H245 • 2025

An Act regarding the use of aversive therapy

Children

Active

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

Sponsor: Danielle W. Gregoire
Last action: 2026-02-17
Official status: Accompanied a study order, see H4919
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 regarding the use of aversive therapy

An Act regarding the use of aversive therapy By Representative Gregoire of Marlborough, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act regarding the use of aversive therapy By Representative Gregoire of Marlborough, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
245) of Danielle W.
Gregoire and James B.
Eldridge for legislation to prohibit the use of procedures which cause physical pain or deny a reasonable humane existence to persons with disabilities.

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

2026-02-17 House
Accompanied a study order, see H4919
2025-11-07 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 11/18/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act regarding the use of aversive therapy
By Representative Gregoire of Marlborough, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 245) of Danielle W. Gregoire and James B. Eldridge for legislation to prohibit the use of procedures which cause physical pain or deny a reasonable humane existence to persons with disabilities. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.245

Section 16 of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 official edition, is hereby amended by inserting

the following text:-

No program, agency, or facility funded, operated, licensed, or approved by any agency or subdivision of the Commonwealth shall administer or cause to be administered to any person with a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability any procedure which causes obvious signs of physical pain, including, but not limited to, hitting, pinching, and electric shock for the purposes of changing the behavior of the person.

No such program may employ any form of physical contact or punishment that is otherwise prohibited by law, or would be prohibited if used on a non-disabled person.

No such program may employ any procedure which denies a person with a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability reasonable sleep, food, shelter, bedding, bathroom facilities, and any other aspect expected of a humane existence in the Commonwealth.

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