Bill
S 1251
Massachusetts SB 1251 repeals the criminal offense of blasphemy, removing all penalties and enforcement tied to that statute.
Summary — Senate Bill No. 1251 (filed 1/17/2025)
Note on source material and inconsistencies
- The materials you provided contain conflicting metadata (a New York school‑safety task‑force title, sponsors from other states, and multiple committee referrals) but the attached bill text and docket chiefly describe a Massachusetts measure titled “An Act repealing the criminalization of blasphemy.”
- This summary treats the bill text on file (Massachusetts S.1251) as the operative measure. If you intended the New York school‑safety bill, please confirm and provide the correct text/packet.
Purpose and intent
- The bill would repeal the statutory criminal offense of blasphemy in Massachusetts. Its stated purpose is to remove from state law the criminal prohibition against blasphemy.
Key provision
- Repeal: Section 36 of chapter 272 of the Massachusetts General Laws is repealed in its entirety. (Section citation taken directly from the bill text.)
Immediate effect if enacted
- Eliminates any criminal penalties, enforcement authority, or arrest power tied to the statutory offense of blasphemy under the cited statute.
- The repeal is narrow in scope: it removes a single statutory provision rather than creating new penalties or affirmative regulatory schemes.
Who would be affected
- Individuals: Persons potentially subject to prosecution under the repealed statute would no longer face criminal charges for conduct previously characterized as “blasphemy.”
- Courts and law enforcement: Removes an available criminal charge from prosecutorial charging choices.
- Symbolic effect: The repeal would remove language criminalizing certain expressions of religion or irreverence, which could have civil‑liberties and free‑speech significance.
Context and likely impact
- Practical effect may be limited: blasphemy statutes are rarely enforced and are vulnerable to constitutional challenge on free‑speech grounds under the U.S. Constitution. The repeal removes any residual statutory authority and clarifies state law.
- Policy implications: The change may be framed as a modernization or protection of free expression, and it could be cited as eliminating statutes that criminalize religious dissent or insult.
Procedural status and timeline (as provided; some entries conflict)
- Filed: Senate Docket No. 2201, filed 1/17/2025. Presented by Senator Rebecca L. Rausch.
- Committee activity (conflicting records in packet): The bill text indicates referral to the Judiciary Committee; other entries list referrals to Education and hearings scheduled for 05/06/2025 (time/location noted). One entry reports the committee favorably reported the bill and referred it to Senate Rules on 6/16/2025.
- Prior and related measures: Similar matter filed in a prior session (Senate No. 1109, 2023–2024). Several other related bills and companions are listed in the packet.
Sponsor
- Primary petitioner/presenter listed: Rebecca L. Rausch.
If you want, I can:
- Produce a focused analysis of legal and constitutional implications (First Amendment, prosecutorial practice), or
- Recreate this summary for the New York school‑safety task‑force bill if you provide that bill text/packet.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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