WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

S 313

Dr. Tonya Matthews Black Excellence Award

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Deon Tedder

Extends advance transition planning from 6 to 12 months and creates annual county-level reports and a commission to improve services and placements for transition-age youth with di

Introduced and adopted
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 313

Summary — S.313 (2025) — An Act strengthening transitional planning and increasing accountability for persons with disabilities and their families

Status: Introduced (MA Senate) — Referred to committee; hearings scheduled 11/18/2025.
Primary sponsor: Sen. Joanne M. Comerford (with multiple MA cosponsors)

Note: bill text and metadata provided contain some inconsistent jurisdictional/sponsor entries; the substantive text is a Massachusetts bill amending chapter 71B (special education / transition planning).

Purpose

To strengthen transition planning and increase accountability for “transition‑age youth” — students with disabilities whose entitlement to special education ends upon graduation or at age 22 — by (1) extending advance planning timelines, (2) requiring county‑level, aggregated reporting on expected service needs, and (3) creating a special commission to review gaps and produce a comprehensive transition plan with recommended statutory or budgetary changes.

Key provisions

  • Change to timing in chapter 71B, §12C: replaces the word “six” with “12” (i.e., extends a referenced six‑month period to 12 months). This likely lengthens the advance planning/notification window (text references line 74 of §12C).
  • New annual reporting requirement: the transitional advisory committee chair must submit an annual, county‑level aggregated report to the House & Senate clerks and relevant committees containing, for the next two years:
    • counts of students receiving special education who are expected to turn 22 or graduate and will likely require habilitative services;
    • counts expected to require residential placements through the Department of Developmental Services (DDS);
    • counts expected to require services from one or more member agencies of the bureau of transitional planning, broken out by agency.
  • Establishes a special commission (co‑chaired by the Secretary of Health & Human Services or designee and a representative of the transitional advisory committee) including legislative appointees, executive branch designees, representatives of transition programs and The Arc of Massachusetts, and a transition‑age youth or family member.
  • Commission charge: prepare a comprehensive plan addressing communication, awareness of services, strengthening DDS “turning 22” coordinator program, improving chapter 688 referrals, information sharing across the bureau of transitional planning, reducing youth without identified residential placements at transition (target: identify placements at least 6 months prior), expanding residential options near families where desired, addressing DCF‑involved youth, promoting geographic equity, and instituting review processes for transition services.
  • Executive Office of Health and Human Services to submit the plan (including budget/statutory needs) to specified executive and legislative bodies (full submission details truncated in provided text).

Who would be affected

  • Transition‑age youth with disabilities (approaching age 22 or graduation) and their families/guardians.
  • State agencies: Department of Developmental Services, Executive Office of Health & Human Services, Executive Office of Education, Bureau of Transitional Planning and member agencies, Department of Children and Families.
  • Local providers and residential programs that serve adult habilitative and residential needs.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced January 2025; referred to Education and Local Government committees; hearings scheduled for November 18, 2025.
  • The bill establishes a commission and requires a plan submission but the provided text is truncated, so exact deadlines for the commission’s report or implementation milestones are not visible.

Potential impacts

  • Increased advance notice and data transparency could improve placement planning and reduce last‑minute service gaps.
  • Annual county‑level projections could guide resource allocation and highlight geographic inequities.
  • Implementation may require staffing, data systems, inter‑agency coordination, and potentially additional funding or statutory changes recommended by the commission.

Limitations / caveats

  • Some metadata provided (other sponsors, committee referrals) appears inconsistent with the Massachusetts bill text; summary focuses on the bill language in chapter 71B.
  • Final sections of the bill text were truncated, so some submission deadlines or additional requirements could not be summarized.

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

Sign in to ask a question.