The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts bill creates civil liability for school and agency staff engaging in sexual relations with vulnerable youth
Last action · December 22, 2025: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and MeansSponsors: Joan Lovely and 9 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Massachusetts bill establishes a civil against adults over 21 in positions of authority or trust who engage in sexual relations with students or clients under specified age and education thresholds, deeming those individuals .
Changes legal recourse by allowing individuals served by schools and state departments to sue adult employees or contractors in positions of authority who engage in sexual relations, regardless of whether the conduct occurs inside or outside the facility.
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.
School and agency employees and contractors over 21
Adult staff members in positions of authority face civil liability and legal consequences for engaging in sexual relations with qualifying students or clients.
Students and clients under age 19 or special needs individuals under 22
Individuals within these age and education thresholds are legally deemed incapable of consent and are granted a specific civil cause of action against staff members.
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
Who does this bill apply to?
Can a student consent to sexual relations with an authority figure covered by this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Dec 22, 2025SenateCommitteeBill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means
- Oct 9, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 10/21/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-1
- Feb 27, 2025HouseHouse concurred
- Feb 27, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to the committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities
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.
Sponsors
Show 5 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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