Joint Commission on Technology and Science; artificial intelligence; independent verification organizations. Directs the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) to evaluate the feasibility and impact of developing a framework for any person or entity seeking to act as an independent verification organization that assesses artificial intelligence models' or applications' adherence to standards reflecting best practices for the prevention of personal injury and property damage. The bill directs JCOTS to submit a report with its recommendations and any findings to the Chairs of the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and General Laws and Technology and the House Committees on Appropriations and Communications, Technology and Innovation by November 1, 2026. This bill is identical to SB 384.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; universal license recognition. Reduces from three years to one year the number of years an individual is required to have held a professional or occupational license or government certification in another state in order to apply to the regulatory board within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and be issued an occupational license or government certification under the universal license recognition program.
Alteration of suspension system and bumper heights; proof of compliance. Authorizes a court to dismiss a summons for offenses related to altering the suspension system or bumper heights of vehicles when proof of compliance is provided to the court on or before the court date.
Tow truck drivers; registration. Prohibits towing and recovery operators from employing tow truck drivers who are not registered with the Department of Criminal Justice Services, as required under current law. The bill also limits the requirement that a registered tow truck driver have his registration in his possession when driving a tow truck to when such driving is for hire.
Holding a handheld personal communications device while driving; driver improvement clinic. Clarifies that a court may order, for a first violation of texting and driving, the satisfactory completion of a driver improvement clinic in lieu of a conviction.
Driver training schools; instructor identification license. Requires any instructor employed by a driver training school, when conducting behind-the-wheel training or any other training in which a student of a driver training school is driving or operating a motor vehicle, to display, or cause to be displayed, in the motor vehicle in a location that is clearly visible to the student his license authorizing him to act as a driving instructor.
Dental assistants; additional treatments; certification. Permits any dental assistant I or dental assistant II with a minimum of 1,800 hours of clinical experience to obtain certification pursuant to the requirements of the bill to perform supragingival scaling and coronal polishing. This bill is identical to HB 970.
Authority of local governments; service employees. Permits a locality to provide for certain requirements concerning successor service employers, defined in the bill, by local ordinance or resolution. For example, such local ordinance or resolution may require that successor service employers retain incumbent service employees during a transition period of 90 days. Under the bill, service employees are those who perform work in connection with the care or maintenance of property, services at an airport, or food preparation services at schools. The bill provides that an employer that violates the provisions of a local ordinance or resolution enacted pursuant to the bill may be subject to a civil action and monetary damages. This bill is identical to SB 430.
School boards; opening of the school year; certain alternative schedules and schedule flexibility permitted. Extends from no earlier than 14 days before Labor Day to no earlier than 14 days before September 1 of each year the requirement relating to the earliest date that each school board is permitted to schedule as the first day on which students are required to attend school each year. This bill is identical to HB 1455.
Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; quorum requirements for certain regulatory boards. Lowers the quorum requirements for the (i) Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects of two engineers, two architects, and two land surveyors to at least one engineer, one architect, and one land surveyor and (ii) Board for Professional Soil Scientists, Wetland Professionals, and Geologists of two professional soil scientists, two professional wetland delineators, and two professional geologists to at least one professional soil scientist, one professional wetland delineator, and one professional geologist.
Workers' compensation. Provides that, for the purposes of workers' compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder incurred by a law-enforcement officer or firefighter, an incident or exposure without any accompanying physical injury occurring in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2027, is a qualifying event, as defined in the bill. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2027.
Zoning; nonconforming uses; manufactured homes. Provides that a land owner or home owner may place a manufactured home that meets the current HUD manufactured housing code upon any open lot in a valid nonconforming mobile or manufactured home park regardless of whether a valid nonconforming manufactured home is currently located on such lot. The bill also provides that, for the purposes of determining whether a use has been continuous, an existing mobile or manufactured home shall be considered a valid nonconforming mobile or manufactured home regardless of whether such mobile or manufactured home has been occupied during the preceding two-year period.
