Part ofChild Welfare →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

S 404MASSACHUSETTSSession 194thState Billin committee

High Impact

Massachusetts Bill S.404 Extends Legal Protections and Timelines for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Original title: An Act relative to supporting survivors of child sexual abuse

Last action · December 18, 2025: Accompanied a study order (under JR10), see S2886Sponsors: Joan Lovely and 2 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Massachusetts bill S.404 adjusts civil statutes and tort claims rules to support survivors of childhood sexual abuse by extending legal claim pathways, providing liability exemptions for claims, and modifying the timeline for filing victim compensation claims based on professional mental health assessments.

Why it matters

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse gain extended legal timelines and specialized evidentiary standards when filing s or seeking victim compensation in Massachusetts courts.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Individuals gain extended legal avenues to file civil actions and victim compensation claims when trauma realization is delayed.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this bill change the timeline for survivors seeking compensation?

For claimants who experienced childhood sexual abuse, the three-year compensation filing period starts when they first connect the abuse to the harm they suffered, supported by a licensed mental health professional's report.

Are government entities protected from childhood sexual abuse claims under this bill?

No. The bill explicitly amends chapter 258 to exclude claims involving childhood sexual abuse from the standard claims exceptions that usually block lawsuits against public employers.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

6 actions

Dec 18, 2025Senate
Accompanied a study order (under JR10), see S2886
Jul 7, 2025House
House concurred
Jul 3, 2025Senate
Discharged to the committee on The Judiciary
Jun 6, 2025Joint
Hearing scheduled for 06/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-2
Feb 27, 2025House
House concurred
Feb 27, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to the committee on Education

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference90% confidence

Study Order Association

The bill was accompanied by a study order under JR10, cross-referenced as S2886.

Connected Entities

Steve Xiarhos, General Laws, John Keenan and 1 more

PersonSteve Xiarhos“Co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 404”Map →

OrganizationGeneral Laws“Governing statutes amended by the bill”Map →

PersonJohn Keenan“Co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 404”Map →

PersonJoan Lovely“Primary sponsor of Senate Bill No. 404”Map →

Sources

Open source document

malegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools