H2676 • 2025

An Act relative to enhancing child safety

Children Housing

Active

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

Sponsor: James J. O'Day
Last action: 2025-10-20
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 enhancing child safety

An Act relative to enhancing child safety By Representative O'Day of West Boylston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act relative to enhancing child safety By Representative O'Day of West Boylston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
2676) of James J.
O'Day for legislation to require landlords to install window guards in certain residential units housing children under 10 years of age.
Public Safety and Homeland Security.

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

2025-10-20 House
Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting
2025-10-20 House
Rules suspended
2025-10-20 House
Read second and ordered to a third reading
2025-09-22 House
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling
2025-06-05 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 06/11/2025 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 enhancing child safety
By Representative O'Day of West Boylston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2676) of James J. O'Day for legislation to require landlords to install window guards in certain residential units housing children under 10 years of age. Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Bill H.2676

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 127P the following section:- Section 127Q. Any landlord who has a tenant in a residential unit with a window higher than 6 feet off the ground shall inform the tenant that the landlord shall install window guards in any such windows at no additional cost to the tenant when the tenant can document the presence of children under 10 years of age in the unit. If any such windows are an access to fire escape routes or structures, the window guard shall be removable. The tenant shall not remove the window guards for any reason except emergency egress in times of a fire or other situation involving hazardous materials. The obligations of a landlord to install window guards under this section shall not affect the ability of a renter to lease the unit; and any discrimination by the landlord in this regard shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $250 but not more than $500.

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