Session Laws

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 3 of chapter 258B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1986 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following clause:-

(l) for a victim or witness who has received a subpoena to testify, to be free from discharge or penalty or threat of discharge or penalty by his employer by reason of his attendance as a witness at a criminal proceeding. A victim or witness who notifies his employer of his subpoena to appear as a witness prior to the day of his attendance, shall not on account of his absence from employment by reason of such witness service be subject to discharge or penalty by his employer.

SECTION 2. Chapter 268 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 14A the following section:-

Section 14B. Any person who is a victim of a crime upon which an accusatory instrument is based, or is subpoenaed to attend a criminal action as a witness and who notifies his employer of such subpoena prior to the day of his attendance, shall not be subject to discharge or penalty by said employer on account of his absence from employment by reason of such witness service. An employer shall not subject an employee to discharge or penalty or the threat of discharge or penalty on account of the absence of such employee from employment by reason of his attendance as a witness at a criminal action. An employer who violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than one month, or both such fine and imprisonment.