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H2008 • 2025

An Act prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders

An Act prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders

Active

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

Sponsor
Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida
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 prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders

An Act prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders By Representative Sullivan-Almeida of Abington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders By Representative Sullivan-Almeida of Abington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 2008) of Alyson M.
  • Sullivan-Almeida relative to prohibiting registered sex offenders from changing names.
  • 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 prohibiting name-changing for registered sex offenders
By Representative Sullivan-Almeida of Abington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2008) of Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida relative to prohibiting registered sex offenders from changing names. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.2008

SECTION 1. Section 178E of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(r) A sex offender required to register pursuant to sections 178C to 178P, inclusive, shall not hold him or herself out under any other name except the name by which such sex offender registered under this section.

SECTION 2. Section 178H of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 4, after the word “information” the following words:- ; or (v) fails to comply with subsection (r) of section 178E.

SECTION 3. Section 1D of chapter 46 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:-

A party to a marriage who is a sex offender as defined in section 178C of chapter 6 may not adopt or use any other surname than that which such party is required to register pursuant to sections 178C to 178P, inclusive of said chapter 6.

SECTION 4. Section 12 of chapter 210 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following sentence:- No change of name shall be granted for a person listed as a sex offender on the sex offender registry under section 178D of chapter 6.

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