Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1708 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. 1804 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1708
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	William C. Galvin
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 criminalizing sexual assault of a passenger by a rideshare operator.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:William C. Galvin6th Norfolk1/15/2025 1 of 4
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1804 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1708
18	18	By Representative Galvin of Canton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1708) of
19	19	William C. Galvin relative to criminalizing sexual assault of a passenger by a rideshare operator.
20	20	The Judiciary.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act criminalizing sexual assault of a passenger by a rideshare operator.
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 178C of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
30	30	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the figure “265”, in line 62, the following
31	31	3words:- ; indecent assault and battery on vulnerable persons in custody by law enforcement
32	32	4under section 13H½ of said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a patient or client by a
33	33	5health care provider under section 13H¾ of said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a
34	34	6passenger by a rideshare operator under section 13I.
35	35	7 SECTION 2. Said section 178C of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further
36	36	8amended by inserting after the figure “265”, in line 67, the following words:- ; rape of a patient
37	37	9or client by a health care provider under section 22D of said chapter 265; rape of a passenger by
38	38	10a rideshare operator under section 22E of said chapter 265.
39	39	11 SECTION 3. Section 1 of chapter 123A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
40	40	12amended by inserting after the word “sixty-five”, in line 49, the following words:- ; indecent 2 of 4
41	41	13assault and battery on vulnerable persons in custody by law enforcement under section 13H½ of
42	42	14said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a patient or client by a health care provider
43	43	15under section 13H¾ of said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a passenger by a
44	44	16rideshare operator under section 13I.
45	45	17 SECTION 4. Said section 1 of said chapter 123A, as so appearing, is hereby further
46	46	18amended by inserting after the figure “265”, in line 54, the following words:- ; rape of a patient
47	47	19or client by a health care provider under section 22D of said chapter 265; rape of a passenger by
48	48	20a rideshare operator under section 22E of said chapter 265.
49	49	21 SECTION 5. Section 133E of chapter 127 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
50	50	22hereby amended by inserting after the figure “265”, in line 16, the following words:- ; indecent
51	51	23assault and battery on vulnerable persons in custody by law enforcement under section 13H½ of
52	52	24said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a patient or client by a health care provider
53	53	25under section 13H¾ of said chapter 265; indecent assault and battery on a passenger by a
54	54	26rideshare operator under section 13I.
55	55	27 SECTION 6. Said section 133E of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby further
56	56	28amended by inserting after the figure “265”, in line 20, the following words:- ; rape of a patient
57	57	29or client by a health care provider under section 22D of said chapter 265; rape of a passenger by
58	58	30a rideshare operator under section 22E of said chapter 265.
59	59	31 SECTION 7. Chapter 265 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
60	60	32section 13H ¾ the following section:- Section 13I (a) For the purposes of this section, “ride share
61	61	33operator” shall mean a person operating or holding themselves out as an operator of a motor
62	62	34vehicle through a transportation network company; “Transportation network company” shall 3 of 4
63	63	35mean a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship or other entity that uses a digital network to
64	64	36connect riders to drivers to pre-arrange and provide transportation. A “ride” shall mean a period
65	65	37of time that begins when a transportation network driver accepts a requested ride through a
66	66	38digital network, continues while the driver transports the transportation network company rider
67	67	39and ends when the rider safely departs from the vehicle.
68	68	40 (b) A person who is, or holds themselves out to be, a rideshare operator commits an
69	69	41indecent assault and battery on a passenger during a ride shall be punished by imprisonment in
70	70	42the state prison for not more than 5 years or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not
71	71	43more than 2 1/2 years. In a prosecution commenced under this section, the passenger shall be
72	72	44deemed incapable of consenting to contact of a sexual nature when consent was procured during
73	73	45a ride.
74	74	46 SECTION 8. Said chapter 265 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 22D
75	75	47the following section:- Section 22E. (a) For the purposes of this section, “ride share operator”
76	76	48shall mean a person operating or holding themselves out as an operator of a motor vehicle
77	77	49through a transportation network company; “Transportation network company” shall mean a
78	78	50corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship or other entity that uses a digital network to connect
79	79	51riders to drivers to pre-arrange and provide transportation. A “ride” shall mean a period of time
80	80	52that begins when a transportation network driver accepts a requested ride through a digital
81	81	53network, continues while the driver transports the transportation network company rider and
82	82	54ends when the rider safely departs from the vehicle.
83	83	55 (b) A person who is, or holds themselves out to be, a rideshare operator engages in sexual
84	84	56intercourse with a passenger during a ride shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison 4 of 4
85	85	57for not more than 20 years. In a prosecution commenced under this section, the passenger shall
86	86	58be deemed incapable of consenting to contact of a sexual nature when consent was procured
87	87	59during a ride
88	88	60 SECTION 9. Section 63 of chapter 277 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
89	89	61Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the figure “22E”, in line 5, the following
90	90	62figure:- , 22DE.
91	91	63 SECTION 10. Said section 63 of said chapter 277, as so appearing, is hereby further
92	92	64amended by inserting after the figure “13H”, in line 27, the following figures:- , 13H½, 13H¾,
93	93	6513I.