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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1225 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 938 |
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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 | | Jason M. Lewis |
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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 to require disclosure of conflicts of interests in academic institutions. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1225 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 938 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Lewis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 938) of Jason M. Lewis for |
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| 19 | 19 | | legislation to require disclosure of conflicts of interests in academic institutions. Higher |
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| 20 | 20 | | Education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 833 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act to require disclosure of conflicts of interests in academic institutions. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2is hereby amended by inserting after section 30A the following section:- |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 30B. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:- |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 “Institution” any institution within the public system of higher education as set forth in |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5section 5 of chapter 15A or any independent institution of higher education. |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6 (b) The board of higher education shall require each institution to maintain a written |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7conflict-of-interest policy that is designed to eliminate or minimize potential conflicts of interest |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8that may arise for any faculty or staff member that in the course of his or her academic work, or |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9as a result of his or her specific academic expertise, develops a financial relationship with any 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10entity other than his or her primary employer or a government agency. This policy shall be made |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11available online for public review. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12 (c) Said board shall require any faculty or staff member of an institution who has a |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13financial relationship with any entity other than his or her primary employer or a government |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14agency to disclose this relationship publicly. This information shall be made available online for |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15public review. A financial relationship includes anything of material monetary value received, |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16including a salary, consulting fee, honorarium or other payment for service; equity interests, |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17including stocks, stock options or other ownership interests; and intellectual property rights, |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18including patent rights owned by the investigator or on which a clinical investigator is a named |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19inventor (whether licensed or not), copyrights and royalties. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20 (d) Said board shall collaborate with the state ethics commission to issue guidelines that |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21assist institutions in developing conflict-of-interest policies and in complying with this section. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22Such guidelines shall take into consideration existing conflict of interest policies that may |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23already have been adopted by some institutions in the Commonwealth and shall seek to identify |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24best practices in minimizing conflicts of interest that may arise in institutions. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25 SECTION 2. The board of higher education shall issue the guidelines required pursuant |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26to subsection (d) of section 30B of chapter 69 of the General Laws no later than 270 days after |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27passage of this act. |
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