Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1395 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1860 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1395
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Paul R. Feeney
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 suicide prevention signage at certain facilities.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Paul R. FeeneyBristol and Norfolk 1 of 3
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1860 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1395
18	18	By Mr. Feeney, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1395) of Paul R. Feeney for
19	19	legislation relative to suicide prevention signage at certain facilities. Mental Health, Substance
20	20	Use and Recovery.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 970 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 suicide prevention signage at certain facilities.
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 32 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
32	32	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following 3 paragraphs:-
33	33	3 Every owner, proprietor and person in control or keeper of a garage of a vertical height
34	34	4above 3 stories or 30 feet shall, within 1 year of this act, conspicuously post signage providing
35	35	5information on suicide prevention including, but not limited to, the 988 behavioral health
36	36	6emergency line, and the words “You Are Not Alone”, designed and developed by the division on
37	37	7violence and injury prevention within the department of public health and available on the
38	38	8department’s website. The sign shall be posted conspicuously on each of the 4 walls of a garage
39	39	9on each floor above 3 stories or 30 feet in height and in each elevator lobby and stairwell on each
40	40	10floor leading to the top level of the garage. 2 of 3
41	41	11 Every owner, proprietor and person in control of a garage shall submit to the department
42	42	12of public health and to the architectural access board proof of posted signage within 1 year of the
43	43	13effective date of this section.
44	44	14 The penalty for failure to comply with this act shall be $50 per day, payable to the
45	45	15commonwealth and to be distributed equally to Massachusetts non-profit organizations dedicated
46	46	16to preventing suicide at the end of each fiscal year.
47	47	17 SECTION 2. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the
48	48	18department of public health, in consultation with the division on violence and injury prevention,
49	49	19the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contractors and the Massachusetts
50	50	20department of transportation shall conduct a study of mass transportation facilities, as defined in
51	51	21section 1 of chapter 161A of the General Laws, inclusive of railways and crossings, that are
52	52	22potential means of suicide or locations where a suicide has occurred in the last 10 years.
53	53	23 (b) The department of public health shall submit a report containing the findings of its
54	54	24study to the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the joint committee on health
55	55	25care financing, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint
56	56	26committee on transportation and the senate and house committees on ways and means within 1
57	57	27year of the passage of this act. The department shall publish a copy of the report on its website.
58	58	28 (c) Within 1 year of the publication of the report, the department of public health shall
59	59	29promulgate regulations requiring the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its
60	60	30contractors and the department of transportation to integrate at mass transportation facilities,
61	61	31physical infrastructure and design elements that will reduce and eliminate means of suicide,
62	62	32including, but not limited to, a requirement to conspicuously post signage providing information 3 of 3
63	63	33on suicide prevention, developed and provided by the division on violence and injury prevention
64	64	34within the department of public health, including, but not limited to, the 988 behavioral health
65	65	35emergency line, and the words “You Are Not Alone”. The sign shall use a soothing light green
66	66	36color and shall be developed in a manner that is large enough to be viewed from a distance and
67	67	37that can be clearly viewed and read by persons in all lighting conditions. The department of
68	68	38public health shall make the sign, as well as design recommendations for barriers and features to
69	69	39prevent means of suicide at mass transportation facilities, railways and crossings, available on its
70	70	40website for viewing and download by the public.
71	71	41 SECTION 3. Section 1 of this Act shall take effect 1 year after the publication of the
72	72	42signage required under section 2 on the website of the department of public health.