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H1719 • 2025

An Act to further protect children

An Act to further protect children

Children
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Colleen M. Garry
Last action
2026-03-26
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see H5281 (under House Rule 27)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to further protect children

An Act to further protect children By Representative Garry of Dracut, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to further protect children By Representative Garry of Dracut, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 1719) of Colleen M.
  • Garry relative to the reporting of missing children.
  • The Judiciary.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-26 House

    Accompanied a study order, see H5281 (under House Rule 27)

  2. 2025-10-20 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  3. 2025-06-05 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  4. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on The Judiciary

  5. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

  6. House

    Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act to further protect children
By Representative Garry of Dracut, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1719) of Colleen M. Garry relative to the reporting of missing children. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.1719

Chapter 269 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following new section:

Section 20:

A parent, legal guardian or caretaker who willfully fails to contact law enforcement or emergency personnel concerning the safety of a minor child, 16 years of age or younger, in his or her care whose whereabouts has not been ascertained within the past 48 hours shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for not more than five years.

A parent, legal guardian or caretaker of a minor child, 16 years of age or younger, who has knowledge of the death of said child, and who fails to notify law enforcement or emergency personnel of said death within one hour of their knowledge of the occurrence, shall be punishable by imprisonment in state prison for not more than five years, or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars and imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than two and one half years.

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