Renames an office of addiction services and supports scholarship program the NYS Father Peter Young Memorial Addiction Professionals Scholarship Program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jake Ashby and 2 co-sponsors

The bill requires the RMV to publicly disclose how law enforcement uses targeted facial recognition on driver’s license and ID photos.

REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE

Summary — S.1731 (provided document text)

Note on source material and scope
- The bill metadata you provided (title about renaming an addiction services scholarship program) conflicts with the full bill text you included. The text you supplied is a Massachusetts Senate bill (Senate Docket No. 2424 / Senate No. 1731, filed 1/17/2025) titled "An Act to promote transparency of facial recognition and driver's license photos." This summary covers the content of that text (the facial‑recognition/transparency bill). If you intended the scholarship/renaming bill, please supply that text or clarify.

Purpose
- To increase public transparency about how Commonwealth law‑enforcement or investigative officers search and use driver’s license and ID photos with targeted facial recognition technology.

Key provisions
- Adds a new Section 8N to Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
- Requires the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to:
- Post notices in conspicuous locations at all Department driver licensing offices;
- Make written information available to all applicants at driver licensing offices; and
- Provide information on the Department website.
- Content requirement: the notices, written materials, and online information must address how Commonwealth investigative or law‑enforcement officers use and access targeted face recognition searches of driver’s license and ID photos in criminal investigations.

Who is affected
- Department of Motor Vehicles / Registry of Motor Vehicles (responsible for preparing and posting notices/materials).
- Current and prospective drivers and ID applicants who visit RMV offices or the RMV website (they will receive information about law‑enforcement searches).
- Law‑enforcement and investigative agencies (their use of targeted facial recognition will be the subject of the disclosed information).
- General public and privacy advocates (increased transparency may affect public understanding and oversight).

Procedural status and timeline (from provided actions)
- Filed (Massachusetts Senate) Jan 17, 2025; sponsor: Sen. Mark C. Montigny.
- Referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.
- Hearing scheduled 09/10/2025 (per list).
- Other procedural entries in the supplied material show multiple committee referrals and calendar actions; the record appears inconsistent in places (see note above).

Impact and considerations
- Direct impact is limited and procedural: the bill requires disclosure and informational materials but does not by itself restrict, authorize, or regulate when or how law enforcement may use facial recognition technology, nor does it set retention, access controls, accuracy, auditing, or remedy requirements.
- Potential effects: better public awareness of law enforcement practices; may prompt follow‑on legislation or administrative policy changes addressing privacy, consent, accuracy, data retention, or auditing of facial recognition use.
- No fiscal estimates or enforcement mechanisms are included in the text provided.

Next steps / recommendations
- Verify which bill you want summarized if the scholarship renaming bill was intended instead.
- For up‑to‑date status and exact bill text, consult the Massachusetts Legislature docket (Senate No. 1731 / Docket No. 2424) or the sponsoring office.