SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1445        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1192

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Mark C. Montigny

_________________

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 to provide a DNA exception for statute of limitations on sex offenses.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Mark C. Montigny

Second Bristol and Plymouth

 

Christopher Hendricks

11th Bristol

1/22/2025

Dennis C. Gallagher

8th Plymouth

1/22/2025

Steven George Xiarhos

5th Barnstable

1/22/2025

Kenneth P. Sweezey

6th Plymouth

1/23/2025

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Norfolk

1/30/2025

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

3/6/2025


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1445        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1192

By Mr. Montigny, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1192) of Mark C. Montigny, Christopher Hendricks, Dennis C. Gallagher, Steven George Xiarhos and other members of the General Court for legislation to provide a DNA exception for statute of limitations on sex offenses.  The Judiciary.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1060 OF 2023-2024.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

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

_______________

 

An Act to provide a DNA exception for statute of limitations on sex offenses.

 

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

Section 63 of chapter 277 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following paragraph:-

Notwithstanding the first paragraph, a prosecution for a sex offense, as defined in section 178C of chapter 6, may be commenced at any time if forensic evidence, as defined in section 220 of chapter 111, has been collected and preserved, and if such forensic evidence can be subjected to DNA analysis, as defined in section 1 of chapter 22E, that can establish the identity of the defendant.