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H 3388

Drug offense classifications

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Todd Rutherford

Designates September 22 as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day, with an annual governor’s proclamation to honor fallen members and promote p

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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Bill Summary · H 3388

Summary — H.3388: "An Act designating veterans suicide awareness and remembrance day"

Status: Enacted — Signed by the Governor (Chapter 66 of the Acts of 2025)
Introduced: February 27, 2025 (filed Jan 8, 2025)
Primary sponsor: Rep. Joan Meschino. Co-sponsors: Patrick J. Kearney; Colleen M. Garry; Steven J. Ouellette; Justin Thurber; Brian M. Ashe; Homar Gómez; David F. DeCoste; Richard G. Wells, Jr.

Main purpose

To designate September 22 each year as "Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day" in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to require the Governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing the day, honoring fallen service members and veterans and promoting suicide awareness and prevention.

Key provisions

  • Amends Chapter 6 of the Massachusetts General Laws by inserting Section 15AAAAAAA.
  • Requires the Governor to annually issue a proclamation setting apart September 22 as “Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day.”
  • The proclamation must:
    • Recognize and honor fallen service members and veterans and their families;
    • Acknowledge that suicide among service members and veterans is an epidemic;
    • Foster awareness of suicide among service members and veterans;
    • Call for suicide prevention measures for service members and veterans.
  • Recommends that the day be observed in an appropriate manner by the people of the Commonwealth.

Who is affected / impact

  • Directly affects: the Governor’s office (responsibility to issue the annual proclamation).
  • Symbolically affects: Massachusetts veterans, current and former military service members, their families, advocacy and mental health organizations; the designation aims to raise public awareness and encourage prevention efforts.
  • Fiscal impact: None specified in the bill text; the requirement is limited to issuing an annual proclamation and a public recommendation to observe the day.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Referred to the House Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight after introduction; public hearing(s) occurred (hearing scheduled June 4, 2025).
  • Reported favorably and advanced through the House and Senate; emergency preamble adopted during final actions.
  • Enacted by the Legislature (final passage and enrollment in November 2025) and signed by the Governor on November 19, 2025 as Chapter 66 of the Acts of 2025. The adoption of an emergency preamble in final legislative action indicates intent for immediate effect upon enactment.

Additional note

The bill file includes a lengthy, unrelated excerpt concerning South Carolina statutory amendments about violent crimes and controlled-substance offenses. That South Carolina material is not part of H.3388 and appears to be an extraneous insertion in the compiled document.

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

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