H 5293 Massachusetts House · 194th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act promoting rule of law, oversight, trust, and equal constitutional treatment ("The PROTECT Act")

This bill establishes new requirements for state correctional facilities to provide detained individuals with written notices of their legal rights, including access to counsel and confidential communication procedures. It mandates that facilities maintain updated records of detained individuals within six hours of intake or transfer and provide verified phone lines for attorneys to contact their clients. The legislation also restricts law enforcement officers from inquiring about immigration status unless it is directly material to a specific criminal investigation and prohibits state agencies from using resources for federal civil immigration enforcement. Additionally, the bill prevents most local law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements that deputize them to perform civil immigration enforcement functions.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 23, 2026 Last action Mar 25, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
4
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read second, amended (as recommended by the committee on House Ways and Means)
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling with the amendment pending
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment, substituting therefor a bill, see H5305
lower
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
lower
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
lower
0 primary · 95 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.