HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3550 FILED ON: 1/18/2019
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 484
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Natalie M. Higgins and Jack Patrick Lewis
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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 empowering Massachusetts students to end sexual violence.
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PETITION OF:
Name: | District/Address: | Date Added: |
Natalie M. Higgins | 4th Worcester | 1/18/2019 |
Jack Patrick Lewis | 7th Middlesex | 1/18/2019 |
Maria Duaime Robinson | 6th Middlesex | 1/22/2019 |
Carmine Lawrence Gentile | 13th Middlesex | 1/22/2019 |
Tricia Farley-Bouvier | 3rd Berkshire | 1/23/2019 |
Mary S. Keefe | 15th Worcester | 1/23/2019 |
Stephan Hay | 3rd Worcester | 1/24/2019 |
Christine P. Barber | 34th Middlesex | 1/26/2019 |
Kay Khan | 11th Middlesex | 1/29/2019 |
Rebecca L. Rausch | Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex | 1/30/2019 |
Denise C. Garlick | 13th Norfolk | 2/1/2019 |
David M. Rogers | 24th Middlesex | 2/1/2019 |
Jonathan Hecht | 29th Middlesex | 2/1/2019 |
Tami L. Gouveia | 14th Middlesex | 2/1/2019 |
Lori A. Ehrlich | 8th Essex | 2/1/2019 |
James K. Hawkins | 2nd Bristol | 2/1/2019 |
Julian Cyr | Cape and Islands | 2/1/2019 |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3550 FILED ON: 1/18/2019
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 484
By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Lewis of Framingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 484) of Natalie M. Higgins, Jack Patrick Lewis and others for legislation to authorize a consent program to prevent and reduce the incidence of sexual assault. Education. |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act relative to empowering Massachusetts students to end sexual violence.
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. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, must assist districts and charter schools in developing and implementing a consent program to prevent and reduce the incidence of sexual assault. Each district must have an evidence-based, multiple-session program that includes age-appropriate instruction on consent in grades K-12.
SECTION 2. "Consent" as used in this section means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. It is a responsibility of each person involved in sexual activity to ensure that the other or others consent to engage in the sexual activity. Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent. Consent must be ongoing throughout a sexual activity and can be revoked at any time. The existence of a dating relationship between the persons involved, or the fact of past sexual relations between them, should never by itself be assumed to be an indicator of consent.