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H2221 • 2025

An Act relative to student mental health

An Act relative to student mental health

Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Lewis, Jack Patrick
Last action
2025-09-08
Official status
Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading
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 relative to student mental health

An Act relative to student mental health By Representatives Lewis of Framingham and Higgins of Leominster, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to student mental health By Representatives Lewis of Framingham and Higgins of Leominster, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 2221) of Jack Patrick Lewis, Natalie M.
  • Higgins and others for legislation to require that student identification cards contain suicide prevention lifeline contact information.
  • Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

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. 2025-09-08 House

    Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting

  2. 2025-09-08 House

    Rules suspended

  3. 2025-09-08 House

    Read second and ordered to a third reading

  4. 2025-09-04 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling

  5. 2025-06-24 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 06/30/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  6. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery

  7. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to student mental health
By Representatives Lewis of Framingham and Higgins of Leominster, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2221) of Jack Patrick Lewis, Natalie M. Higgins and others for legislation to require that student identification cards contain suicide prevention lifeline contact information. Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.2221

SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 37R the following section:-

Section 37S. A public school, including a charter school, that serves students in any of grades 6 to 12, inclusive, and that issues new or replacement student identification cards to enrolled students shall include on such cards the telephone and text message number for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SECTION 2. Chapter 73 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 21. A public or private institution of higher education that issues new or replacement student identification cards to enrolled students shall include on such student identification cards the telephone and text message number for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SECTION 3. As of the effective date of this act, if a public school subject to section 37S of chapter 71 of the General Laws or a public or private institution of higher education subject section 21 of chapter 73 of the General Laws has a supply of unissued student identification cards that do not comply with the requirements of said section 37S of said chapter 71 or said section 21 of said chapter 73, the school may issue such student identification cards to students until such remaining supply is depleted.

SECTION 4. Section 37S of chapter 71 of the General Laws and section 21 of chapter 73 of the General Laws shall apply to student identification cards issued on or after July 1, 2025.

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