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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 389 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 270 |
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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 | | Joan Meschino |
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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 relative to the consideration of a child’s racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic |
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| 13 | 13 | | identity. |
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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:Joan Meschino3rd Plymouth1/8/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 389 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 270 |
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| 19 | 19 | | By Representative Meschino of Hull, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 270) of Joan |
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| 20 | 20 | | Meschino relative to the long-term well-being consideration of a child’s racial, ethnic, cultural, |
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| 21 | 21 | | religious, and linguistic identity. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. |
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| 22 | 22 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 23 | 23 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 255 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-Fourth General Court |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 28 | 28 | | _______________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | An Act relative to the consideration of a child’s racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic |
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| 30 | 30 | | identity. |
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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 1. Section 1 of Chapter 119 of the General Laws is hereby amended by |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2inserting the following sentence at the end of the third paragraph:- |
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| 35 | 35 | | 3 Consideration of the child’s long-term well-being shall include consideration of how best |
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| 36 | 36 | | 4to preserve and promote the child’s cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic identities. |
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| 37 | 37 | | 5 SECTION 2. Section 5-207 of Chapter 190B of the General Laws is hereby amended by |
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| 38 | 38 | | 6adding the following sentence at the end of subsection (a):- 2 of 2 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 7 The court’s consideration of what would be in the best interest of the minor shall include |
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| 40 | 40 | | 8consideration of how best to preserve and promote the minor’s cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, |
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| 41 | 41 | | 9and linguistic identities. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 10 SECTION 3. Section 3 of Chapter 210 of the General Laws is hereby amended by |
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| 43 | 43 | | 11striking out the last sentence of the second paragraph of subsection (c) and inserting in place |
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| 44 | 44 | | 12thereof the following two sentences:- |
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| 45 | 45 | | 13 In making the determination, the health, safety, and well-being of the child shall be of |
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| 46 | 46 | | 14paramount, but not exclusive, concern. The court’s consideration of the child’s well-being shall |
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| 47 | 47 | | 15include consideration of how best to preserve and promote the child’s cultural, racial, ethnic, |
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| 48 | 48 | | 16religious, and linguistic identities. |
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