Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H509 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. 764 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 509
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Brian M. Ashe
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 safety of schools, residences, and public assemblies.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Brian M. Ashe2nd Hampden1/13/2025 1 of 4
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 764 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 509
18	18	By Representative Ashe of Longmeadow, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 509) of
19	19	Brian M. Ashe for the establishment of a school carbon monoxide safety trust fund to be
20	20	administered by the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. Education.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 427 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 safety of schools, residences, and public assemblies.
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. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
32	32	2 section 2KKKK the following section:-
33	33	3 Section 2LLLL. (a) There shall be established and set upon the books of the
34	34	4commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the School Carbon Monoxide Safety Trust Fund,
35	35	5to be expended without prior appropriation, by the department of elementary and secondary
36	36	6education. The fund shall be credited any revenue from appropriations or other monies
37	37	7authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund and any
38	38	8gifts, grants, private contributions, investment income earned on the assets of the fund and all
39	39	9other sources. Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the 2 of 4
40	40	10General Fund. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education or a designee, in
41	41	11consultation with the department of fire safety, shall administer the fund and make expenditures
42	42	12from the fund in the form of grants to public school districts for the installation of carbon
43	43	13monoxide detection systems as required under subsection (a½) of section 26F½ of chapter 148
44	44	14and regulations promulgated by the board of fire prevention.
45	45	15 (b) Prior to receiving any monies from the fund, a school district shall submit a carbon
46	46	16monoxide detection system installation plan to the department of elementary and secondary
47	47	17education and the department of fire services. The plan shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the
48	48	18method of installation of the carbon monoxide detection system for each school building in the
49	49	19district; (ii) the status of carbon monoxide detection systems previously installed in school
50	50	20buildings; and (iii) the cost, including labor costs, of installing carbon monoxide detection
51	51	21systems. The department of elementary and secondary education, in conjunction with the
52	52	22department of fire safety, shall: (A) review the plan and may request additional or supporting
53	53	23information within 90 days of receipt of the plan; and (B) provide each school district 60 days to
54	54	24submit any additional or supporting information requested. A plan shall be approved not later
55	55	25than 180 days after receipt of the plan.
56	56	26 (c) Not later than April 1 of each year, the department of elementary and secondary
57	57	27education, in conjunction with the department of fire services, shall submit a report to the clerks
58	58	28of the house of representatives and the senate and the chairs of the house and senate committees
59	59	29on ways and means regarding the status of the fund including, but not limited to: (i) the amount
60	60	30of money in the fund; and (ii) a list of school districts that were awarded grants and the amount
61	61	31of the grants awarded. 3 of 4
62	62	32 SECTION 2. Subsection (a) of section 6 of chapter 70B of the General Laws, as
63	63	33appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:
64	64	34 (7) The school project includes a plan for the installation of a carbon monoxide detection
65	65	35system as required under subsection (a½) of section 26F½ of chapter 148.
66	66	36 SECTION 3. Subsection (a) of section 17 of said chapter 70B, as so appearing, is hereby
67	67	37amended by adding the following sentence:- The report shall also include an assessment of
68	68	38carbon monoxide detection systems within each school building and each school’s compliance
69	69	39with subsection (a½) of section 26F½ of chapter 148.
70	70	40 SECTION 4. Section 26F½ of said chapter 148, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition,
71	71	41 is hereby amended by inserting after subsection (a) the following subsection:-
72	72	42 (a½) Each school building that provides public or private education for children in
73	73	43kindergarten through grade 12 that: (1) contains fossil-fuel burning equipment including, but not
74	74	44limited to, a furnace, boiler, water heater, fireplace or any other apparatus, appliance or device
75	75	45that burns fossil fuel; or (2) incorporates enclosed parking within its structure shall install carbon
76	76	46monoxide alarms under the regulations of the board of fire prevention.
77	77	47 SECTION 5. The state board of building regulations and standards shall adopt as a
78	78	48minimum standard the 2015 International Building Code requirement to install carbon monoxide
79	79	49detection systems in all new or substantially rehabilitated school buildings that provide education
80	80	50for children in kindergarten through grade 12. 4 of 4
81	81	51 SECTION 6. Notwithstanding subsection (a½) of section 26F½ of chapter 148 of the
82	82	52General Laws, the board of fire prevention shall allow the temporary use of carbon monoxide
83	83	53alarms that are solely battery-powered or that are plug-in with battery back-up.
84	84	54 SECTION 7. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, not later than
85	85	55 January 1, 2020 and without further appropriation, the state comptroller shall transfer
86	86	56$7,500,000 from the General Fund to the School Carbon Monoxide Safety Trust Fund
87	87	57established in section 2LLLL of chapter 29 of the General Laws.
88	88	58 SECTION 8. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, not later than
89	89	59 March 31, 2020, the department of elementary and secondary education, in consultation
90	90	60with the department of fire services and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, shall
91	91	61develop best practices that are commensurate with Section 915.2.3 of the 2015 International
92	92	62Building Code for the placement and installation of carbon monoxide detection systems in public
93	93	63school buildings as required by sections 2 and 5 of this act; provided, however, that the best
94	94	64practices shall prioritize student and staff safety as well as cost economy.
95	95	65 SECTION 9. Section 6 is hereby repealed.
96	96	66 SECTION 10. Section 9 shall take effect on January 1, 2023.
97	97	67 SECTION 11. Unless otherwise provided, this act shall take effect on January 1, 2021.