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HD 308

An Act relative to the establishment of minority recruitment and selection program

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Francisco Paulino

Mass. law enforcement agencies must create minority recruitment and selection programs with goals, publish data, and be overseen by the AG to boost diversity and transparency.

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Bill Summary · HD 308

Summary of HD 308 — An Act relative to the establishment of minority recruitment and selection program

Overview

HD 308 proposes to require every law enforcement agency in Massachusetts to establish a minority recruitment and selection program designed to increase workforce diversity and better reflect the community served. The act would create formal guidelines, data reporting requirements, and public transparency measures, with oversight and annual reporting led by the Attorney General (AG). The measure takes effect 120 days after passage.

Purpose and intent

  • Remedy past discrimination in law enforcement recruitment and hiring.
  • Promote a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities served.
  • Establish measurable recruitment and hiring goals for minorities and females.
  • Apply uniform guidelines across agencies to ensure consistent implementation.

Key provisions

Section 36 — Establishment and scope

  • Defines “law enforcement agency” to include state, county, municipal, or district agencies; sheriff’s departments; college/university/hospital police departments; and humane society police departments (per Ch. 22C).
  • Defines “law enforcement officer” as a full-time, certified officer by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission (Ch. 6E).
  • Each agency must establish a minority recruitment and selection program aligned with guidelines from the AG (Section 38).
  • Programs must set good-faith goals for recruiting/hiring minorities and females, with established time frames.
  • Programs must include evaluation methods and contingent measures if goals are not met.
  • Programs must be posted on each agency’s official website.
  • AG will monitor results, in coordination with agency heads for state agencies.
  • AG annually publishes a summary of monitoring results, posting it on the AG’s website and distributing it to the Governor, Secretary of Public Safety and Security (SSPS), and the clerks of the House and Senate.

Section 37 — Reporting requirements

  • Agencies must annually submit to the AG:
    • Demographic data (age, gender, race, ethnicity) of current officers.
    • Demographics of applicants for officer positions in the prior year.
    • Demographics of applicants appointed in the prior year.
    • Reasons for denying applicants.
    • Demographics and positions of officers promoted in the prior year.
  • Agencies must publish the data on their own websites.
  • The AG compiles an annual report from the agency submissions and distributes it to the Governor, SSPS (who will post it publicly), and the clerks of the Legislature; the AG also posts the report on the AG’s website.

Section 38 — Guidelines

  • The AG will develop guidelines or directives to ensure uniform application of the act across all agencies.

Applicable agencies and individuals

  • All law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts as defined above.
  • Law enforcement officers who are permanent, full-time and POST-certified.

Timeline and effective date

  • Effective date: 120 days after the bill’s passage.
  • Ongoing requirements:
    • Annual demographic and recruitment data submissions by agencies.
    • Annual AG-monitored reporting and publication.
    • Public posting of agency programs and data.

Potential impact

  • Increased transparency in recruitment, hiring, and promotion practices.
  • A standardized framework for minority and female representation within law enforcement.
  • Additional administrative obligations for agencies to collect, analyze, and publish demographic data.
  • Enhanced oversight by the AG to assess progress and suggest corrective measures.

Context

  • Similar measures were previously filed in prior sessions (e.g., House No. 3636 of 2023-2024), indicating ongoing interest in formalizing minority recruitment and selection programs across Massachusetts law enforcement agencies.

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

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