Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H3816 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. 3929 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3816
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Steven George Xiarhos and Jessica Ann Giannino
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 the "Move Over Law".
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable1/17/2025 1 of 4
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3929 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3816
18	18	By Representatives Xiarhos of Barnstable and Giannino of Revere, a petition (accompanied by
19	19	bill, House, No. 3816) of Steven George Xiarhos relative to the move over law, so-called.
20	20	Transportation.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 3479 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to the "Move Over Law".
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Section 2 of chapter 90 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting
32	32	2after line 663, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, the following paragraph:-
33	33	3 The registrar shall furnish without charge to the owner of a private passenger motor
34	34	4vehicle who is a parent, sibling, child, or spouse of a police officer of a police department of any
35	35	5city or town, the department of state police, the Massachusetts bay transportation authority police
36	36	6department, or police officer of a Massachusetts public higher education campus, who has been
37	37	7killed in the line of duty, upon presentation of satisfactory evidence to the registrar, a distinctive
38	38	8registration plate that reads "Blue Star Family" for 1 private passenger motor vehicle owned and
39	39	9principally used by that person or a distinctive "Blue Star Family" emblem to be affixed to a
40	40	10registration plate for a motorcycle privately owned and principally used by that person. The 2 of 4
41	41	11registrar may issue a distinctive "Blue Star Family" registration of up to 6 characters for 1 private
42	42	12passenger motor vehicle owned and principally used by that person. A police officer shall be
43	43	13determined to have been killed in the line of duty for purposes of this paragraph if the
44	44	14circumstance meets those which would make them eligible to be placed on the National Law
45	45	15Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C.
46	46	16 SECTION 2. Section 7C of chapter 89 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
47	47	17Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection 2(c) in its entirety and inserting in
48	48	18place thereof:-
49	49	19 (c) Violation of this section may be punished by a fine of $250 for a first offense, by a
50	50	20fine of $500 for a second offense, and by a fine of $1,000 for a third or subsequent offense;
51	51	21provided that any violation that results in injury to another person may be punished by a fine of
52	52	22$2,500 or up to one year in jail or house of correction.
53	53	23 And further, by adding the following sections:-
54	54	24 (d) In addition to any fines pursuant to subsection (c), an operator who commits a second
55	55	25or third offense shall be required to complete a program selected by the registrar of motor
56	56	26vehicles that encourages a change in driver behavior and attitude about the "Move Over Law".
57	57	27 (e) A first or second offense under this section shall not be a surchargeable incident under
58	58	28section 113B of chapter 175 or under motor vehicle liability policy as defined in section 34A that
59	59	29is issued pursuant to said chapter 175; provided, however, that a third or subsequent offense shall
60	60	30be a surchargeable incident under said section 113B of said chapter 175 or under a motor vehicle
61	61	31liability policy as defined in said section 34A that is issued pursuant to said chapter 175. 3 of 4
62	62	32 (f) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, upon receipt of the
63	63	33payment of fines issued under this section, the state comptroller shall immediately cause not less
64	64	34than 50% of the total to be transferred to registry of motor vehicles to be held as retained
65	65	35revenue, provided said revenue shall be used to defray the 100 per cent of the annual cost
66	66	36associated with section 1 of this act, and further, the remaining balance shall be transferred to the
67	67	37state treasurer to supplement costs associated with section 3 of this act.
68	68	38 SECTION 3. Chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
69	69	39is hereby amended by inserting after section 35PPP the following section:-
70	70	40 Section 35QQQ. There shall be established and set up on the books of the
71	71	41Commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial
72	72	42Fund to be used without appropriation by a department of public safety for the purpose of
73	73	43making annual payments to the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial to memorialize and
74	74	44honor Massachusetts law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty. There shall be credited
75	75	45to the fund revenues received by the Commonwealth from the sale of registration plates under
76	76	46section 2G of chapter 90.
77	77	47 SECTION 4. Section 18¾ of chapter 6A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008
78	78	48Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:-
79	79	49 (10) to develop and implement a statewide blue alert system to be activated when law
80	80	50enforcement officials are searching for an individual who is wanted in the serious injury or
81	81	51killing of a police officer, state trooper, or other law enforcement official.
82	82	52 SECTION 5. Chapter 6A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition,
83	83	53is hereby amended by inserting after section 19A the following section:- 4 of 4
84	84	54 Section 19B. The executive office of public safety shall coordinate the implementation of
85	85	55a statewide blue alert system, pursuant to section 21 of chapter 22.
86	86	56 SECTION 6. Chapter 22 of The General Laws are hereby amended by adding the
87	87	57following section:-
88	88	58 Section 21. THE STATEWIDE BLUE ALERT SYSTEM
89	89	59 Section 1. The following terms as used in this chapter shall, unless the context clearly
90	90	60appears otherwise, have the following meanings:
91	91	61 “Executive office”, the executive office of public safety.
92	92	62 "Law enforcement agency", a law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the
93	93	63investigation of a crime resulting in the serious injury or death of a police officer, state trooper,
94	94	64or other law enforcement official.