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S479 • 2025

An Act to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care

An Act to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care

Active

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

Sponsor
Joan B. Lovely
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see S3012
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 to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care

An Act to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care By Ms.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care By Ms.
  • Lovely, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No.
  • 479) of Joan B.
  • Lovely and Joanne M.

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. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Accompanied a study order, see S3012

  2. 2026-01-15 Senate

    Reporting date extended to Tuesday March 10, 2026

  3. 2025-09-03 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 09/16/2025 from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM in A-2

  4. 2025-06-27 Joint

    Referred, pursuant to an order adopted by the two branches, to the committee on Aging and Independence

  5. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Referred to the committee on Elder Affairs

  6. 2025-02-27 House

    House concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care
By Ms. Lovely, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 479) of Joan B. Lovely and Joanne M. Comerford for legislation to improve transparency and accountability for residents of long-term care. Elder Affairs.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill S.479

SECTION 1. Subsection (g) of Section 70E of chapter 111 of the general laws as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition is hereby amended by striking the remainder of the sentence after the words, “other rendering of care,” and inserting the following:

“and in their assigned room, including, but not limited to being the sole resident of such room, unless said resident, or their guardian or health care proxy, mutually agrees to share the room with a spouse or not more than one other resident, and that in the absence of a second resident, the bathroom is not shared with any other person.”

SECTION 2. The executive office of health and human services shall, if necessary, seek federal approval for any appropriate increase in rates for such single-occupancy rooms.

SECTION 3. The department of public health shall promulgate appropriate regulations to promote the use of single rooms and single bathrooms in every licensed facility in the Commonwealth.

SECTION 4. This act shall apply to any new or substantial renovation, of a licensed facility. Every facility that holds a valid license as of the effective date of this act shall be allowed not more than three years from the date of this act to achieve compliance with the provisions herein.

SECTION 5. Subsection (e) of said section 35TTT of chapter 10, as amended by chapter 197 of the acts of 2024, is hereby amended by inserting after the word, “facilities,” the following words, “provided, however, that priority shall be given to projects that are intended to reconfigure facilities to provide single occupancy rooms for residents.

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