SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1286        FILED ON: 1/20/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 867

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Karen E. Spilka

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to enhance safety and security in courthouses.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1286        FILED ON: 1/20/2011

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 867

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

An Act to enhance safety and security in courthouses.

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:  Chapter 265 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 13D the following section:-

                Section 13D1/4. Whoever commits an assault, or an assault and battery, in or on the property owned, leased or occupied by the Massachusetts judicial department or an agency or committee thereof, including any trial or appellate court, during the time when the courts are in session or open to the public may be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 3 years or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years, or by a fine of not more than $25,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.

                SECTION 2: Section 13C of chapter 268 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in its place the following:-

                Whoever causes or actively participates in the willful disruption of proceedings of any court of the commonwealth may be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years or in state prison for not more than 3 years, or by a fine of not more than $5000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

                SECTION 3: Section 4 of chapter 275 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence and inserting in its place the following:-

If the person complained of is convicted, he may be punished by a fine of not more than $100 or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, provided that any threat to cause bodily injury to a person on account of the person's performance of official duties as a judge or employee of the judicial department, including but not limited to clerk magistrates, probation officers, interpreters, stenographers, and court officers, prosecutors and attorneys, may be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years or in state prison for not more than 3 years, or by a fine of not more than $5000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.