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H4395 • 2025

An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act

An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act

Active

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

Sponsor
Judiciary (J)
Last action
2025-08-18
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 increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act

An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

What This Bill Does

  • An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act 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

  1. 2025-08-18 House

    Reported from the committee on The Judiciary

  2. 2025-08-18 House

    New draft of H1823

  3. 2025-08-18 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

Official Summary Text

An Act increasing penalties for hit and runs with recreational vehicles in the Commonwealth to be known as the James Ward Act
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.4395

SECTION 1. Section 26B of chapter 90B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 17 -18, the words “shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-

person, not resulting in the death of another person, shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 1 year or by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SECTION 2. Said section 26B of said chapter 90B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting, after subsection (c), the following subsection:-

(d) Whoever operates a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle and, without stopping and making known their name, address and the registration number of their snow vehicle or recreation vehicle, leaves the scene after knowingly colliding with or otherwise causing bodily injury to another person shall, if the injuries result in the death of another person, be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 1/2 years or by a fine of not more than $5,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SECTION 3. Said section 26B of said chapter 90B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 19, the word “(d)” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- (e).

SECTION 4. Said section 26B of said chapter 90B, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 29, the word “(e)” and inserting in place thereof the following word:- (f).

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