Amendment #1719 to H5500

Debt-Free Justice

Ms. Decker of Cambridge moves to amend the bill by adding the following sections:-

"SECTION XX. Section 178Q of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “offender”, in the first instance it appears in line 2, the following words:- “, except those who committed their offense while under the age of criminal majority,”

SECTION XX. Section 29A of chapter 119 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby repealed.

SECTION XX. The first paragraph of section 55 of said chapter 119 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the fourth sentence.

SECTION XX. Chapter 119 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 58B the following section:

Section 58C. Notwithstanding any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, no fine or fee shall apply to any person based on an offense committed while under the age of criminal majority or the person’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian.

SECTION XX. Section 59 of said chapter 119 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “arrest”, in line 4, the following words:- “, except that a warrant may not issue solely for nonpayment of fines or fees”

SECTION XX. Section 63 of said chapter 119, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “person”, in line 1, the following words:- “over the age of criminal majority”

SECTION XX. Section 145 of chapter 127 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (e) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

“(e) A justice of the trial court shall not commit a person to a prison, place of confinement or the department of youth services solely for the non-payment of money owed for an offense that was committed while under the age of criminal majority.”

SECTION XX. Section 2 of chapter 211D of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “counsel”, in line 6, the following words:- “, except that no one accused of committing an offense while under the age of criminal majority will be assessed any fee for the appointment of counsel”

SECTION XX. Section 2A of said chapter 211D, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 1 and 106, the words “18 years of age” and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following words:- “the age of criminal majority”

SECTION XX. Section 8 of chapter 258B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 2 and 6, in each instance, the words “who has attained the age of seventeen years and”

SECTION XX. Said section 8 of said chapter 258B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the third sentence.

SECTION XX. Said section 8 of said chapter 258B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 16, the words “or adjudication”

SECTION XX. Said section 8 of said chapter 258B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 29 to 31, the words “; provided, however, that the total assessment against a person who has not attained seventeen years shall not exceed thirty dollars”

SECTION XX. Said section 8 of said chapter 258B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 59 to 60 and in lines 61 to 62, in each instance, the words “or adjudication of delinquency”

SECTION XX. Section 47 of chapter 265 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “probationer”, in line 25, the following words:- “over the age of criminal majority”

SECTION XX. Section 30 of chapter 276 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “person”, in line 3, the following words:- “excepting individuals alleged to have committed an offense while under the age of criminal majority,”

SECTION XX. Section 87A of said chapter 276, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out clause (ii) and inserting in place thereof the following clause:-

“(ii) solely on the basis of possession or use of medical marijuana obtained in compliance with and in quantities consistent with applicable state regulations if that person received a written certification from a healthcare professional for the use of medical marijuana to treat a debilitating medical condition and the person possesses a valid medical marijuana registration card and if the quantity in the person's possession is not greater than the amount recommended in the healthcare professional's written certification. or (iii) solely on the basis of nonpayment of a fine, fee or other monetary obligation imposed as a result of an offense committed while under the age of criminal majority.”

SECTION XX. Section 6 of chapter 280 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “defendant”, in line 6, the following words:- “over the age of criminal majority”

SECTION XX. On the effective date of this section, the balance of any court-assessed or court-ordered fines or costs imposed against a juvenile, or other person who is liable for the support of a juvenile, are unenforceable and not collectable."