Bill
S 251
Expands access to small-claims justice by raising magistrates’ civil jurisdiction from $7,500 to $15,000, moving more cases to lower, faster courts.
Note on source material and scope
- The provided bill text appears to include two different measures merged into a single file: (A) a Massachusetts Senate bill filed by Sen. Robyn K. Kennedy titled “An Act relative to health equity and community health workers” (Senate No. 251), and (B) a South Carolina statutory amendment to increase magistrates’ civil jurisdiction from $7,500 to $15,000. The legislative actions and sponsor lists appear inconsistent across jurisdictions. Below are clear, separate summaries of each measure and the key points and impacts from the materials provided.
Primary purpose
- Strengthen the role, certification, workforce development, and sustainable reimbursement of community health workers (CHWs) to advance health equity.
Key provisions
- Revises the statutory definition of CHW “core competencies” to list specific competency areas (outreach, assessment, communication, culturally-based care, health education, advocacy/coordination, navigation to behavioral and mental health/substance use services, public health approaches, community capacity building, and writing/technical communication).
- Requires public and private payers (including the Group Insurance Commission plans under Chapter 32A, MassHealth/division of medical assistance and its contractors, insurance companies (Ch. 175), hospital service corporations (Ch. 176A), medical service corporations (Ch. 176B), and HMOs (Ch. 176G)) to provide coverage and reimbursement for CHW services when delivered by certified CHWs or CHWs pursuing certification and employed by a health care provider, community-based organization, or municipality (including entities that provide only non-medical services).
- Directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to seek any necessary federal authorizations and maximize federal financial participation for CHW coverage.
- Directs MassHealth, the Division of Insurance, and the Group Insurance Commission to issue regulations or guidance to implement coverage, including enrollment pathways for non-health-care entities as providers.
- Establishes a Community Health Worker Workforce Development Taskforce (chaired by the Senate President and Speaker or their designees) with specified legislative, executive, employer, and CHW stakeholder representatives.
- Taskforce duties: study existing CHW workforce supply/distribution, certification barriers, reimbursement sustainability, recruitment/retention/career pathways, supervision and employer capacity, and data availability.
- Produce a report with findings and recommendations (including legislative/regulatory proposals) — text truncated in the supplied file; timing for the report is not fully shown.
Who is affected
- Community health workers (current and prospective), community-based organizations, health care providers employing CHWs, MassHealth and commercial insurers, municipalities, and patients/communities that receive CHW services.
Potential impacts
- Expanded payer coverage could increase CHW employment opportunities, formalize career pathways, and improve access to non-clinical supports that address social determinants of health. Implementation depends on regulatory action and any required federal approvals (Medicaid waivers/state plan amendments).
Primary purpose
- Increase the monetary limit of civil jurisdiction in magistrate courts from $7,500 to $15,000.
Key provisions (as drafted)
- Replaces statutory dollar amounts in §22-3-10 so that magistrates have concurrent jurisdiction for a long list of civil actions (contract claims, personal injury/property damage claims, penalties/fines/forfeitures, attachments, bond actions, surety bond actions, judgments from magistrate courts, confession judgments, fraud in sale/purchase/exchange of personal property, recovery of personal property, certain interpleader claims, landlord-tenant matters, and damages for failure to return rented property) where the amount claimed does not exceed $15,000.
- Contains a savings clause preserving pending actions/rights under prior law.
- Takes effect upon gubernatorial approval.
Who is affected
- Litigants and attorneys in South Carolina pursuing small- to mid-sized civil claims, magistrate judges, municipal governments, landlords/tenants, consumer creditors and debtors; the change shifts more cases into magistrate court (simpler procedures and potentially quicker resolution) and may affect appellate volumes and trial court caseloads.
Potential impacts
- Doubling the magistrate-court monetary limit could increase the number of cases handled in lower courts, reduce caseloads in higher courts for small-dollar disputes, and affect access to quicker, lower-cost judicial remedies. It may also change strategic filing decisions by litigants and impact collection or eviction proceedings handled at the magistrate level.
If you’d like, I can:
- Produce a clean one-page bill memo for either the Massachusetts CHW bill or the South Carolina magistrate-jurisdiction amendment.
- Track current legislative status for a chosen jurisdiction and identify next procedural steps.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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