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S 1395

Requires sex offenders to verify their residence and registration on a biannual basis

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick

Requires standardized suicide-prevention signage in tall garages and transit facilities and directs DPH to study and regulate infrastructure to reduce suicide means.

REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
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Bill Summary · S 1395

Summary — S.1395 (2025): “An Act relative to suicide prevention signage at certain facilities”

Note on source material
- The bill text provided is a Massachusetts state bill (sponsored in the MA Senate by Paul R. Feeney) focused on suicide-prevention signage and infrastructure. Some supplied metadata (title about sex‑offender verification, U.S. senators listed as sponsors, and inconsistent dates) appears to conflict with the bill text. This summary reflects the actual Massachusetts bill text filed as Senate No. 1395 / SD 1860.

Purpose and intent
- To reduce suicides by requiring standardized suicide-prevention signage and by directing the Department of Public Health (DPH) to study mass‑transportation suicide risks and adopt regulations to integrate design and infrastructure measures that reduce means of suicide at transportation facilities.

Key provisions
1. Garage signage (amendment to G.L. c.90, §32)
- Applies to any garage with vertical height above 3 stories or 30 feet.
- Owners/operators must conspicuously post suicide‑prevention signage within 1 year of the act.
- Signs must include the 988 behavioral health emergency line and the phrase “You Are Not Alone”; signs are to be designed/developed by DPH’s Division on Violence and Injury Prevention and made available on DPH’s website.
- Placement: on each of the four walls of the garage on every floor above 3 stories/30 feet, and in each elevator lobby and stairwell on each floor leading to the top level.
- Proof of posting must be submitted to DPH and the Architectural Access Board within 1 year of the effective date.
- Penalty for noncompliance: $50 per day, payable to the Commonwealth and distributed equally to Massachusetts nonprofit organizations dedicated to suicide prevention at the end of each fiscal year.

  1. Mass-transit study and regulations (DPH responsibilities)
    • DPH, in consultation with its Division on Violence and Injury Prevention, the MBTA and contractors, and MassDOT, must study mass transportation facilities (per G.L. c.161A §1) that are potential suicide means or where suicides occurred in the last 10 years.
    • DPH must submit a report of findings to legislative committees and publish it on its website within 1 year of enactment.
    • Within 1 year after publication of that report, DPH must promulgate regulations requiring MBTA, its contractors, and MassDOT to integrate physical infrastructure and design elements to reduce/eliminate means of suicide. Required elements include conspicuous signage (988, “You Are Not Alone”) developed by DPH, in a soothing light green color, large and readable in all lighting conditions. DPH will post the sign and design recommendations (e.g., barrier designs) on its website.

Effective dates and timelines
- DPH report: within 1 year of enactment.
- Regulations requiring transit infrastructure changes: within 1 year of report publication.
- Garage signage requirement (Section 1) becomes effective 1 year after DPH publishes the signage required under Section 2 on its website (i.e., a delayed effective date intended to coordinate signage standards).

Who is affected
- Owners, proprietors, and operators of tall parking garages (>3 stories or >30 feet).
- MBTA, MassDOT, and their contractors/operators of mass‑transportation facilities, railways, and crossings.
- DPH (administration, study, regulatory development) and the Architectural Access Board (receipt/verification of posted proof).
- Massachusetts nonprofit suicide‑prevention organizations (receiving fine revenue).
- General public and users of affected facilities (benefit from signage and potential infrastructure changes).

Anticipated impacts and considerations
- Compliance costs for signage posting and potential infrastructure/barrier upgrades for transit agencies and garage owners.
- Fines create both enforcement mechanism and funding channel for suicide-prevention nonprofits.
- Aims to increase awareness (988), provide immediate help messaging (“You Are Not Alone”), and reduce access to means of suicide at transit locations and high garages.
- No fiscal estimates or specific design/installation standards beyond color, wording, readability, and placement are provided in the bill text; DPH rulemaking will flesh out details.

Legislative status (from provided actions)
- Introduced in the Massachusetts Senate (filed 1/16/2025) and referred to relevant committees. A hearing was scheduled for 11/10/2025.

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

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