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H1732 • 2025

An Act amending the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child

An Act amending the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child

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Sponsor
Kenneth I. Gordon
Last action
2025-10-20
Official status
Hearing scheduled for 06/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
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 statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child

An Act amending the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act amending the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 1732) of Kenneth I.
  • Gordon and Natalie M.
  • Blais relative to the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child.

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. 2025-10-20 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 06/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  2. 2025-09-25 House

    Accompanied a new draft, see H4539

  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

Official Summary Text

An Act amending the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child
By Representative Gordon of Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1732) of Kenneth I. Gordon and Natalie M. Blais relative to the statute of limitations relating to civil rights actions and criminal prosecutions for the sexual assault and rape of a child. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.1732

SECTION 1.

Chapter 260 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 5B, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section: -

§5B. Civil rights actions

Actions arising on account of violations of any law intended for the protection of civil rights, including but not limited to actions alleging employment, housing and other discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, ancestry or handicap shall be commenced only within three years next after the cause of action accrues, except that an action commenced under 42 U.S.C. §1681-1686,Title IX, for sexual assault, or sexual abuse, as that term is defined in G.L. c. 260, section 4C, shall be governed by the provisions of G.L. c. 260, section 4C½.

SECTION 2.

Chapter 277 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding at the end of section 63, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, the following paragraph: -

Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an indictment or complaint alleging an offense of indecent assault and battery, or an offense of rape, may be found and filed at any time after the commission of such offense, provided that the victim was under the age of 18 when the offense was committed.

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