SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1080        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1017

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael F. Rush

_________________

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 social networking impersonation or harassment.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Michael F. Rush

Norfolk and Suffolk

 

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

1/25/2019

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

1/28/2019

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

1/29/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/30/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

4/23/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1080        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1017

By Mr. Rush, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1017) of Michael F. Rush, Jason M. Lewis, Shawn Dooley, Patrick M. O'Connor and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to social networking impersonation or harassment.  The Judiciary.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act relative to social networking impersonation or harassment.

 

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 37E of Chapter 266 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

“Section 37F.  (a) Whoever, with intent to defraud, poses, or impersonates a public official by communication by internet website, social networking or other electronic means with intent to obtain a benefit or injure, harass, threaten or defraud another, or by such communication pretends to be a public servant in order to induce another to submit to such authority or act in reliance on such pretense shall be guilty of identity fraud and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(e) A law enforcement officer may arrest without warrant any person he has probable cause to believe has committed the offense of identity fraud as defined in this section.

(f) A law enforcement officer shall accept a police incident report from a victim and shall provide a copy to such victim, if requested, within 24 hours. Such police incident reports may be filed in any county where a victim resides, or in any county where the owner or license holder of personal information stores or maintains said personal information, the owner's or license holder's principal place of business or any county in which the breach of security occurred, in whole or in part."