HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 956        FILED ON: 1/18/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 735

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kate D. Campanale

_________________

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 sex offender notification.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kate D. Campanale

17th Worcester

1/18/2017

Peter J. Durant

6th Worcester

 

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 956        FILED ON: 1/18/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 735

By Ms. Campanale of Leicester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 735) of Kate D. Campanale, Peter J. Durant and Shaunna L. O'Connell for legislation to require group homes to notify certain abutters upon the admission of level 2 or level 3 sex offenders.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3433 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act relative to sex offender notification.

 

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

Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 178Q, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, the following section:-

Section 178R. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“Abutting”, located within 1,000 feet of any part of the property owned for the operation of the group home.

“Group home”, any residence or home operating as a halfway house for alcoholics under a license issued by the department of public health pursuant to section 6A of chapter 111B or any residence or home operating under a residential site license issued by the department of mental health pursuant to 104 C.M.R. 28.13.

“Sex offender”,  any sex offender, as defined in section 178C, given a level 2 or level 3 designation by the sex offender registry board pursuant to section 178K.

(b) Within 48 hours of the admission of a sex offender to a group home, the owner of the group home shall notify the owner of any abutting residential home or daycare facility or the principal of any abutting school of the admission of such sex offender. Notification pursuant to this section shall require the owner of the group home to furnish a photograph and description of the sex offender.