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S 2564

Requires any proposed increase in fares by the metropolitan commuter transportation authority shall be submitted to the state comptroller for approval

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Leroy Comrie

Creates a permanent Law Revision Commission to identify archaic laws and recommend repeals or revisions, modernizing statutes and improving accessibility.

REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION
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Bill Summary · S 2564

Summary — S.2564 (filed 7/24/2025)

Note: the bill title provided (“Requires any proposed increase in fares by the metropolitan commuter transportation authority shall be submitted to the state comptroller for approval”) does not match the text of S.2564 filed on 7/24/2025. This summary is based on the bill text titled “An Act amending certain archaic laws.”

Main purpose and intent

S.2564 is an omnibus modernization bill whose primary goals are to:
- Establish a permanent Law Revision Commission to identify and propose repeal or revision of archaic, anachronistic, or unconstitutional provisions in Massachusetts law; and
- Remove or revise multiple outdated criminal statutes and archaic language across several chapters of the General Laws (notably chapters 127, 260, 265, 272, 276 and 277), including elimination or narrowing of historic statutes criminalizing “unnatural” sexual acts and removal of antiquated phraseology and jury instruction examples.

Key provisions and changes

  • Establishes a permanent Law Revision Commission (new Chapter 3, Section 76):
    • Membership: co-chairs are the chairs (or designees) of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Attorney General (or designee), 4 practicing attorneys appointed by legislative leaders and minority leaders, 1 appointee each from the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association and Committee for Public Counsel Services, and 3 gubernatorial appointees (a retired judge, a law school faculty member, and a historian with expertise in Commonwealth law).
    • Operations: counsel to the Senate and House to provide personnel support; appointed members serve staggered 4‑year terms; commission must meet at least four times annually.
    • Duties: review common law and statutes for defects/anachronisms, consider recommendations from learned bodies, recommend consolidations and express repeals, and improve accessibility of state law (including open‑source tools). The commission must submit an annual report with draft legislation at the close of each legislative session.
  • Revisions and repeals of specific statutory provisions:
    • Repeals: e.g., Section 143 of Chapter 127; Sections 34, 36 and 62 of Chapter 272; Section 45 of Chapter 277 (and other targeted repeals).
    • Replaces Chapter 272 Section 35 with a narrowed offense: “lewd and lascivious act in public” committed with intent of public exposure or reckless disregard of substantial risk — penalty capped at a $200 fine, up to 6 months in jail (house of correction), or both.
    • Cleans archaic wording (e.g., replaces “Common night walkers, common street walkers” with “Persons”) and removes antiquated illustrative jury language referencing “sodomy” and “unnatural act” from Chapter 277.
    • Multiple cross‑references in Chapters 127, 260, 276 and 277 updated to reflect deletions/revisions.

Who is affected

  • Courts, prosecutors, public defenders and law enforcement: changes in available charges, penalties, and statutory language; potential decreases in prosecutions under repealed provisions.
  • Individuals previously subject to archaic statutes (e.g., offenses historically targeting sexual conduct) — some conduct is narrowed to public‑exposure offenses with reduced penalties.
  • Legislature and legal community: creation of a permanent commission to systematically modernize statutes and provide draft reforms.
  • Public access stakeholders: provisions encourage improving accessibility and modernization of statute texts.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Filed: 7/24/2025 (text printed as amended from S.1034).
  • Legislative actions include referral to committees (Transportation; Committee on Indian Affairs; House Steering, Policy and Scheduling), readings, and passage to engrossing in the Senate (Roll Call #62: yeas 40–nays 0). Record shows committee report placing matter in Orders of the Day (9/15/2025). The bill text indicates initial commission member term staggering (text truncated in the supplied document).
  • Sponsors (as provided): Martin Heinrich (primary), Leroy Comrie (primary), Tina Smith (cosponsor).
  • Related/companion measures listed (e.g., H.R.3723, A.5808 and prior-session S.1202, S.1402, etc.).

If you want, I can (1) produce a side‑by‑side list of all statutory sections changed, (2) analyze legal impacts for prosecution rates and civil rights implications, or (3) reconcile the title discrepancy with legislative records.

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

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