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H1731 • 2025

An Act amending the victim of violent crime compensation law

An Act amending the victim of violent crime compensation law

Children Crime
Active

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

Sponsor
Kenneth I. Gordon
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 amending the victim of violent crime compensation law

An Act amending the victim of violent crime compensation law By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act amending the victim of violent crime compensation law By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 1731) of Kenneth I.
  • Gordon for legislation to provide certain persons who were abused as a child with compensation from the Division of Victim Compensation and Assistance within the Department of the Attorney General.
  • 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 06/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  3. 2025-06-11 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 06/17/2025 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 amending the victim of violent crime compensation law
By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1731) of Kenneth I. Gordon for legislation to provide certain persons who were abused as a child with compensation from the Division of Victim Compensation and Assistance within the Department of the Attorney General. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.1731

SECTION 1. Chapter 258C of the General Laws, as most recently amended by Section 109 of Chapter 256 of the Acts of 2010, is hereby amended by inserting after the second sentence in section 2 (b), the following sentence:

In the case of a claimant who was sexually abused as a minor, such good cause shall include the report of a duly licensed mental health professional stating an opinion that the claimant did not make the connection between the sexual abuse and the harm suffered by the claimant at the time the abuse occurred, and that claimant's failure to make the connection was consistent with the typical responses by such victims of childhood sexual abuse.

SECTION 2. Chapter 258C of the General Laws, as most recently amended by Section 127 of Chapter 176 of the Acts of 2008, is hereby amended by inserting after section 5 (a) (1) the following:

In the case of a claimant who was sexually abused as a minor, said three years shall commence to run when the claimant first makes the connection between the sexual abuse and the harm suffered by the claimant as a result. The report of a duly licensed mental health professional stating an opinion as to the date when the claimant first made the connection between the sexual abuse and the harm suffered by the claimant, and that the claimant's failure to make the connection prior to that date was consistent with the typical responses by such victims of childhood sexual abuse, shall be prima facie evidence in all proceedings under this chapter.

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