HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1315        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

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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 school bus stop safety.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1315        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1569 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to school bus stop safety.

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 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 47, the following new section:

“Section 47A. A sex offender who has been finally classified as a level 2 or level 3 sex offender, and for as long as the sex offender is obligated to register, shall be prohibited from loitering within 500 feet of a school bus stop which has been designated as such by any city, town, or school district.

For the purposes of this section, loitering shall mean remaining in the prohibited location for more than 15 minutes. A sex offender who is the parent or legal guardian of a child scheduled to depart from or arrive at a school bus stop, may remain at the prohibited location more than 15 minutes, but only until such time as the child has departed or arrived.

A sex offender who violates this section shall be punished by a fine of $500 for a first offense; for a second offense by a fine of $1,000, or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than 3 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and for a third or subsequent offense by a fine of $1,500 and not less than 3 months nor more than 2 ½ years in a house of correction. Written notification shall be made to the sex offender registry board of any such violation.”