SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1738        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Robyn K. Kennedy

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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 a maltreatment coding system.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1738        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

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 a maltreatment coding system.

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 51B of Chapter 119 of the General Laws, as so appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after subsection (a) the following paragraphs:-

(1)The department shall create and utilize a comprehensive maltreatment coding system that provides a standardized method for categorizing instances of abuse and neglect by severity for families during the initial investigation phase. 

(2)Categories should include, but are not limited to: (i) parental abuse; (ii) imminent risk of serious harm (iii) labor trafficking; (iv) emotional abuse; (v) neglect; (vi) physical abuse; (vii) sexual abuse; (viii) exploitation

(3)The coding system should further include coding based on abuse related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression in an effort to provide family preservation and acceptance education; as well as racial discrimination for youth who are not in the care of their family of origin.

(4)The coding system should be applied upon opening a case and used in conjunction with existing software to assist in the assessment and continued evaluation of ongoing cases.

(5)The department shall review the categories of the system at least every two years and update as needed.