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Bill

S 166

Relates to unfair claim settlement practices

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Leroy Comrie and 10 co-sponsors

Establishes a statewide Children’s Vision Registry to track screenings and follow-up, expand preschool coverage, and guide care via an advisory council.

PRINT NUMBER 166A
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Bill Summary · S 166

Summary — S.166 (Print 166A): “An Act to close the achievement gap by addressing disparities in children's vision”

Status & procedural history (select)
- Introduced in the Senate: January 21, 2025.
- Read twice and referred to Committee (multiple referrals noted: Judiciary; Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities; Insurance).
- Amended and recommitted; printed as 166A (May 15, 2025).
- Hearing scheduled November 18, 2025.
- House concurrence and other procedural entries are recorded in the file.

Purpose
- To reduce educational disparities by improving detection, tracking, and follow‑up of children’s vision and eye‑health needs through expanded screening requirements, a statewide advisory council, and a centralized children’s vision registry.

Key provisions
1. Changes to school‑entry screening law (Chapter 71, §57)
- Removes language limiting screening to “the individual request of a parent or guardian,” broadening the authority/expectation for screenings.
- Expands the statute to explicitly include children “entering preschool.”
- Removes the second paragraph of the existing §57 (text deleted as drafted).
- Adds a statutory cross‑reference linking school health personnel to the children’s vision registry.

  1. Children’s Vision and Eye Health Advisory Council (new Chapter 69, §38)

    • Creates a 14‑member council chaired by the (unnamed) commissioner; membership includes DPH, Early Education & Care, MassHealth (or designees), representatives of school nurses, optometrists, ophthalmologists, pediatricians, family physicians, community health centers, disability advocacy organizations, the Children’s Vision Massachusetts Coalition, and three parents (one MassHealth recipient, one gateway city resident).
    • Duties: advise the department on a universal registry, public health campaigns, screening expansion, and vision/eye health recommendations.
    • Annual reporting requirement to the Joint Committee on Public Health and the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.

  2. Children’s Vision Registry (new Chapter 69, §38A)

    • Requires the department to establish and operate a computerized registry recording vision screening results and follow‑up eye care.
    • Mandates that all licensed providers who perform vision screenings and eye exams report registry data as determined by the department.
    • Privacy, access, and disclosure rules:
      • Registry data are confidential, not public records, not subpoenaable, and inadmissible as evidence.
      • Information may be released without additional consent to: (1) licensed health care providers providing direct care to the child; (2) preschool, elementary, and secondary school nurses; (3) staff of state agencies/programs whose duties include education/outreach on children’s eye care — unless the parent/guardian objects (i.e., an opt‑out provision for disclosure to these groups).
      • The department may designate other authorized users with scope‑limited access and may permit approved researchers to access data under confidentiality agreements.
      • Authorized users are protected from liability for good‑faith disclosures or non‑disclosures similar to immunization registry protections.
      • Individuals (or parents/guardians of minors) may seek amendment of incorrect registry information and can request an access log of who has viewed their record.
    • The department must promulgate implementing regulations.

Who is affected
- Children in preschool and K–12 schools (screening coverage broadened).
- Parents/guardians (default reporting and limited disclosure unless they object to certain releases).
- Licensed health care providers who perform vision screenings/exams (new reporting obligations).
- School nurses, school systems, state health and education agencies, MassHealth, community health centers, and researchers (access for care coordination, program planning, and approved research).
- The department administering the registry (administrative, privacy, and rulemaking duties).

Potential impacts and considerations
- Benefits: earlier and more consistent identification of vision problems may improve educational outcomes and help close achievement gaps tied to uncorrected vision. A centralized registry enables population surveillance, follow‑up tracking, program evaluation, and targeted outreach.
- Administrative/operational burdens: development/maintenance of a secure registry, provider reporting requirements, rulemaking, and outreach to ensure compliance.
- Privacy and civil‑liberty concerns: registry contains sensitive health data; the bill restricts public access and provides opt‑out for certain disclosures, but default sharing with schools and providers (unless parents object) may raise questions about notice, consent mechanics, and data security.
- Next steps: rulemaking by the department and formation of the advisory council; the effectiveness will depend on funding, IT/security resources, provider engagement, and clear parent notification/opt‑out procedures.

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

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