HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 94712        FILED ON: 5/27/2010

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4712

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Ten

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An Act reforming the administration procedures relative to criminal offender record information.

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

1) Criminal justice agencies may obtain all criminal offender record information, including sealed records, for the actual performance of their criminal justice duties. Licensing authorities, as defined in section 121 of chapter 140, may obtain all criminal offender record information, including sealed records, for the purpose of firearms licensing in accordance with sections 121 to 131P, inclusive, of said chapter 140. The board may obtain all criminal offender record information, including sealed records, for the actual performance of its duties.

(2) Requestors authorized or required to obtain criminal record information other than that available under paragraph (3) to comply with a statutory, regulatory or accreditation requirement may obtain such information to the extent and for the purposes authorized to comply with said statute, regulation or accreditation requirement.

(3) Requestors or their legally designated representatives may obtain criminal offender record information for the following purposes: (a) to evaluate current and prospective employees including full-time, part-time, contract, internship employees or volunteers; (b) to evaluate applicants for rental or lease of housing; (c) to evaluate volunteers for services; and (d) to evaluate applicants for a professional or occupational license. Criminal offender record information made available under this section shall be limited to the following: (i) felony convictions for 10 years following their disposition, including termination of any period of incarceration or custody; (ii) misdemeanor convictions for 5 years following their disposition, including termination of any period of incarceration or custody; and (iii) pending criminal charges, which shall include cases that have been continued without a finding until such time as the case is dismissed pursuant  to section 18 of chapter 278; provided, however, that criminal offender record information shall contain prior misdemeanor and felony conviction records that have been sealed pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) if the subject is convicted of a misdemeanor or felony after the records are sealed under this section; and provided, further, that a violation of section 7 of chapter 209A and a violation of section 9 of chapter 258E shall be treated as a felony for purposes of this section.

(4) A member of the general public may, upon written request to the department and in accordance with regulations established by the department, obtain the following criminal offender record information on a subject: (i) convictions for any felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of 5 years or more; (ii) information indicating custody status and placement within the correction system for an individual who has been convicted of any crime and sentenced to any term of imprisonment, and at the time of the request is serving a sentence of probation or incarceration, or is under the custody of the parole board; (iii) felony convictions for 2 years following their disposition, including any period of incarceration or custody ; and (iv) misdemeanor convictions for 1 year following their disposition, including any period of incarceration or custody.

(5) Subjects who seek to obtain their own criminal offender record information, or their legally designated representative, may obtain all criminal offender record information pertaining to the subject pursuant to section 175.

(6) The commissioner may provide access to criminal offender record information to persons other than those entitled to obtain access pursuant to this section if the commissioner finds that such dissemination to such requestor serves the public interest. Upon such a finding, the commissioner shall also determine the extent of access to criminal offender record information necessary to sustain the public interest. The commissioner shall make an annual report to the governor and file a copy thereof with the state secretary, the attorney general, the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate documenting access provided under this paragraph, without inclusion of identifying data on a subject. The annual report shall be available to the public upon request.

(7) Housing authorities operating pursuant to chapter 121B may obtain from the department conviction and pending criminal offender record information for the sole purpose of evaluating applications for housing owned by such housing authority, in order to further the protection and well-being of tenants of such housing authorities.

(8) The department of public utilities established pursuant to chapter 25 may obtain from the department all available criminal offender record information for the purpose of screening applicants for motor bus driver certificates and applicants who regularly transport school age children or students under chapter 71B in the course of their job duties. The department of public utilities shall not disseminate such information for any purpose other than to further the protection of children.

(9) The department of children and families and the department of youth services may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172B.

(10)  A person providing services in a home or community-based setting for any elderly person or disabled person or who will have direct or indirect contact with such elderly or disabled persons or access to such persons’ files may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172C.

(11) The IV-D agency as set forth in chapter 119A may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172D and section 14 of chapter 119A.

(12) A long term care facility, as defined in section 72W of chapter 111, an assisted living residence as defined in section 1 of chapter 19D, and any continuing care facility as defined in section 1 of chapter 40D may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172E.

(13) The department of early education and care may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172F.

(14) Operators of camps for children may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172G.

(15) An entity or organization primarily engaged in providing activities or programs to children 18 years of age or less that accepts volunteers may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172H. 

(16) School committees or superintendents that have contracted with taxicab companies to provide transportation of pupils pursuant to section 7A of chapter 71 may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172I.

(17) The commissioner of banks may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172J, section 3 of chapter 255E and section 3 of chapter 255F.

(18) A children’s camp or school that plans to employ a person or accept a volunteer for a climbing wall or challenge course program may obtain from the department data permitted under section 172K.

(20)  A victim of a crime, a witness or a family member of a homicide victim, as defined by section 1 of chapter 258B, may obtain from the department data permitted under section 178A.

(21) The motor vehicle insurance merit rating board may obtain from the department data permitted under section 183.

(22) The department of early education and care, or its designee, may obtain from the department data permitted under section 6 and section 8 of chapter 15D.

(23) The district attorney may obtain from the department data permitted under section 2A of chapter 38.

(24) A school committee and superintendent of any city, town or regional school district and the principal, by whatever title the position be known, of a public or accredited private school of any city, town or regional school district, may obtain from the department data permitted under section 38R of chapter 71.

(25) The Massachusetts port authority may obtain from the department data permitted under section 61 of chapter 90.

(26) The department of social services may obtain from the department data permitted under section 26A of chapter 119, section 3B of chapter 210 and item 4800-8940 of section 2A of chapter 493 of the acts of 1993, as amended by section 7 of chapter 96 of the acts of 1995.

(27) The state racing commission may obtain from the department data permitted under section 9A of chapter 128A.

(28) A court, office of jury commissioner, and the clerk of court or assistant clerk may obtain from the department data permitted under section 33 of chapter 234A.

(29) The pension fraud unit within the public employee retirement administration commission may obtain from the department data permitted under section 10 of chapter 427 of the acts of 1996.

(30) Special education school programs approved under chapter 71B may obtain from the department all criminal offender record information provided for in paragraph (3) of subsection (a); provided, further, that the department, with the assistance of the state police, shall provide said approved special education school programs with criminal offender record information from other states made available to the department, and the federal government for the purposes of criminal background checks for employees and potential employees of chapter 71B approved special education school programs.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, convictions for murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and sex offenses as defined in section 178C that are punishable by a term of incarceration in state prison shall remain in the database permanently and shall be available to all requestors listed in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive of subsection (a) unless sealed under section 100A of chapter 276.

(c) The department shall specify the information that requestors must provide to query the database, including, but not limited to, the subject’s name, date of birth and the last 4 digits of the subject’s social security number; provided, however, that a member of the public accessing information under paragraph (4) of subsection (a) shall not be required to provide the last 4 digits of the subject’s social security number.  Requestors seeking to obtain criminal offender record information concerning a subject pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (a), shall certify under the pains and penalties of perjury that the person requesting the criminal offender record information is authorized by the requestor to receive such information, that the request is for a purpose authorized under paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (a) and that the subject has signed an acknowledgement form authorizing the requestor to obtain the subject’s criminal offender record information. The requestor shall also certify that he has verified the identity of the subject by reviewing a form of government-issued identification. Each requestor shall maintain acknowledgement forms for a period of 1 year from the date the request is submitted. Such forms shall be subject to audit by the department. The department may establish rules or regulations imposing other requirements or affirmative obligations upon requestors as a condition of obtaining access to the database.

(d) Except as authorized herein, it shall be unlawful to request or require a person to provide a copy of his criminal offender record information. Violation of this subsection is punishable by the penalties set forth in section 178.

(e) No employer or person relying on volunteers shall be liable for negligent hiring practices by reason of relying solely on criminal offender record information received from the department and not performing additional criminal history background checks on the volunteer, unless required to do so by law; provided, however, that the employer made an employment decision within 90 days of obtaining the criminal offender record information and maintained and followed policies and procedures for verification of the subject’s identifying information consistent with the requirements set forth in this section and in the department’s regulations.

No employer shall be liable for discriminatory employment practices for the failure to hire a person on the basis of criminal offender record information that contains erroneous information requested and received from the department if the employer would not have been liable if the information had been accurate; provided, however, that the employer made an employment decision within 90 days of obtaining the criminal offender record information and maintained and followed policies and procedures for verification of the subject’s information consistent with the requirements set forth in this section and the department’s regulations.

Neither the board nor the department shall be liable in any civil or criminal action by reason of any criminal offender record information or self-audit log that is disseminated by the board, including any information that is false, inaccurate or incorrect because it was erroneously entered by the court or the office of the commissioner of probation.

(f) Requestors shall not disseminate criminal offender record information except: (i) upon request by a subject; (ii) to individuals within the requesting entity that need to know the contents of the criminal offender record information to serve the purpose for which the information was obtained; and (iii) upon request by government entities charged with overseeing, supervising, or regulating them.

Requestors shall maintain a secondary dissemination log for a period of 1 year following the dissemination of a subject’s criminal offender record information. The log shall include the following information: (i) name of subject; (ii) date of birth of the subject; (iii) date of the dissemination; (iv) name of person to whom it was disseminated; and (v) the purpose for the dissemination. The secondary dissemination log shall be subject to audit by the department.

Unless otherwise provided by law or court order, no requestor shall maintain a copy, electronic or otherwise, of requested criminal offender record information obtained from the department for more than 7 years from the last date of employment, volunteer service or residency or from the date of the final decision of the requestor regarding the subject.

(g) The department shall maintain a log of all queries that shall indicate the name of the requestor, the name of the subject, the date of the query and the certified purpose of the query. Upon request, the commissioner may transmit the self-audit electronically. Further, if funding is available and technology reasonably allows, the department shall establish a mechanism that will notify a subject, or an advocate or agent designated by the subject, by electronic mail or other communication mechanism whenever a query is made regarding the subject. The self-audit log and query log shall not be considered a public record.

(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, the motor vehicle insurance merit rating board may disseminate information concerning convictions of automobile law violations as defined in section 1 of chapter 90C or information concerning a charge of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor that results in assignment to a driver alcohol program as described in section 24D of chapter 90, directly or indirectly, to an insurance company doing motor vehicle insurance business within the commonwealth, or to such insurance company’s agents, independent contractors or policyholders to be used exclusively for motor vehicle insurance purposes.

(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section to the contrary, information indicating custody status and placement within the correction system shall be available to any person upon request; provided, however that no information shall be disclosed that identifies family members, friends, medical or psychological history, or any other personal information unless such information is directly relevant to such release or custody placement decision, and no information shall be provided if its release would violate any other provisions of state or federal law.

(j) The parole board, subject to sections 130 and 154 of chapter 127, the department of correction, a county correctional authority or a probation officer with the approval of a justice of the appropriate division of the trial court may, in its discretion, make available a summary, which may include references to criminal offender record information or evaluative information, concerning a decision to release an individual on a permanent or temporary basis, to deny such release, or to change the individual’s custody status.

(k) Members of the public who are in fear of an offender may obtain from the department advance notification of the temporary or permanent release of an offender from custody, including, but not limited to, expiration of a sentence, furlough, parole, work release or educational release. An individual seeking access to advance notification shall verify by a written declaration under the penalties of perjury that the individual is in fear of the offender and that advance notification is warranted for physical safety reasons.

(l) A person that receives or obtains criminal offender record information from any source in violation of sections 168 to 175, inclusive, whether directly or through an intermediary, shall not collect, store, disseminate or use such criminal offender record information in any manner or for any purpose.

(m)  Notwithstanding this section or chapter 66A, the following shall be public records: (1) police daily logs, arrest registers or other similar records compiled chronologically; (2) chronologically maintained court records of public judicial proceedings; (3) published records of public court or administrative proceedings, and of public judicial administrative or legislative proceedings; and (4) decisions of the parole board as provided in section 130 of chapter 127.

(n) The commissioner, upon the advice of the board, shall promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this section.

SECTION 22. Said chapter 6 is hereby further amended by striking out section 172A, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 172A. The commissioner shall assess a fee for each request for criminal offender record information or self-audit, according to a fee structure established by the secretary of public safety and security; provided, however, that a self-audit may be requested for no fee once every 90 days; and provided, further, that the commissioner may impose a fee for self-audit requests made more than once every 90 days. No fee shall be assessed for a request made by a victim of crime, a witness or a family member of a homicide victim, as defined in section 1 of chapter 258B, or for a request made by any local, state or federal government entity. The commissioner may waive the fee or a portion of the fee from such other persons as provided in the department’s rules and regulations. The department may enter into contracts and agreements for reduced or bulk fees for requestors who make extensive use of the database.  All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the Criminal Justice Information Services Fund established by section 2BBBB of chapter 29. 

SECTION 23.  Section 172C of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 30 and 31, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department.

SECTION 24. Said chapter 6 is hereby further amended by striking out section 172E, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 172E. Notwithstanding any provision of section 172 to the contrary, criminal offender record information shall be available to a long term care facility, as defined in section 72W of chapter 111, an assisted living residence as defined in section 1 of chapter 19D, and to any continuing care facility as defined in section 1 of chapter 40D, for the purpose of evaluating applicants under final consideration as, or an individual currently working as, an employee, a volunteer or a provider of care, treatment, education, training, transportation, delivery of meals, instruction, counseling, supervision, recreation or other services for an elderly or disabled person or for the purpose of evaluating applicants under final consideration for, or an individual currently working in, a position involving direct or indirect contact with such elderly or disabled persons or access to such persons’ personal information. A long-term care facility, assisted living residence or continuing care facility shall obtain all available criminal offender record information from the department on such applicant or current staff member. A long-term care facility, assisted living residence or continuing care facility which obtains information under this section shall prohibit the dissemination of such information for any purpose other than to further the protection of the elderly or the disabled; provided, further, that dissemination among and between long term care facilities, assisted living residences or continuing care facilities shall be permitted.

SECTION 25.  Section 172G of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 26. Section 172H of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words ‘that accepts volunteers,’.

SECTION 27.  Said section 172H of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 28.  Said section 172H of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 6, the words ‘a volunteer’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- an employee, volunteer, vendor or contractor.

SECTION 29.  Section 172I of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 8 and 9, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 30.  Section 172J of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 31. Section 172K of said chapter 6 of the General Laws, inserted by section 1 of chapter 43 of the acts of 2009, is hereby amended by striking out,  each time it appears,  the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department.

SECTION 32. Section 173 of said chapter 6, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1, the word ‘board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner may approve research programs to obtain criminal offender record information, provided, however, that said research programs shall not publish any information that either identifies or tends to identify the subject of the criminal offender record information, and the commissioner

SECTION 33.  Said section 173 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 7, 9 and 10 the word ‘board’, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following word:- commissioner.

SECTION 34.  Said chapter 6 is hereby further amended by striking out section 175, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 175. A subject shall have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of all criminal offender record information that refers to the subject. The commissioner shall publish and furnish, upon request, guidelines for individuals on how to correct inaccurate or incomplete information. Subject to appropriation, the department shall provide assistance to individuals that have requested assistance to correct inaccurate or incomplete criminal offender record information. Such assistance shall include, but shall not be limited to, cooperation with appropriate entities to correct, modify or appropriately supplement criminal offender record information that has been determined to be inaccurate or incomplete. If criminal offender record information is corrected by the office of the commissioner of probation or the courts, any corrections made by such commissioner or court shall be transmitted forthwith to the department and the department’s database shall reflect the corrected criminal offender record information.

Requestors shall prescribe reasonable hours and places for subjects to inspect their criminal offender record information under paragraph (1) of subsection (f) of section 172 and shall impose such additional restrictions as are reasonably necessary to ensure the record’s security and to verify the identities of those who seek to inspect them.

SECTION 35.  Said chapter 6 is hereby further amended by striking out section 178, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following 2 sections:-

Section 178. Any person who knowingly requests, obtains or attempts to obtain criminal offender record information or a self-audit from the department under false pretenses, knowingly communicates or attempts to communicate criminal offender record information to any person except in accordance with the provisions of sections 168 to 175, inclusive, or who knowingly falsifies criminal offender record information, or any records relating thereto, or who requests or requires a person to provide a copy of his criminal offender record information except as authorized pursuant to section 172, shall for each offense be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 1 year or by a fine of  not more than $5,000, or both such fine and imprisonment, and in the case of a person that is not a natural person, the amount of the fine shall  not be  more than $50,000 for each violation.

Any person who knowingly requests, obtains or attempts to obtain juvenile criminal records from the department under false pretenses, knowingly communicates or seeks to communicate juvenile criminal records to any person except in accordance with the provisions of sections 168 to 175, inclusive, or knowingly falsifies juvenile criminal records, shall for each offense be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 1 year or by a fine of  not more than $7,500, or by  both such fine and imprisonment, and in the case of a person that is not a natural person, the amount of the fine may  not be more than $75,000 for each violation.

Section 178½. Whoever uses criminal offender record information to commit a crime against the subject of the criminal offender record information or to engage in harassment of the subject shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 1 year, a fine of not more than $5,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.  For purposes of this section, ‘harassment’ shall mean willfully and maliciously engaging in a knowing pattern of conduct or series of acts over a period of time directed at a specific person, which seriously alarms that person and would cause a reasonable person to suffer emotional distress.

SECTION 36.  Said chapter 6 is hereby further amended by striking out section 178A, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 178A. A victim of crime, witness or family member of a homicide victim, all as defined by section 1 of chapter 258B, may obtain all available criminal offender record information of the person accused or convicted of said crime. Criminal justice agencies may also disclose to such persons such additional information, including, but not limited to, evaluative information, as such agencies determine is reasonably necessary for the security and well being of such persons.

SECTION 36A.  Chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 178B the following new section:-

Section 178B1/2. Municipalities may, by local ordinance, require applicants for licenses in specified occupations to submit a full set of fingerprints for the purpose of conducting a state and national criminal history records check pursuant to sections 168 and 172 of this chapter and 28 U.S.C. §534.  Fingerprint submissions may be submitted by the licensing authority to the identification unit within the department of state police through the criminal history systems board, or its successor, for a state criminal records check and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal records check.

Municipalities may by local ordinance establish the appropriate fee charged to applicants for administering a fingerprinting system. For purposes pursuant to section 2LLL of chapter 29, $30 of said fee shall be deposited into the Firearms Fingerprint Identity Verification Trust Fund; and the remainder of the fee may be retained by the licensing authority for costs associated with the administration of the system.

SECTION 37.  Section 178C of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 12 and 13 and in line 51, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof , in each instance, the following word:- department.

SECTION 38.  Section 178D of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 39.  Section 178K of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 1 and 2, the words ‘the criminal history systems board, but not subject to its jurisdiction’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:-  the executive office of public safety and security.

SECTION 40.  Section 183 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 27 and 32, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 41.  Chapter 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 18, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 18. The following state agencies are hereby declared to be within the executive office of public safety and security: the department of public safety; the department of fire services; the office of grants and research and the highway safety division; the municipal police training committee; the Massachusetts department of criminal justice information services; the state 911 department; the department of state police; the office of the chief medical examiner; the Massachusetts emergency management agency; the military department; the department of correction, including the parole board; the sex offender registry board; and all other agencies and boards within said departments, committees and boards.

SECTION 42.  Section 18 ½  of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 43.  Section 18 ¾  of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 2 and 3, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 44.  Section 4 of chapter 18C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 22 and 23, the words ‘ executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 45.  Section 1 of chapter 22A of the General Laws, as so appearing , is hereby amended by striking out the definition of  ‘Board’.

SECTION 46. Said section 1 of said chapter 22A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the definition of ‘Central register’ the following definition:-

‘Department’, the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 47.  Section 3 of said chapter 22A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the word ‘board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 48.  Section 32 of chapter 22C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 49.  Section 36 of said chapter 22C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 17, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 50.  Section 38 of said chapter 22C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 25, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 51.  Section 9 of chapter 22E of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 52.  Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2AAAA the following new section:-

Section 2BBBB.  (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Criminal Justice Information Services Fund, hereinafter in this section known as the fund.  The fund shall consist of all fees for a criminal offender record information request or self-audit collected and administered by the commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services under section 172A of chapter 6, gifts, grants, contributions and bequests of funds from any department, agency or subdivision of federal, state, county or municipal government and any individual, foundation, corporation, association or public authority.  Funds shall be used for the purpose of  (i) providing or receiving services, facilities or staff assistance in connection with its work; (ii) assisting ex-offenders in obtaining and maintaining employment, including but not limited to, workforce development training and other applicable training programs; (iii) training and auditing requestors, as defined in section 167 of chapter 6, regarding requests for criminal offender record information under subsection (a) of section 172 of said chapter 6: (iv) providing education and assistance regarding the correction of criminal records, including, but not limited to, training judges, providing the necessary information to employers and other applicable persons in possession of an applicant’s criminal offender record information; and (v) operating and maintaining the public safety information system and the criminal records review board, as defined in said section 167 of said chapter 6.  Such funds shall be deposited with the state treasurer and may be expended by the department of criminal justice information services in accordance with the conditions of the gift, grant, contribution or bequest subject to appropriation.

SECTION 53. Chapter 30A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 1C the following section:-

Section 1D. The criminal record review board shall be subject to sections 1 to 8, inclusive, and shall not otherwise be subject to this chapter.

SECTION 54.  Section 36A of chapter 40 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 25, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 55.  Section 10 of chapter 66 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 50, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 56.  Said section 10 of said chapter 66, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 50 and 51, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 56A. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 2B the following section:-

Section 2C. All school districts in the Commonwealth shall implement a specific policy and discipline code to address teen dating violence in public schools. Such policies shall clearly state that dating violence will not be tolerated and shall include guidelines for addressing alleged incidents of dating violence. Such policies may include a teen dating violence prevention task force comprised of staff, students and parents to provide awareness training and education for the school community. Such policies would include defining the issue of teen dating violence, recognizing warning signs, identifying issues of confidentiality, safety and appropriate legal school-based interventions.

SECTION 56B. Section 1 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, shall be amended by inserting in line 19 after the words, ‘emotional development’, the following words:- safe and healthy relationships with a focus on preventing sexual and domestic violence.

SECTION 57.  Section 38R of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 5 and 6 and in lines 11 and 12, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 58.  Section 24 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 705, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 59.  Section 24N of said chapter 90, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 31, 44 and 83, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 60.  Section 52 of chapter 93 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘more;’, in line 21, the following word:-  or.

SECTION 61.  Subsection (b) of said section 52 of said chapter 93, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 24, the word ‘or‘,- and by striking out clause 3 .

SECTION 62.  Section 34 of chapter 101 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 91 and in lines 96 and 97, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 63.  Section 71 of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 43 and 44, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 64.  Section 12A ½  of chapter 112 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 65.  Section 9 of chapter 123A of the General Laws, as so, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 51, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 65A. Section 14 of chapter 123A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following two sentences: The district attorney or the attorney general at the request of the district attorney may petition the court for a trial. In any trial held pursuant to this section, either the person named in the petition or the petitioning party may demand in writing that the case be tried to a jury, and upon such demand the case shall be tried to a jury.

SECTION 66.  Section 1 of chapter 125 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by  inserting after subsection (f) the following subsection:-

(f ½) ‘custody’, physical or constructive control of an inmate in a state or county correctional facility;

SECTION 67.  Section 16 of chapter 126 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

The sheriff shall have custody and control of the jails in his county, and except in Suffolk county, of the houses of correction therein, and shall have custody and physical or constructive control of all prisoners committed thereto, and shall keep the same himself or by his deputy as jailer, superintendent or keeper, and shall be responsible for them.

SECTION 68.  Section 2 of chapter 127 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 5 and 6, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 69. Chapter 127 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after section 20A the following section:-

Section 20B. The sheriff of any county and in the case of women who are committed as pretrial detainees to the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham, the commissioner of correction, subject to rules and regulations established in accordance with the provisions of this section, may permit a detainee who is committed to a jail awaiting disposition of any criminal matter, except those being held for offenses listed in this section, to be classified to a pretrial diversion program operated by the sheriff’s office in the county where the court that committed the detainee is sitting.

The sheriff may extend the limits of the place of confinement of a detainee for the purpose of participation in this program and shall establish a classification system to determine the suitability of detainees who may be potential participants in this program. A person permitted to be away from the jail due to participation in this program may be accompanied by an employee of the sheriff’s office in the discretion of the sheriff or his designee.

For the duration of a detainee’s participation in the program, the detainee shall be deemed to be in custody as a pretrial detainee for the purpose of receiving credit pursuant to section 129B of chapter 127 and section 33A of chapter 279 toward any sentence he may receive, and may be charged with escape pursuant to section 16 of chapter 268 should he leave the place to which he is classified pursuant to his participation in the program without authorization or should he escape from custody while he is being transported pursuant to his participation in the program. For the duration of his participation in this program only, the detainee may receive additional deductions from any sentence that may be imposed in the case for which he was committed, for participation in work, education, or treatment programs designated by the sheriff pursuant to section 129D of chapter 127.

A detainee shall not be eligible to participate in this program if he is charged with: murder; any offense that carries the possibility of a life sentence; a violation of section 32, 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D, 32E, 32F, 323G, 32I, 32J, 32K, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39, and 40 of chapter 94C; section 13, 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 16, 17, 18, 18A, 19, 20, 21, 22, 22A, 23, 24, 24B, 25, 26, 26A or 26B of chapter 265; section 17, 34 or 35 of chapter 272; or an attempt to commit any crime referred to in these sections; or if he is detained under subsection (3) of section 58A of chapter 276. A detainee shall not be eligible to participate in this program if he is a sex offender, a sexually dangerous person as defined in section 1 of chapter 123A, charged with committing a sexual offense as defined in said section 1 of said chapter 123A or is charged with violating section 24B of chapter 265. Placement of an individual in such program shall require victim notification as required under subsection (t) of section 3 of chapter 258B.

SECTION 70.  Section 21 of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘correction’ in line 3 the following words:-  by physical or constructive confinement.

SECTION 71.  Section 28 of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 9, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 72.  Section 29 of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 73.  Section 133E of said chapter 127, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 3, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 74.  Section 122 of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 21 and 22, the words ‘ executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 75.  Section 122A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 76.  Said section 122A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 5 and 6 and in lines 9 and 10, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 77.  Section 122B of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 14 and 15 and in lines  24 and 25, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 78.  Section 123 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 7 and  8 line 27, and in lines 106 and 107, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 79.  Section 125 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 11 and 12, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 80.  Section 127 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 6, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 81.  Section 128A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 27 and 28, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 82.  Section 128B of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 11 and 12, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 83.  Section 129B of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 112, 148 and 159, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 84.  Section 129C of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 12 and 13 and in lines 16 and 17, the words ‘executive director of the criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- commissioner of the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 85.  Section 130B of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 2, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 86.  Said section 130B of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 4, the words ‘criminal history systems board appointed by the executive director’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services appointed by the commissioner.

SECTION 87.  Section 131 of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 55 and 56, line 163,  and in lines 193 and 194, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 88.  Section 131½  of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 6 and 7, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 89.  Section 131A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 13, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 90.  Section 25 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 251 and 252 and in line 254, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 91.  Section 4 of chapter 151B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection 9 the following subsection:-

9½.  For an employer to request on its initial written application form criminal offender record information; provided, however, that except as otherwise prohibited by subsection 9, an employer may inquire about any criminal convictions on an applicant’s application form if: (i) the applicant is applying for a position for which any federal or state law or regulation creates mandatory or presumptive disqualification based on a conviction for 1 or more types of criminal offenses; or (ii) the employer or an affiliate of such employer is subject to an obligation imposed by any federal or state law or regulation not to employ persons, in either 1 or more positions, who have been convicted of 1 or more types of criminal offenses.

SECTION 92.  Section 7 of chapter 152 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 42 and in lines 44 and 45, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 93.  Section 6 of chapter 209A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 97, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 94.  Section 34A of chapter 215 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 47 and 48, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 95.  Section 21 of chapter 233 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

Upon order of the court, a party may obtain a witness’s criminal offender record information from the department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 96.  Section 3 of chapter 255E of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 12, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 97.  Section 1 of chapter 258C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the definition of ‘Crime’ the following definition:-

‘Crime scene cleanup’, the removal of, or the attempted removal of, blood or other stains that are the direct result of the commission of a crime or other dirt and debris caused by the processing of the crime scene; provided, however, that crime scene cleanup shall not include the replacement or repair of property damaged during the commission of the crime, in accordance with section 4.

SECTION 98.  Said section 1 of said chapter 258C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the definition of ‘Out-of-pocket loss’ the following definition:-

‘Security measures’, the replacement, repair or installation of locks, windows or other security devices deemed to be reasonably necessary for the promotion of the victim’s safety by the program director after taking into consideration the nature of the crime in accordance with section 4.

SECTION 99.  Section 2 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (f).

SECTION 100.  Subsection (b) of section 3 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out paragraph (1) and inserting in place thereof the following 2 paragraphs:-

(1)(A)  The maximum award or compensation for funeral and burial expenses shall be $6,500.  A legal guardian, dependent or other family member of the victim or a person who actually incurs funeral and burial expenses directly related to the death of a victim shall be eligible for compensation for such funeral and burial expenses.

(B)  The maximum award or compensation for expenses other than funeral and burial expenses associated with the interment of a victim whose death is the direct result of a crime shall be $800.  For purposes of this subsection compensable expenses shall include, but not be limited to, transportation of the victim to the location of interment, travel of a legal guardian or family member to accompany the victim to the location of interment, memorial markers at the location of interment or other associated expenses as determined by the program director in accordance with section 4.

SECTION 101.  Said section 3 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 22 and 25, the words ‘one hundred and eighteen F’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance the following figure:- 118G.

SECTION 102.  Said section 3 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘victim’ , in line 40, the following words:- , parent or legal guardian of a victim who is a minor in accordance with section 4.

SECTION 103.  Subsection (b) of said section 3 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following 3 subparagraphs:-

(G) Expenses incurred for professional crime scene cleanup services necessary as the direct result of the commission of a crime at a private residence or in a motor vehicle that is owned or leased by a victim, family member or other dependent shall be compensable in accordance with this chapter; provided, however, that the maximum amount of compensation shall not exceed $1,500. 

(H) A victim shall be eligible for compensation for the reasonable replacement costs of clothing and bedding seized as evidence or rendered unusable as the result of a criminal investigation that is the direct result of a crime; provided, however, that the maximum compensable amount shall not exceed $250.

(I) A victim or a family member residing with the victim at the time a crime is committed, shall be eligible for compensation for the costs associated with the implementation of security measures; provided, however, that the maximum compensable amount shall not exceed $500.  

SECTION 104.  Section 8 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 1, the word ‘fifteen’ and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 20.

SECTION 105.  Said section 8 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 12, the word ‘twenty’ and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 30.

SECTION 106.  Section 9 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 7, the word ‘twenty’ and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- 30.

SECTION 107.  Section 10 of said chapter 258C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘insurance’, in line 6, the following words:- , including, but not limited to, homeowner’s insurance, renter’s insurance, automobile insurance.

SECTION 108.  Section 7 of chapter 258D of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 4 and 5, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 109.  Subsection (1) of section 13B of chapter 268 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out clauses (iv) and (v) and inserting in place thereof the following 2 clauses:-

(iv)   a person who is furthering a civil or criminal proceeding, including criminal investigation, grand jury proceeding, trial, other criminal proceeding of any type, probate and family proceeding, juvenile proceeding, housing proceeding, land proceeding, clerk’s hearing, court ordered mediation, any other civil proceeding of any type; or

(v)    a person who is or was attending or had made known his intention to attend a civil or criminal proceeding, including criminal investigation, grand jury proceeding, trial, other criminal proceeding of any type, probate and family proceeding, juvenile proceeding, housing proceeding, land proceeding, clerk’s hearing, court-ordered mediation, any other civil proceeding of any type with the intent to impede, obstruct, delay, harm, punish or otherwise interfere thereby, or do so with reckless disregard, with such a proceeding shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 and one-half years or by imprisonment in a state prison for not more than 10 years, or by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SECTION 110.  Section 13C of said chapter 268, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- Whoever causes or actively participates in disruption on any court property of the commonwealth or in disruption of any proceedings of any court of the commonwealth shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 and one-half years or by imprisonment in a state prison for not more than 10 years, or by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.  Court property shall include any property leased or used by the commonwealth for any court.

SECTION 111.  Section 23A of chapter 276 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 8 and in lines 21 and 22, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 112.  Section 23B of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 9, lines 10 and 11, and in lines 12 and 13, the words ‘criminal history systems board,’ and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 113. Section 58A of chapter 276 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (1) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(1) The commonwealth may move, based on dangerousness, for an order of pretrial detention or release on conditions for a felony offense that has an element of the offense the use, attempted use or threatened use of physical force against the person of another or any other felony that, by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person of another may result, including the crimes of burglary and arson whether nor not a person has been placed at risk thereof, or a violation of an order pursuant to section 18, 34B or 34C of chapter 208, section 32 of chapter 209, section 3, 4 or 5 of chapter 209A or section 15 or 20 of chapter 209C, or arrested and charged with a misdemeanor or felony involving abuse as defined in section 1 of said chapter 209A or while an order of protection issued under said chapter 209A was in effect against such person, an offense for which a mandatory minimum term of 3 years or more is prescribed in chapter 94C, arrested and charged with a violation of section 13B of chapter 268 or a third or subsequent conviction for a violation of section 24 of chapter 90.

(2) The commonwealth may move, based on dangerousness, for an order of pretrial detention or release on conditions for any convicted felon, person out on bail, person on probation who is arrested and charged with a violation of paragraph (1), (c) or (m) of section 10 of chapter 269 or arrested and charged with a violation of section 10G of said chapter 269; provided, however, that the commonwealth may not move for an order of detention under this section based on possession of a large capacity feeding device without simultaneous possession of a large capacity weapon.

SECTION 114.  Section 100 of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 30, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 115.  Said section 100 of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 33, the word ‘board’ and inserting in place thereof the following word:- department.

SECTION 116.  Section 100A of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

Any person having a record of criminal court appearances and dispositions in the commonwealth on file with the office of the commissioner of probation may, on a form furnished by the commissioner and signed under the penalties of perjury, request that the commissioner seal the file. The commissioner shall comply with the request provided that: (1) the person’s court appearance and court disposition records, including any period of incarceration or custody as defined in section 1 of chapter 125 for any misdemeanor record to be sealed occurred not less than 5 years before the request; (2) the person’s court appearance and court disposition records, including any period of incarceration or custody as defined in section 1 of chapter 125 for any felony record to be sealed occurred not less than 10 years before the request; (3) the person had not been found guilty of any criminal offense within the commonwealth in the case of a misdemeanor, 5 years before the request, and in the case of a felony, 10 years before request, except motor vehicle offenses in which the penalty does not exceed a fine of $50; (4) the form includes a statement by the petitioner that the petitioner has not been convicted of any criminal offense in any other state, United States possession or in a court of federal jurisdiction, except such motor vehicle offenses, as aforesaid, and has not been imprisoned in any state or county in the case of a misdemeanor, within the preceding 5 years, and in the case of a felony, within the preceding 10 years; and (5) the person’s record does not include convictions of offenses other than those to which this section applies. This section shall apply to court appearances and dispositions of all offenses; provided, however, that this section shall not apply in case of convictions for violations of sections 121 to 131H, inclusive, of chapter 140 or for violations of chapter 268 or chapter 268A.

SECTION 117.  The second paragraph of said section 100A of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting, after line 40, the following clauses:-

5. Any violation of section 7 of chapter 209A shall be treated as a felony.

6. Sex offenses, as defined in section 178C of chapter 6, shall not be eligible for sealing.

SECTION 118.  Said section 100A of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word ‘proceedings’, in line 52, the following words:-; provided, however, that in any proceedings under sections 1 to 39I, inclusive, of chapter 119, sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of chapter 201, chapter 208, 209, 209A, 209B, 209C, or sections 1 to 11A, inclusive, of chapter 210, a party having reasonable cause to believe that information in a sealed criminal record of another party may be relevant to (1) an issue of custody or visitation of a child, (2) abuse, as defined in section 1 of chapter 209A or (3) the safety of any person may upon motion seek to introduce the sealed record into evidence. The judge shall first review such records in camera and determine those records that are potentially relevant and admissible. The judge shall then conduct a closed hearing on the admissibility of those records determined to be potentially admissible; provided, however, that such records shall not be discussed in open court and, if admitted, shall be impounded and made available only to the parties, their attorneys and court personnel who have a demonstrated need to receive them.

SECTION 119. Section 100C of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 11 and 12, the words ‘except in cases in which an order of probation has been terminated,’.

SECTION 120.  Said section 100C of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word ‘commissioner’, in line 29, the following words:- or the clerk of courts in any district or superior court or the Boston municipal court.

SECTION 121.  Said chapter 276 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 100C the following section:-

Section 100D. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 100A, 100B, or 100C to the contrary, criminal justice agencies as defined in section 167 of chapter 6 shall have immediate access to, and be permitted to use as necessary for the performance of their criminal justice duties, any sealed criminal offender record information as defined in said section 167 of said chapter 6 and any sealed information concerning criminal offenses or acts of delinquency committed by a person before the person attained the age of 17.

SECTION 122.  Section 1 of chapter 279 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 42, the words ‘criminal history systems board’ and inserting in place thereof the following words:- department of criminal justice information services.

SECTION 123.  Section 34 of said chapter 279, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word ‘accordingly’, in line 5, the following words:-  for the duration of the sentence and within classification guidelines of the facility to which the convict is committed.

SECTION 124.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, this section shall facilitate the orderly transfer of the employees, proceedings, rules and regulations, property and legal obligations of the criminal history systems board, as the transferor agency, to the department of criminal justice information services, as the transferee agency, as follows:

(a) Subject to appropriation, the employees of the criminal history systems board, including those who immediately before the effective date of this act hold permanent appointment in positions classified under chapter 31 of the General Laws or have tenure in their positions as provided by section 9A of chapter 30 of the General Laws or do not hold such tenure, or hold confidential positions, are hereby transferred to the department of criminal justice information services, without interruption of service within the meaning of said section 9A of said chapter 31, without impairment of seniority, retirement or other rights of the employee, and without reduction in compensation or salary grade, notwithstanding any change in title or duties resulting from such reorganization, and without loss of accrued rights to holidays, sick leave, vacation and benefits and without change in union representation or certified collective bargaining unit as certified by the state labor relations commission or in local union representation or affiliation. Any collective bargaining agreement in effect immediately before the transfer date shall continue in effect and the terms and conditions of employment therein shall continue as if the employees had not been so transferred. The reorganization shall not impair the civil service status of any such reassigned employee who immediately before the effective date of this act either holds a permanent appointment in a position classified under chapter 31 of the General Laws or has tenure in a position by reason of section 9A of chapter 30 of the General Laws.

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, all such employees shall continue to retain their right to collectively bargain pursuant to chapter 150E of the General Laws and shall be considered employees for the purposes of said chapter 150E.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to confer upon any employee any right not held immediately before the date of said transfer, or to prohibit any reduction of salary grade, transfer, reassignment, suspension discharge layoff or abolition of position not prohibited before such date.

(b) All petitions, requests, investigations and other proceedings appropriately and duly brought before or referred to the executive director of the criminal history systems board by the transferor agency and pending before the executive director before the effective date of this act, shall continue unabated and remain in force, but shall be assumed and completed by the department of criminal justice information services.

(c) All orders, rules and regulations duly made and all approvals duly granted by the criminal history systems board, which are in force immediately before the effective date of this act, shall continue in force and shall thereafter be enforced by the department of criminal justice information systems until superseded, revised, rescinded or canceled, in accordance with law.

(d) All books, papers, records, documents, equipment, buildings, facilities, cash and other property, both personal and real, including all such property held in trust, which immediately before the effective date of this act are in the custody of the criminal history systems board, shall be transferred to the department of criminal justice information services.

(e) All duly existing contracts, leases and obligations of the criminal history systems board shall continue in effect but shall be assumed by the department of criminal justice information services.  No existing right or remedy of any character shall be lost, impaired or affected by this act.

SECTION 125. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the term of any member appointed to the criminal record review board, established by section 168 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, shall expire; provided, however, that any appointed board member whose term has expired pursuant to this section shall be eligible for reappointment to the board.  Such appointments shall be made in accordance with said section 168 of said chapter 6.

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, in making initial appointments to the criminal record review board established pursuant to section 168 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, amended by section 12 of this act, the governor shall appoint 1 member to serve for a term of 1 year, 2 members to serve for a term of 2 years and 2 members to serve for a term of 3 years.

SECTION 126.  The Massachusetts department of criminal justice information systems, in consultation with the information technology division, shall regularly report on its progress in building the information technology system necessary to fulfill the requirements established in subsection (a) of section 172 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as amended by section 21 of this act. The department shall file such reports with the joint committee on the judiciary, the joint committee on public safety and homeland security, the house and senate committees on bonding, capital expenditures and state assets and the house and senate committees on ways and means and shall post such reports on the department's publicly-accessible website. The department shall file such reports 6, 12, 15 and 18 months after the effective date of this act, and at 3-month intervals thereafter, if necessary, until the project is complete. Each report shall include a description of the progress made in the planning, design and construction of the system since the preceding report, and shall include a comparison of actual expenditures to budgeted expenditures and of budgeted timelines to actual timelines. Each report shall also include a certification as to whether the department expects the complete information technology system to be fully operational 18 months after the effective date of this act.

SECTION 127.  The executive office of public safety and security, the criminal systems history board, or its successor, and the department of state police shall request the cooperation of the administrative office of the trial court and the office of the commissioner of probation  in conducting a pilot program or programs in selected district courts to evaluate the feasibility and cost of biometric identification of all defendants arraigned in criminal cases in the courts of the commonwealth in order to create a biometric index for criminal records. The pilot program shall be implemented on or before December 31, 2010 and shall expire on June 30, 2012. The secretary of public safety and security in consultation with the criminal history systems board, or its successor, and the department of state police, shall issue a final report, which shall include the results of its review and analysis, to the joint committee on judiciary, the joint committee on public safety and homeland security and the house and senate committees on ways and means on or before November 1, 2012.

SECTION 128.  Sections 1 to 8, inclusive, 12 to 19, inclusive, 21 to 25, inclusive, 27, 29 to 38, inclusive, 40 to 65, inclusive, 68, 71 to 90, inclusive, 92 to 96, inclusive, 108, 111, 112, 114 to 122, inclusive, 124 and 125 shall take effect on January 1, 2012. 

SECTION 129. Subparagraph e of Section 178D in Chapter 6 of the General Laws as appearing in the 2008 Edition is hereby amended by striking, in lines 31 and 32, the words:- ‘or level 2’.”;

and by striking out the title and inserting in place thereof the following title: “An Act reforming the administrative procedures relative to criminal offender record information.”.