Rep. David DeCoste

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new criminal offense specifically for willfully threatening serious bodily injury to sports officials during a game. It applies to any person who directs such threats at referees, umpires, or other officials acting in their official capacity at events ranging from school sports to professional leagues. If convicted of a first offense, an individual could face up to two and a half years in jail or a fine of $1,000, while a second or subsequent offense carries a mandatory prison sentence of five to ten years. The law defines a sports official broadly to include paid and volunteer roles in any organized athletic activity and requires the threat to cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety.

Maddy summaryThis Massachusetts bill creates new criminal penalties for assaulting sports officials, such as referees, during or immediately around organized athletic events. It establishes a misdemeanor charge for simple assaults and elevates the offense to a felony if the attack causes bodily injury requiring medical care or serious impairment of a body function. The legislation also mandates that venues hosting sporting events post signs warning against assaulting officials and requires them to provide escorts to officials upon request. Violations of these facility requirements can result in a civil fine of up to $500.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new category called "violent act injury" to cover serious, permanent injuries caused by dangerous weapons like firearms, knives, or vehicles during an attack. It allows state employees in specific groups to receive disability pensions if they become permanently unable to work due to such violent attacks or related hazards while performing their duties. To qualify, the injury must have occurred within two years of the pension application, and the employee must prove through a medical review that they cannot return to their job. The legislation ensures that victims of workplace violence can access financial support similar to those injured by accidental means, provided they did not act with serious and willful misconduct.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows pharmacists in Massachusetts to dispense up to a 30-day supply of insulin without a doctor's immediate authorization during emergency situations where a patient cannot quickly reach their provider. The law defines an emergency as a time when obtaining standard authorization is not readily available and requires pharmacists to use their professional judgment to determine if the medication is essential to prevent harm. To prevent abuse, the bill restricts pharmacists from providing this emergency supply to the same patient more than once within any six-month period. Additionally, the legislation updates several state laws to explicitly include insulin as an item that can be dispensed under these emergency conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new independent state agency called the Foster Care Review Office to oversee the Massachusetts foster care system. The office would conduct administrative reviews of every child in foster care placement at least every six months to evaluate their progress toward permanent family arrangements. Trained volunteer citizen reviewers would join staff to examine individual cases and provide recommendations, while the office would also generate regular public reports on the system's performance. This new entity would operate separately from the Department of Children and Families to ensure greater transparency and accountability in how foster care cases are managed.

By Representatives Hawkins of Attleboro and DeCoste of Norwell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2823) of James K. Hawkins, David F. DeCoste and Brandy Fluker Oakley for legislation to provide municipalities with the option to freeze residential tax rate or valuation for the elderly with means tested criteria. Revenue.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires voters in Massachusetts to present a valid photo ID, MassHealth card, or Medicare card to election officials before casting a ballot. It mandates that the state secretary issue free voting-only identification cards to eligible citizens who do not already possess an acceptable form of ID, featuring a straightforward photo of the voter. The legislation directly impacts all registered voters by establishing new identification rules for federal, state, local, and primary elections.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Massachusetts cities and towns to choose whether to use ranked choice voting for their local elections. Under the new rules, voters would rank candidates in order of preference instead of selecting just one, and votes would be counted in rounds where ballots for eliminated candidates are transferred to the voter's next choice. Municipalities that wish to adopt this system must pass a local ordinance detailing specific rules for counting votes and resolving ties, while the state law removes the requirement to mark ballots with a cross. The legislation also ensures that a voter's lower-ranked choices do not affect the election outcome of their higher-ranked candidates.

Maddy summaryThis bill, known as the James Ward Act, increases penalties for drivers who leave the scene of an accident involving recreational vehicles or snowmobiles. Under current law, leaving the scene after causing bodily injury without stopping to provide identification is punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine of $500 to $1,000. The legislation would raise the maximum jail sentence to two and a half years and increase the maximum fine to $5,000 if the accident results in a death. These changes apply specifically to operators of recreational vehicles and snowmobiles who fail to stop and exchange information after a collision that causes injury or death.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires schools in Massachusetts to obtain written parental consent before students participate in any class covering human sexuality or related issues. Under the new rules, schools must notify parents at least 21 days in advance, explicitly listing specific topics like abortion and birth control, and provide contact information for reproductive health services. The legislation also mandates that school websites clearly state these topics when they are part of health or wellness curricula. Additionally, the bill establishes a penalty requiring school districts to pay $2,500 to any parent whose child is affected by a violation of these consent requirements.