Bill
S 1737
Creates a 13-member standing commission to review OUI/impaired driving testing, training, standards, evidence rules, and civil-liberties impacts, advising lawmakers and courts.
An Act establishing a standing commission on operating under the influence and impaired driving
Note on document inconsistency
- The metadata supplied with this request (titles, sponsors, committee referrals) appears inconsistent with the bill text. The bill text filed as Senate No. 1737 (1/7/2025) authored by Senator Michael O. Moore creates a standing commission on operating under the influence and impaired driving. The top-line title about health insurance coverage for craniofacial disorders and the listed sponsors (Patty Murray, Patricia Fahy) do not match the Massachusetts bill text below. Verify the official legislative docket for authoritative status and text.
Purpose and intent
- Establish a permanent (standing) commission to review and make recommendations about law enforcement and public policy relating to operating under the influence (OUI) and impaired driving. The commission’s purpose is to assess testing methods, training, legal standards, civil liberties implications, costs and effectiveness, and to advise the Legislature, executive branch, and courts.
Key provisions
- Creation: Establishes a 13‑member standing commission under section 2A of chapter 4 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
- Membership (or designees): Secretary of Public Safety (chair); Attorney General; Colonel of State Police; Executive Director of the Cannabis Control Commission; presidents (or designees) of: Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Massachusetts District Attorneys’ Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, ACLU of Massachusetts, AAA Southern New England, NAACP New England Area Conference, Massachusetts Medical Society; plus (1) appointee by Secretary of Health & Human Services with medical/physiological expertise and (1) gubernatorial appointee from the public with expertise in testing technology.
- Operations: Commission must meet at least quarterly; majority present and voting constitutes a quorum; members serve without compensation.
- Scope of study: Scientific and medical testing/data; new testing technologies; civil liberties; socioeconomic impacts; admissibility of evidence; law enforcement burden and training (and training costs); intrusiveness and cost-analysis of tests; current impairment thresholds; success rates in stopping impaired operators; and other relevant topics.
- Resources: May incur expenses subject to appropriation.
- Reporting: Biennial reports (on or before January 1 every two years) to the Governor, chairs of the joint committees on the Judiciary and on Public Safety & Homeland Security (House and Senate), legislative clerks, and the Chief Justice of the Trial Court. The first biennial report is due no later than January 1, 2026; the commission may submit additional reports as needed.
Who is affected
- State and local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, court system (evidence admissibility guidance), public health and safety agencies, manufacturers and vendors of impairment testing technology, training providers, advocacy groups (civil liberties and community organizations), and the general driving public. State budget may be affected to the extent appropriations are made for commission operations and any recommended training or equipment changes.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Filed as Massachusetts Senate No. 1737 on 1/7/2025 (sponsored by Michael O. Moore and co‑petitioners). The text indicates referral to Public Safety and Homeland Security and specifies a first report due Jan 1, 2026. Other procedural entries in the provided materials (committee referrals, hearing dates, and sponsors) appear to reference different or related items; verify the current docket for up-to-date status (committee referrals, hearings, floor actions).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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