H 246 Massachusetts House · 194th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relative to bias-free child removals

This bill requires Massachusetts' Department of Children and Families to create Bias-Free Case Review Teams for emergency child removal decisions. The teams must remove specific demographic details (like race, ethnicity, income, location, and disability status) from case files before reviewing them, except when cultural or religious considerations are directly relevant to the allegations. The goal is to prevent bias in decisions about removing children from families by focusing only on safety factors and family strengths. The department must also submit an annual report analyzing how the policy affects removal rates for Black, Indigenous, and children of color. This directly affects families involved in emergency child welfare cases and the review process used by child protective services.
Bill status passed 3 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 27, 2025 Last action Oct 15, 2025
Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate. No roll call record of that vote is available.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Committee
Referred to the committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities
lower
0 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.