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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2384 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 480 |
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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 B. Lovely |
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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 promoting infection prevention and privacy for residents of nursing homes. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Joan B. LovelySecond Essex 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2384 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 480 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Ms. Lovely, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 480) of Joan B. Lovely for |
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| 19 | 19 | | legislation to promote infection prevention and privacy for residents of nursing homes. Elder |
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| 20 | 20 | | Affairs. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act promoting infection prevention and privacy for residents of nursing homes. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Subsection (g) of Section 70E of chapter 111 of the general laws as |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2appearing in the 2022 Official Edition is hereby amended by striking the remainder of the |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3sentence after the words, “other rendering of care,” and inserting the following: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4 “and in their assigned room, including, but not limited to being the sole resident of such |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5room, unless said resident, or their guardian or health care proxy, mutually agrees to share the |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6room with a spouse or not more than one other resident, and that in the absence of a second |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7resident, the bathroom is not shared with any other person.” |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8 SECTION 2. The executive office of health and human services shall, if necessary, seek |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9federal approval for any appropriate increase in rates for such single-occupancy rooms. |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10 SECTION 3. The department of public health shall promulgate appropriate regulations to |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11promote the use of single rooms and single bathrooms in every licensed facility in the |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12Commonwealth. 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13 SECTION 4. This act shall apply to any new or substantial renovation, of a licensed |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14facility. Every facility that holds a valid license as of the effective date of this act shall be |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15allowed not more than three years from the date of this act to achieve compliance with the |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16provisions herein. |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17 SECTION 5. Subsection (e) of said section 35TTT of chapter 10, as amended by chapter |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18197 of the acts of 2024, is hereby amended by inserting after the word, “facilities,” the following |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19words, “provided, however, that priority shall be given to projects that are intended to |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20reconfigure facilities to provide single occupancy rooms for residents. |
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