HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2426        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1402

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

_________________

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 relative to the protection of children.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

20th Middlesex

1/15/2015

Bradford R. Hill

4th Essex

1/29/2015

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

1/16/2015

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

9/19/2019

Todd M. Smola

1st Hampden

9/19/2019

Paul K. Frost

7th Worcester

9/19/2019

F. Jay Barrows

1st Bristol

9/19/2019

Sheila C. Harrington

1st Middlesex

9/19/2019

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

9/19/2019

Keiko M. Orrall

12th Bristol

9/19/2019

Angelo L. D'Emilia

8th Plymouth

9/19/2019

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

9/19/2019

Nicholas A. Boldyga

3rd Hampden

9/19/2019

Leah Cole

12th Essex

9/19/2019

Kevin J. Kuros

8th Worcester

9/19/2019

Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.

5th Worcester

9/19/2019

Randy Hunt

5th Barnstable

9/19/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

9/19/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2426        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1402

By Mr. Jones of North Reading, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1402) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to the crime of failing to notify law enforcement officials of a missing or deceased child.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1402 OF 2013-2014.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to the protection of children.

 

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 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding to the end thereof the following section:--

Section 13O. Failure to Notify Law Enforcement of Missing or Deceased Child

For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:--

“Person having care and custody”, a parent, guardian, employee of a home or institution or any other person with equivalent supervision or care of a child, whether the supervision is temporary or permanent.

“Child”, any person under 14 years of age.

"Law enforcement authority'', any police department in the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions.

"Missing child or children'', any person under the age of 14 years missing from his normal and ordinary place of residence or last known whereabouts and whose whereabouts cannot be determined by the person having care and custody of such child.

Whoever, having care and custody of a child, fails to notify a law enforcement authority or emergency medical personnel of the death of such child, accidental or otherwise, within 2 hours of the discovery of such known death and (i) intends to mislead a public official, (ii) intends to  impede any investigation, or (iii) causes an investigation to be impeded, shall be punished by a term of imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 10 years or imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 2 ½ years.

Whoever, having care and custody of a child, finds the child missing and fails to notify a law enforcement authority of the missing child within 5 days and (i) intends to mislead a public official, (ii) intends to impede an investigation, or (iii) causes an investigation to be impeded, shall be punished by a term of imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 10 years or imprisonment in the house of correction for not more than 2 ½ years.

SECTION 2. Section 13J of chapter 265 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, on line 29, the words “two and one-half years” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 10 years

;and further, by striking out, on line 34, the words “five years” and inserting in place thereof the following:- 15 years

;and further, by striking out, on lines 35 and 36, the words “two and one-half years” and inserting in the place thereof the following:- 10 years.