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S 938

Relates to the right of public employees and employee organizations to strike; repealer

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jabari Brisport

Massachusetts public and independent colleges must publish conflict-of-interest policies and publicly disclose faculty financial relationships beyond their primary employer.

REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS
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Bill Summary · S 938

Summary — S. 938 (2025): "An Act to require disclosure of conflicts of interests in academic institutions"

Main purpose

S. 938 would require public and independent institutions of higher education in Massachusetts to adopt and publish conflict-of-interest (COI) policies and to publicly disclose certain financial relationships held by faculty and staff. The stated intent is to increase transparency and to reduce or manage potential conflicts that arise from financial ties outside an employee’s primary employer or government agencies.

Where the change appears

The bill proposes inserting a new Section 30B into Chapter 69 of the Massachusetts General Laws, giving the Board of Higher Education authority to implement and oversee these requirements.

Key provisions

  • Definitions
    • “Institution” = any institution in the public higher education system (per chapter 15A, §5) or any independent institution of higher education.
  • Institutional policies
    • The Board of Higher Education must require each institution to maintain a written COI policy designed to eliminate or minimize conflicts that arise when faculty or staff develop financial relationships because of their academic work or expertise.
    • Policies must be made available online for public review.
  • Public disclosure by individuals
    • Faculty or staff who have a financial relationship with any entity other than their primary employer or a government agency must publicly disclose that relationship.
    • Disclosures must be posted online for public review.
  • What counts as a “financial relationship”
    • Anything of material monetary value including salaries, consulting fees, honoraria, payments for services; equity interests (stocks, stock options, other ownership); intellectual property rights (patent rights, copyrights, royalties), whether licensed or not.
  • Guidance and coordination
    • The Board of Higher Education must collaborate with the State Ethics Commission to develop guidelines to help institutions build COI policies and comply with the statute, taking existing institutional policies and best practices into account.
  • Timeline for guidance
    • The Board must issue the required guidelines no later than 270 days after enactment.

Who would be affected

  • All public higher education institutions in Massachusetts and independent higher ed institutions (as defined).
  • Faculty and staff at those institutions who develop compensatory or equity interests, consulting relationships, or receive other material benefits tied to their expertise or research.
  • The Board of Higher Education and the State Ethics Commission (responsible for creating and coordinating guidelines).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Increased transparency of outside financial ties and intellectual property interests for academics and researchers.
  • Administrative burden on institutions to create, maintain, and publish policies and to collect and post disclosures.
  • Possible effects on industry–academia collaborations, consulting arrangements, and IP commercialization (greater public scrutiny may alter behavior).
  • Privacy and legal compliance considerations (scope of “public disclosure,” handling of sensitive information, and enforcement mechanisms are not detailed in the bill text).

Procedural status (as provided)

  • Introduced in the Senate: March 11, 2025.
  • Referred: multiple committee referrals listed (Civil Service and Pensions; Judiciary; Higher Education) and a hearing scheduled for 09/11/2025 (1:00–5:00 PM in A‑1).
  • The bill text identifies Senator Jason M. Lewis as the presenting legislator.
  • The supplied sponsor list and some action dates contain inconsistencies in the record; the bill text and insertion into Chapter 69 are the controlling substantive details.

If you’d like, I can extract the exact statutory text changes in a side‑by‑side format, or draft a one‑page briefing for institutional administrators explaining compliance steps.

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

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