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H4065 • 2025

An Act relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare

An Act relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare

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

Sponsor
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf
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 relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare

An Act relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare By Representative LeBoeuf of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare By Representative LeBoeuf of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 4065) of David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf and Patrick Joseph Kearney relative to survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare.
  • 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. 2025-05-05 Senate

    Senate concurred

  5. 2025-05-01 House

    Referred to the committee on The Judiciary

  6. House

    Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to supporting survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare
By Representative LeBoeuf of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 4065) of David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf and Patrick Joseph Kearney relative to survivors of domestic violence and enhancing child welfare. The Judiciary.

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.4065

SECTION 1. Chapter 119 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 29D the following section:-

Section 29E. In court proceedings related to the removal of a child from their home for neglect, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that neglect does not include a failure of a victim of domestic violence to: (i) prevent a child from witnessing the domestic violence; (ii) leave the home in which the alleged perpetrator resides; (iii) end a relationship with the alleged perpetrator; (iv) report the domestic violence to law enforcement or the department; or (v) seek an order of protection against the alleged perpetrator. For the purposes of this section, “domestic violence” shall include coercive control, as defined in section 1 of chapter 209A.

SECTION 2. Said chapter 119 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 37 the following section:-

Section 37A. (a) There shall be a rebuttable presumption in all department proceedings that neglect of a child does not include a failure of a victim of domestic violence to: (i) prevent a child from witnessing the domestic violence; (ii) leave the home in which the alleged perpetrator resides; (iii) end a relationship with the alleged perpetrator; (iv) report the domestic violence to law enforcement or the department; or (v) seek an order of protection against the alleged perpetrator. For the purposes of this section, “domestic violence” shall include coercive control, as defined in section 1 of chapter 209A.

(b) All employees of the department shall have mandatory training on issues related to domestic violence.

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