This bill amends Massachusetts state laws to restrict civil immigration enforcement activities within nonpublic areas of state-owned buildings and facilities, except when required by federal law or specific state programs. It grants the governor the authority to prohibit or limit these enforcement efforts and requires the creation of rules to minimize potential civil rights violations. Additionally, the legislation mandates the publication of multilingual guidelines for state agencies, private organizations, law enforcement officers, and school districts on how to handle interactions related to immigration enforcement, including instructions on verifying officer credentials and documenting such encounters. These guidelines will be made available on the commonwealth's website to inform residents and visitors regardless of their immigration status.
This bill requires the Hate Crimes Task Force to submit an annual report to the legislature detailing its mission, objectives, recommended actions, and metrics for measuring the impact of its recommendations on hate crimes in 2024. The report must include data on hate crime incidents, the effectiveness of prevention strategies, and the performance of the 24/7 multilingual confidential reporting center that connects callers to resources and case support. By mandating this documentation, the bill aims to increase transparency and accountability for the task force's work in addressing hate crimes across the state. The legislation directly affects the Hate Crimes Task Force and its ability to track and respond to hate crime trends through structured reporting requirements.
Senate, March 23, 2026 -- The committee on The Judiciary to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1064) of Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation to restore enforcement of civil rights, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2991).
This bill (HD 454) clarifies how restitution must be used for property damage caused by hate crimes. It specifies that when a court orders restitution for damage to real or personal property motivated by race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, the funds must directly repair the damaged property. The bill affects victims of hate crimes involving property damage, ensuring restitution serves the specific purpose of repairing the harm. It does not expand the definition of hate crime but modifies the restitution requirement under existing law.
This bill would expand hate crime protections by adding "gender" to the list of protected characteristics in Massachusetts law. It directly affects victims targeted due to their gender by ensuring such attacks are classified as hate crimes under existing law. The key mechanism is a simple amendment to Chapter 265, Section 39, inserting "sex" after "national origin" in the legal definition. This change would allow prosecutors to pursue enhanced penalties for crimes motivated by bias against someone's gender.
This bill prohibits family and juvenile courts from considering a parent's disability or its manifestations as a negative factor in custody, parenting time, or child removal decisions, unless specific evidence proves harm that accommodations cannot prevent. It defines "disability" broadly (per the ADA Amendments Act), "adaptive parenting equipment" (e.g., tools to support parenting), and "supportive parenting services" (e.g., specialized training or interpreters). Courts must provide written findings if disability is considered, detailing the harm, its impact on the child's best interests, and whether accommodations could alleviate the issue. The law directly affects parents with disabilities navigating family court cases and requires courts to prioritize accommodations over assumptions about disability.
H 4633 amends Massachusetts law to strengthen protections for victims of hate crimes by clarifying definitions and increasing penalties. It redefines "harassment" to include repeated acts causing fear based on race, religion, gender identity, or other protected characteristics, and expands the definition of "immediate family" for hate crime protections to include close relatives like spouses and children. The bill also increases penalties for assault or battery motivated by bias, imposing fines up to $5,000 or up to 2.5 years in jail. These changes directly affect individuals targeted by bias-motivated violence and law enforcement handling such cases under Chapter 265, Section 39.
This bill extends time limits for both civil and criminal cases involving child sexual assault and rape. For civil cases under Title IX (e.g., school-related discrimination claims), it removes the standard 3-year filing deadline, instead applying a new provision specific to child sexual assault cases. For criminal prosecutions, it allows charges for indecent assault/battery or rape of a child (victim under 18) to be filed at any time, regardless of when the offense occurred. The bill directly affects victims of child sexual violence and the legal system handling these cases. It makes concrete policy changes to the statute of limitations for these specific offenses.
HD 3560 expands the legal definition of hate crimes to include attacks on police officers that cause serious injury or death. This amendment modifies existing law by adding the specific scenario of officer-targeted violence to the list of acts covered under hate crime statutes. The bill directly affects police officers who are victims of such attacks, as it would classify these incidents as hate crimes under the law. The change is purely definitional, adding this specific provision to the current legal framework without introducing new penalties or procedures.
HD 407 proposes a constitutional amendment to remove a provision that currently bars individuals incarcerated for felony convictions from voting. The bill would strike the exception from the state constitution, eliminating the specific language that denies voting rights to people in correctional facilities due to felony offenses. This change would directly affect thousands of incarcerated individuals across the state who are serving sentences for felonies but are otherwise eligible to vote. If approved, it would restore voting rights to these individuals while they remain incarcerated, without requiring them to complete their sentences first.
