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S 1419

Allows the alteration or repeal of real property tax exemptions for private institutions of higher education

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jabari Brisport and 5 co-sponsors

Protective custody now lasts through transport, screening, and evaluation for treatment, explicitly including evaluation alongside treatment.

OPINION REFERRED TO JUDICIARY
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Bill Summary · S 1419

Bill Summary — S.1419 (2025) — "An Act relative to protective custody"

Note up front: the bill metadata provided contains inconsistencies (a different bill title about property-tax exemptions and a list of sponsors that appear to be federal legislators). This summary is based on the bill text included in your materials, which amends Section 9A of Chapter 111E (Massachusetts law) and concerns protective custody for persons in need of emergency mental‑health care.

Purpose / Intent

To clarify and slightly broaden the duration and scope of "protective custody" under Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 111E, §9A so that custody continues while an individual is being transported, screened, and evaluated for treatment, and to explicitly include “evaluation” alongside “treatment” where referenced in the statute.

Key Provisions

  • Amends Section 9A, Chapter 111E (as appearing in the 2022 edition) by inserting language in two places:
    1. In the first sentence of the second paragraph, after the phrase “immediately obtaining appropriate emergency medical treatment,” adds: “provided such custody shall continue in force and effect for the duration of necessary transport, screening, and evaluation for treatment.”
      • Effect: makes clear that protective custody continues through transport, the screening process, and the evaluation that precedes treatment.
    2. At the end of the third paragraph, after the word “treatment,” inserts the word “and evaluation.”
      • Effect: explicitly pairs evaluation with treatment in statutory text where only “treatment” had been cited.

Who or What Is Affected

  • Individuals taken into protective custody under Chapter 111E (persons believed to be a danger to themselves/others due to mental illness or who need emergency protective intervention).
  • Law enforcement and first responders who place people into protective custody — they would be operating under clearer statutory authority that custody continues during transport and evaluation.
  • Emergency departments, psychiatric screening services, receiving facilities, and mental‑health clinicians who perform screening and evaluation.
  • Health care and behavioral health systems’ intake/transfer protocols, liability considerations, and recordkeeping.

Likely Practical Impacts

  • Clarifies custody status during periods that previously might have been ambiguous (e.g., en route to hospital, during triage/screening, while clinicians evaluate).
  • May reduce disputes about whether an individual is still legally in custody during transport or evaluation.
  • Could affect operational procedures (paperwork, transport times, interagency handoffs) and training for police, EMS, and clinical staff.
  • May raise civil‑liberties questions (duration, safeguards, oversight of custody during evaluation) that stakeholders could address through implementing protocols.

Procedure / Timeline (as provided)

  • Filed/Introduced: 01/09/2025 (Senate Docket No. 215)
  • Actions: Referred to Judiciary (01/09/2025); request for Attorney‑General opinion (01/10/2025); opinions referred to Judiciary (01/31/2025); referred to committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery (02/27/2025); read twice and referred to Committee on Environment and Public Works (04/10/2025); hearing scheduled for 10/14/2025.
  • Current status (per provided record): OPINION REFERRED TO JUDICIARY.

Notes / Recommendations

  • Because of inconsistencies in the metadata you supplied (title and sponsor list do not match the bill text), verify the bill’s official text and status on the Massachusetts legislature’s website or the official docket before citing or acting on this summary.
  • Stakeholders likely to be interested: public-safety agencies, hospitals and behavioral‑health providers, civil‑liberties advocates, and legislative committees on mental health and public safety.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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