| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3995 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 217 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | David F. DeCoste and Jeffrey Rosario Turco |
|---|
| 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 relative to ensuring resources and support for pregnant and parenting families. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth1/17/2025Joseph D. McKenna18th Worcester3/2/2025Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex3/2/2025 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3995 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 217 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Representatives DeCoste of Norwell and Turco of Winthrop, a petition (accompanied by bill, |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | House, No. 217) of David F. DeCoste, Joseph D. McKenna and Colleen M. Garry relative to |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | providing resources and support for pregnant and parenting families. Children, Families and |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | Persons with Disabilities. |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to ensuring resources and support for pregnant and parenting families. |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 1 SECTION 1: Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 2is hereby amended by adding the following section:- Section 51B ½. (a) For the purposes of this |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 3section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: “Pregnancy and Parenting |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 4Resources”, services provided by any organization, such as a non-profit pregnancy support |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 5center, community centers, homeless shelters, churches, or pregnancy medical centers, that: (1) |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 6supports expectant mothers in promoting pregnancy equality; and (2) offers resources and |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 7services to mothers, fathers, and families, including but not limited to, relationship counseling, |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 8ultrasounds, options counseling and support, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 9testing, diapers, baby clothes, or material supports. ”Government Resources”, any government or |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 10non-government website, advertisement on billboards, buses, trains, garbage cans, television |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 11commercials, and social media platforms, that either encourage or dissuade pregnant women |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 12from seeking pregnancy and parenting resources. (b) All state agencies shall provide accurate 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 13and unbiased information about pregnancy and parenting resources available to families, |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 14including, but not limited to, food assistance and breastfeeding support, parenting support and |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 15educational assistance, home-based services, financial assistance for childcare, tangible items to |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 16assist with parenting, counseling, and other essential needed resources. (c) Official governmental |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 17resources shall provide information about available resources and facilities or non-profits that |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 18provide pregnancy and parenting resources. Official governmental resources shall not be used to |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 19discourage women from seeking pregnancy and parenting resources, food assistance & |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 20breastfeeding support, parenting support and educational assistance, home-based services, |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | 21financial assistance for childcare, tangible items to assist with parenting, and counseling, among |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | 22others. (d) All state agencies shall cease any efforts to dissuade women from accessing support |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | 23from government or non-governmental entities or non-profits that provide resources to pregnant |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | 24or parenting families. Any state agency, including the department of public health, that deals |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 25with the well-being of pregnant shall equally promote all facilities serving the needs of pregnant |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | 26mothers, including, but not limited to, licensed medical facilities and pregnancy resource centers. |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | 27All state laws or department regulations in conflict with this bill shall be unenforceable under |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | 28state law. |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | 29 Nothing within this bill shall be construed to prevent any non-profit pregnancy support |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | 30center, community center, homeless shelter, church, or pregnancy medical center from filing |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 31injunctions in the appropriate venue to enforce any section of this bill. SECTION 2. Subsections |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | 32(a) – (c) shall take effect 90 days after the passage of this act. SECTION 3. Subsection (d) of this |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | 33section shall take effect immediately upon passage of this act. |
|---|