SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1916        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1670

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Nine

_______________

An Act relative to testimony in criminal proceedings..

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 20 of Chapter 233 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following paragraph:—

Fifth, except in any proceeding relating to child abuse, including incest, or where a child is alleged to have committed a crime against a family member, a parent of a child shall not be compelled to testify before a grand jury, trial of an indictment, complaint or other criminal proceeding against the child.  For the purposes of this clause the term “parent” shall mean the biological or adoptive mother or father of said child.