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H 3080

Guardians ad Litem

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Gil Gatch

Imposes a $2 per departing passenger ferry fee at ports in specified MA counties to fund harbor safety, services, and infrastructure, with exemptions for certain fares.

Referred to Committee on Judiciary
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Bill Summary · H 3080

Bill Summary — H 3080 (House No. 3080)

Short title / subject: Appears as two different topics in the provided text. The primary Massachusetts bill text is titled “An Act relative to embarkation fees” (ferry embarkation fee). The packet also contains unrelated South Carolina draft language concerning guardians ad litem. Below is a focused summary of the Massachusetts bill (embarkation fees), followed by a brief note about the unrelated guardians ad litem language.

Purpose

The Massachusetts bill would authorize certain Cape and Islands municipalities and related fire districts to collect a $2.00 per-passenger embarkation fee on departing ferry trips from ports located in those jurisdictions. The fee revenue is earmarked to mitigate ferry-related impacts (harbor services, public safety, emergency services, infrastructure near harbors).

Key provisions

  • Imposes a $2.00 embarkation fee per passenger on all departing passenger ferry trips originating from ports located in cities/towns within Barnstable, Nantucket, Dukes, and Bristol counties.
  • Excludes ferry vessels licensed to transport not more than 100 passengers.
  • Fee collection and remittance:
    • Ferry operators collect the fee, record the number of passengers by port, and remit revenues quarterly to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue.
    • Records must be forwarded to the Commissioner at the time of payment.
  • Revenue distribution (by the Commissioner of Revenue and State Treasurer):
    • 62.5% to the city or town that contains the port and provides ferry service.
    • 25% to a fire district that provides fire or public safety services to a port within such city/town.
    • 12.5% to a city or town that does not provide ferry service but shares a harbor or port with a city/town that does.
  • Use of funds:
    • Recipient municipalities and fire districts must deposit proceeds into a special fund.
    • Funds may be used solely to mitigate ferry impacts, including harbor services, public safety, emergency services, and infrastructure improvements in and around the harbor.
  • Exemptions:
    • Passengers holding valid commuter fare, student fare, commuter excursion fare, or school-related fare are exempt.
    • “Commuter fare” is defined to include multi-ticket books or fares purchased through the Steamship Authority’s Islands Preferred Excursion Program.

Who is affected

  • Ferry passengers departing from affected ports (would pay $2 unless exempt).
  • Ferry operators (administrative responsibility to collect, record, and remit fees quarterly).
  • Cities/towns in Barnstable, Nantucket, Dukes, and Bristol counties (would receive most of the revenue if they host ports).
  • Fire districts providing services to ports (receive 25% where applicable).
  • Neighboring municipalities that share a harbor but do not operate ferries (receive 12.5%).

Procedural / timeline details (from provided actions)

  • Prefiled: 2024-12-05
  • Introduced / read first time (Mass. House): 2025-01-14
  • Referred to Committee on Judiciary: 2025-01-14 (initial referral)
  • Referred to Committee on Revenue: 2025-02-27
  • Senate concurred: 2025-02-27 (record shows concurrence)
  • Hearing scheduled: 2025-10-17 (originally 10:00 AM; updated times noted)
    • Hearing rescheduled/updated: 2025-10-17 (A-2 and virtual)
  • Status in header: Referred to Committee on Judiciary (per user metadata)

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Fiscal: New dedicated local revenue stream; amount depends on ridership levels and exemptions. Could fund harbor maintenance, emergency response, and infrastructure needs tied to ferry traffic.
  • Administrative: Ferry operators would incur recordkeeping and remittance responsibilities; municipalities and fire districts must establish/maintain special funds and account for restricted expenditures.
  • Equity/price effects: A $2 fee per departing passenger may be absorbed by operators or passed to passengers; several exemptions narrow who pays (commuters, students, school-related travel).
  • Scope: Vessels with capacity ≤100 passengers are excluded, narrowing the fee’s reach.

Note on inconsistent / additional content

The provided materials also include an unrelated South Carolina bill draft amending S.C. Code §63‑3‑830 to require a guardian ad litem in private Family Court actions to provide copies of written communications and reports from therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, or other professionals to both parties’ attorneys (or to unrepresented parties). That South Carolina language appears to be included in error and is not part of the Massachusetts embarkation-fee bill described above.

If you want, I can:
- Produce a short plain‑language flyer summarizing effects for ferry passengers and local officials;
- Estimate potential revenue scenarios given typical ridership numbers for particular routes (if you provide ridership data).

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

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