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H4676 • 2025

An Act relative to tort actions for latent diseases

An Act relative to tort actions for latent diseases

Active

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

Sponsor
Judiciary (J)
Last action
2025-12-01
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 tort actions for latent diseases

An Act relative to tort actions for latent diseases Status: Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

What This Bill Does

  • An Act relative to tort actions for latent diseases Status: Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

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. 2025-12-01 House

    Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting

  2. 2025-12-01 House

    Rules suspended

  3. 2025-12-01 House

    Read second and ordered to a third reading

  4. 2025-11-03 House

    Reported from the committee on The Judiciary

  5. 2025-11-03 House

    New draft of H1967

  6. 2025-11-03 House

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to tort actions for latent diseases
Status:
Referred to House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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Bill H.4676

SECTION 1: Section 2B of chapter 260 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 4, the words “thirty-nine A of chapter seven” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 39A of chapter 7.

SECTION 2. Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 5, the words “only within three years next” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- within 3 years.

SECTION 3: Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 6 to 7, inclusive, the words “in no event shall such actions” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , except for tort actions for damages due to latent diseases caused by exposure to toxic substances including, but not limited to, asbestos, such actions shall not.

SECTION 4. Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 7 the number “six” and inserting in place thereof the following number:- 6.

SECTION 5. Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 14 to 15, inclusive, the words “thirty-nine A shall be commenced only within three years next” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 39A shall be commenced within 3 years.

SECTION 6. Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 15 to 16, inclusive, the words “in no event shall actions be commenced more than six” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , except for tort actions for damages due to latent diseases caused by exposure to toxic substances including, but not limited to, asbestos, such actions shall not be commenced more than 6.

SECTION 7. Said section 2B of said chapter 260 is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 20, the words “chapter thirty, section thirty-nine G” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- section 39G of chapter 30.

SECTION 8: Sections 1 to 7, inclusive, shall be effective for all causes of action accruing before, on, or after the date of enactment, including any pending causes of action.

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