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Bill

S 253

Audit Support

2025-2026 Regular Session

Creates a new Dietetics and Nutrition Board in EOHHS to standardize licensure, duties, and scope for dietitians/nutritionists across state agencies.

Act No. 72
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 253

Summary — S. 253 (2025): “An Act relative to modernizing licensure of dietitians and nutritionists”

Status (as provided)
- Introduced: January 17–24, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 2101 / Bill No. 253)
- Hearings scheduled: June 11, 2025 (A‑1)
- Passed Senate: June 10, 2025; delivered to House/Assembly June 10, 2025
- Most recent referral (House): Referred to Committee on Children and Families (06/10/2025)
- Note: The bill text provided is partial/truncated; readers should consult the official enrolled bill for full provisions.

Purpose and intent
- To modernize the Commonwealth’s regulatory framework for dietitians and nutritionists by (1) creating an interagency Dietetics and Nutrition Board in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), (2) revising the Board of Registration of Dietitians and Nutritionists within the Department of Public Health (DPH), and (3) updating statutory definitions and regulatory authorities that govern licensure, scope of practice, and oversight.

Key provisions (from provided text)
- Establishes a Dietetics and Nutrition Board in EOHHS (Chapter 6, new Section 181)
- Composition: Commissioners (Public Health, Transitional Assistance, Early Education and Care, Mental Health, Developmental Services, Elementary & Secondary Education, Agriculture), Secretary of Health and Human Services, Director of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation, Secretary of Elder Affairs (or designees), plus nine governor‑appointed public members with specific professional representation (physician with dietetics expertise; practicing and community dietitians/nutritionists; industry representative; higher‑ed dietetics educator; hospital and long‑term care clinical dietitians; two public consumers).
- Allows appointment of a secretary and executive secretary (exempt from certain Civil Service provisions) and authorizes staffing and budgeting subject to board/governor approval.
- Reconstitutes the Board of Registration of Dietitians and Nutritionists within DPH (Chapter 13, new Section 11D)
- Composition: nine members (five licensed dietitians, one licensed nutritionist, one physician licensed under Chapter 112, two public consumer members).
- Terms: three years; limits on consecutive terms; meeting/quorum rules (minimum 4 meetings/year); members reimbursed for expenses but not compensated.
- Updates Chapter 112 (sections 201–210 replaced)
- Introduces modernized definitions (example provided: “Dietetics” defined broadly to include scientific bases, medical nutrition therapy, telehealth delivery, therapeutic diets including enteral/parenteral nutrition, alignment with Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics and Commission on Dietetic Registration standards).
- Establishes terms such as “Commission on Dietetic Registration” and distinguishes “general non‑medical nutrition information” (text truncated).

Who would be affected
- Licensed and prospective dietitians and nutritionists (licensure criteria, scope of practice, supervision/education standards).
- Employers and practice settings: hospitals, long‑term care facilities, community/public‑health programs, private practice consultants, educational institutions.
- Consumers/patients who receive nutrition care or medical nutrition therapy.
- State agencies engaged in oversight, licensing, and public health programs (DPH, EOHHS, consumer protection).

Potential impacts and considerations
- Aligns statutory language with contemporary dietetics practice standards (including telehealth and advanced nutrition therapy).
- Centralizes interagency policy coordination through a Dietetics and Nutrition Board, which may improve cross‑sector consistency (health, education, elder services, agriculture).
- May change scope or entry requirements for practitioners (specific licensing, credential recognition, or standards referenced to national accreditation/certifying bodies).
- Administrative and fiscal impacts: board staffing and administration, licensure processing, and enforcement costs — not detailed in provided excerpt.
- Text is incomplete in the provided version; the final enacted bill may include specific licensing requirements, prohibited practices, penalties, fee structures, grandfathering/transition rules, or other regulatory mechanisms not visible here.

Procedural note and data discrepancies
- The header/title in the user prompt (relating to mental health services for child protective services employees) does not match the bill text, which concerns dietitian/nutritionist licensure modernization. Sponsors listed in the provided data appear inconsistent with a Massachusetts state bill and may reflect unrelated filings. Users should verify sponsor and committee information on the official Massachusetts Legislature website (malegislature.gov) or the bill’s docket for authoritative details and the full text.

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

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