H2564 • 2025

An Act relative to emergency hazard health duty

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

Sponsor: James Arciero
Last action: 2026-01-27
Official status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
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 emergency hazard health duty

An Act relative to emergency hazard health duty By Representative Arciero of Westford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act relative to emergency hazard health duty By Representative Arciero of Westford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
2564) of James Arciero and others relative to creating a presumption of job relatedness for certain public safety personnel and first responders suffering from incapacitation or inability to perform their duties as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection or exposure.
Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

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

2026-01-27 House
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
2025-10-15 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 10/15/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:00 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-10-15 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 10/15/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:20 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-10-01 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 10/15/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to emergency hazard health duty
By Representative Arciero of Westford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2564) of James Arciero and others relative to creating a presumption of job relatedness for certain public safety personnel and first responders suffering from incapacitation or inability to perform their duties as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection or exposure. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.2564

Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, any public safety official, which shall include any individuals employed as police, fire personnel, correction officers, dispatchers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nursing professionals, and all individuals employed and considered as 1st responders, who contract, have symptoms of, or otherwise becomes affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), that results in a period of hospitalization, quarantine, or require self-quarantined measures as a result of being infected or coming into contact with someone who is infected with this virus, shall have their medical condition or incapacity to work presumed to be work-related. The amount of time said public safety official is incapacitated or unable to perform their duties as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection or exposure and the required time of hospitalization, time of quarantine or time of self-quarantine shall be considered as on duty time, and said public safety official shall not be required to use sick time, vacation time, personal time or any other contractual time-off to cover said period of incapacitation or inability to perform regular duty work. This time of incapacitation or inability to perform their duties shall be considered as "emergency hazard health duty," or, in the case of employees to which it applies, be covered under G.L. c. 41, Section 111F.

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