Rep. Patrick Kearney

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 2328) requires all acute-care hospitals and nursing homes in Massachusetts to include a registered nurse (RN) with a current, active license as a voting member on their governing board. The RN must help develop the organization's strategic plan, structure, systems, policies, and programs. It directly affects hospital and nursing home governance by mandating RN representation on boards that make key operational decisions. The requirement applies to all facilities meeting the definitions in the law, ensuring nurse input in leadership planning.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows public school teachers with 20+ years of service who return to full-time work after part-time teaching to count their part-time teaching years toward retirement benefits. Teachers may receive credit for up to 5 years of part-time service, calculated proportionally based on full-time equivalents. To qualify, teachers must pay the retirement system the equivalent of full-time deductions (plus interest) in a lump sum or installments. The policy directly affects teachers in Massachusetts' public school retirement systems who took part-time roles for parenting reasons.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new bereavement leave policy for employees in the Commonwealth, allowing workers to take up to 10 business days of paid leave when a family member dies. The law defines family members broadly to include children, parents, spouses, domestic partners, and others with significant personal bonds, and permits leave to be used for funeral arrangements, attending services, or grieving. Employers must pay employees at their regular rate during this leave, maintain their benefits, and restore their position upon return, though businesses with fewer than 25 employees are exempt. The legislation also requires employers to notify staff of these rights and allows for reasonable documentation of the death, with the law taking effect on January 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law by adding "stabbing" to the list of methods that constitute attempted murder under Chapter 265, Section 16. It directly affects criminal prosecutions involving attempted murder where stabbing is alleged, by explicitly including it alongside existing methods like poisoning. The change is purely technical, updating the legal definition without altering penalties or creating new requirements. This is a procedural amendment to clarify statutory language.

Maddy summaryHD 344 allows certain land-related cases in Massachusetts to be transferred more quickly to the Land Court's permit session. Specifically, it enables parties to file a notice within 30 days of serving the complaint (if the case is within the permit session's jurisdiction and doesn't claim a jury trial), triggering an automatic transfer. The notice must include proof of jurisdiction, confirmation of no jury trial claim, and attachments of all case documents, suspending the original court's proceedings until the transfer is complete. This process streamlines case handling for eligible land disputes without jury demands.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 1450) regulates how mortgage servicers handle subordinate mortgages (secondary home loans) in Massachusetts. It prohibits specific practices like failing to send required notices for 12+ months, not providing periodic statements, or demanding payment after the statute of limitations expires. Borrowers gain new rights: creditors must provide detailed notices listing prohibited practices, and borrowers can petition court to stop foreclosure if violations occurred. Courts can then order remedies like waiving fees, halting foreclosure, or deleting incorrect credit reports, with creditors liable for actual damages and attorney fees for violations. All required notices must be in English and Spanish, clearly marked as important.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 230) protects the family home of a deceased person from foreclosure or other civil actions while the estate is being settled through probate court. It allows the estate to request a 90-day delay in these actions by submitting two documents: proof that probate is preventing payment for home ownership costs, and a bank letter confirming the estate cannot access funds to pay. After probate appoints a personal administrator, creditors can seek back payments but cannot charge late fees unless the court finds the estate intentionally delayed the process. This directly affects families managing a deceased relative's home during probate, ensuring they have time to resolve financial matters without losing their home.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law (Chapter 201D) to update terminology related to healthcare decision-making. It replaces "attending physician" with "attending health care provider" throughout the law, explicitly including nurse practitioners and psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists as qualified decision-makers. This change directly affects patients who have designated a health care proxy, clarifying that their primary care provider (not limited to physicians) can legally act under the proxy. The key mechanism is a consistent terminology update across multiple sections of the law to reflect modern healthcare team structures.

Maddy summaryHD 330 creates a new legal mechanism allowing certain entities to sue construction employers who fail to pay wages on behalf of the Commonwealth. Specifically, "Interested Parties" (including other construction employers, labor organizations, or affected employees) can file lawsuits to recover triple the unpaid wages plus a 20% surcharge. The surcharge funds a wage enforcement program used by the Attorney General to enforce wage laws, educate workers and employers, and provide emergency loans to affected employees for housing, heat, or food. This directly targets wage non-payment in construction projects, aiming to stop unfair competition from employers who underpay workers.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 1454) sets strict rules for police questioning of juveniles (people under 18) in misdemeanor cases. It states that any statement a juvenile makes during police questioning cannot be used as evidence unless three conditions are met: an attorney must be present before Miranda warnings and throughout the entire interrogation, the entire process must be audio and video recorded, and the charges must be for a misdemeanor only. The juvenile or their guardian cannot waive the attorney requirement or the recording rule. Recordings must be automatically shared with the defense and kept until the case is fully resolved, including after appeals.