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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3662 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 616 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Ruth B. Balser |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act strengthening the Attorney General’s tools to protect nursing home residents and other |
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| 13 | 13 | | patients from abuse and neglect. |
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| 14 | 14 | | _______________ |
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| 15 | 15 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 16 | 16 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Ruth B. Balser12th Middlesex1/20/2023Andrea Joy Campbell1/20/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3662 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 616 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative Balser of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 616) of Ruth |
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| 20 | 20 | | B. Balser and Andrea Joy Campbell relative to the authority of the Attorney General to protect |
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| 21 | 21 | | nursing home residents and other patients from abuse and neglect. Elder Affairs. |
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| 22 | 22 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 23 | 23 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 725 OF 2021-2022.] |
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| 24 | 24 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 28 | 28 | | _______________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | An Act strengthening the Attorney General’s tools to protect nursing home residents and other |
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| 30 | 30 | | patients from abuse and neglect. |
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| 31 | 31 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 32 | 32 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 33 | 33 | | 1 Section 72K of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the |
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| 35 | 35 | | 3following 2 new subsections:- |
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| 36 | 36 | | 4 (b) The attorney general may file a civil action against a person who commits abuse, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 5mistreatment or neglect of a patient or resident or who misappropriates patient or resident |
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| 38 | 38 | | 6property, or against a person who wantonly or recklessly permits or causes another to commit |
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| 39 | 39 | | 7abuse, mistreatment or neglect of a patient or resident or who misappropriates patient or resident |
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| 40 | 40 | | 8property. The civil penalty for such abuse, mistreatment, neglect or misappropriation shall not |
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| 41 | 41 | | 9exceed: $25,000 if no bodily injury results; $50,000 if bodily injury results; $100,000 if sexual 2 of 2 |
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| 42 | 42 | | 10assault or serious bodily injury results; and $250,000 if death results. Section 60B of chapter 231 |
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| 43 | 43 | | 11shall not apply to an action brought by the attorney general pursuant to this section. Nothing in |
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| 44 | 44 | | 12this section shall preclude the filing of any action brought by the attorney general or a private |
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| 45 | 45 | | 13party pursuant to chapter 93A or any action by the department pursuant to this chapter. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 14 (c) Notwithstanding section 5 of chapter 260, the attorney general may file a civil action |
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| 47 | 47 | | 15only within four years next after an offense is committed. |
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