cellphone numbers, email addresses, areas of study, graduation dates, parents’ names, and their home addresses. Frequently, campuses feel compelled to provide this information as it has been designated as a "public record" for the purposes of complying with the state's public records laws.

This legislation amends Chapter 66 so that campuses would not be required to comply with public records requests for student data that is defined as an "education record" in the federal Family Education and Privacy Act (FERPA), including records that have been designated by campuses as "directory information."  

An Act relative to police training in appropriate interactions with persons on the autism spectrum and other intellectual and developmental disabilities

Police reform legislation passed last session included critical training requirements for law enforcement personnel concerning how they interact with individuals on the autism spectrum. However, the training did not extend to corrections officers, who are also responsible for the custody of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities on a daily basis. This training is currently only done for new officers.

This legislation would provide training for interactions with individuals on the autism spectrum for all law enforcement officers — making our communities safer for all.

An Act extending the civil statute of limitations for child abuse

In 2015, the Massachusetts Legislature extended the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse so that victims in Massachusetts now have at least 35 years after their 18th birthday (53 years of age) to file civil actions against their abusers and at least 7 years (up to 35 years depending on the date the harm occurred) from their 18th birthday to file civil actions against those whose negligence contributed to the abuse.

This legislation would extend this new, longer statute of limitations to cover non-sexual child abuse, giving victims more time to hold their abusers accountable.

An Act relative to public safety on private college and university campuses

This legislation allows for police officers employed by private colleges in universities to be eligible to obtain a Massachusetts Police Identification Card, which is currently used as a basic ID across law enforcement departments. This is especially important for a number of urban campus departments who regularly assist municipal departments for large scale events, including the Boston Marathon or various parades. It also allows these officers to carry tasers, under the same regulations as other police officers.

An Act relative to completing police reform by providing equity to state-employed and special authority law enforcement officers in the Commonwealth

This legislation addresses the inequality of not treating all police officers the same in terms of injuries, heart disease presumptions, and retirement by extending the same statutory protections to police officers appointed by the University of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Port Authority, and campuses of the state universities and community colleges.