HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2958        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1917

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Joseph F. Wagner and Eric P. Lesser

_________________

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 taking or transmitting images of crime victims by first responders.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Joseph F. Wagner

8th Hampden

2/18/2021

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

2/18/2021

Paul F. Tucker

7th Essex

2/18/2021

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

20th Middlesex

2/18/2021

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

2/18/2021

Michael J. Finn

6th Hampden

2/19/2021

Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.

28th Middlesex

2/19/2021

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

2/19/2021

Patricia A. Duffy

5th Hampden

2/19/2021

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

2/22/2021

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

2/24/2021

Bud L. Williams

11th Hampden

3/15/2021

Hannah Kane

11th Worcester

3/15/2021

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

5/3/2021

Adam J. Scanlon

14th Bristol

7/27/2021

Richard M. Haggerty

30th Middlesex

7/27/2021


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2958        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1917

By Representative Wagner of Chicopee and Senator Lesser, a joint petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1917) of Joseph F. Wagner, Eric P. Lesser and others relative to the taking or transmitting of images of crime victims by first responders.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3473 OF 2019-2020.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

 

An Act relative to taking or transmitting images of crime victims by first responders.

 

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

Chapter 271 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 51: (a) As used in this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“First responder”, a law enforcement officer, a paid, call, reserve or volunteer firefighter, a paid, call, reserve or volunteer emergency medical technician or any other person whose usual and regular duties include rendering assistance at the scene of a crime, accident or other emergency.

“Immediate family member”, a spouse, child, step child, adopted child, sibling, step sibling, adopted sibling, parent, step parent, adopted parent, grandparent, or grandchild.

(b) No first responder who responds to or is otherwise present at the scene of a crime, accident or other emergency in the performance of his or her official duties shall take a photographic or digital image of a victim of a crime, accident or emergency unless the first responder takes the photographic or digital image: (i) in the performance of his or her official duties, or; (ii) upon the consent of the victim or, if the victim is unable to consent, an immediate family member of the victim.

(c) No first responder shall, other than in the performance of his or her official duties, transmit, disseminate or otherwise make available to a third person a photographic or digital image of a victim of a crime, accident or emergency without the consent of the victim or, if the victim is unable to consent, an immediate family member of the victim.

(d) Any person who knowingly violates subsection (b) or (c) shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000, or by imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both such fine and imprisonment.