Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1447 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4018 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1447
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Michael S. Day
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to modernize the roles and responsibilities of the victim and witness assistance board.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Michael S. Day31st Middlesex1/20/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4018 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1447
18	18	By Representative Day of Stoneham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1447) of
19	19	Michael S. Day relative to the roles and responsibilities of the Victim and Witness Assistance
20	20	Board. The Judiciary.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
24	24	(2023-2024)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act to modernize the roles and responsibilities of the victim and witness assistance board.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 SECTION 1. Section 3 of chapter 258B, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is
30	30	2hereby amended by striking the last paragraph beginning with the words “there shall be
31	31	3conspicuously posted” and inserting the following:-
32	32	4 There shall be conspicuously posted in all courthouses and police stations a summary of
33	33	5the rights afforded under this section. To satisfy this requirement, the victim and witness
34	34	6assistance board, pursuant to section 4, shall provide information on the rights afforded to
35	35	7victims and witnesses to court officials and police chiefs. Information may be provided in
36	36	8printed or digital formats. The board shall provide information in the top five languages spoken
37	37	9at home, other than English, as provided by the most recent federal census data.
38	38	10 SECTION 2. Section 4 of said chapter 258B, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is
39	39	11hereby amended by striking the word “him” in the second paragraph and inserting the following
40	40	12word:- them 2 of 2
41	41	13 SECTION 3. Said Section 4 of chapter 258B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended
42	42	14by striking the fourth paragraph and inserting the following paragraphs:-
43	43	15 The board shall establish, adopt, and maintain bylaws relative to the operation of internal
44	44	16governance.
45	45	17 In addition to the foregoing, the board shall:
46	46	18 (a)fund and support services that are available to victims across the commonwealth
47	47	19 (b)provide professional development and community education opportunities for
48	48	20Massachusetts victim services providers, victims, and allied professionals, including sharing
49	49	21information relative to the victim and witness rights and services established under this chapter
50	50	22 (c)advocate for policy and legislative initiatives related to access and support for
51	51	23victims’ rights and services including but not limited to funding
52	52	24 (d)assume the management and administration of the Garden of Peace, a public
53	53	25memorial garden located on the plaza of 100 Cambridge street in the city of Boston to honor
54	54	26victims of homicide, to receive gifts or grants of money or property to assist the board in the
55	55	27maintenance and operation of the memorial and to establish an advisory committee which shall
56	56	28consist of interested residents appointed by the victim witness assistance board to provide advice
57	57	29to the board.
58	58	30 (e)administer the SAFEPLAN advocacy program as established in Chapter 151 of
59	59	31the Acts of 1996
60	60	32 SECTION 4. Section 6 of said chapter 258B, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is
61	61	33hereby amended by striking the words “the board”.