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Summer 2025 Legislative Update

Summer 2025 Legislative Update

By August 13, 2025January 15th, 2026Blog Post, MassCOP and Police Reform, MassCOP Blog

Qualified Immunity Rights

TO: All MassCOP Members
FROM: MassCOP Legislative Committee
DATE: August 1, 2025
RE: Summer Legislative Update

Introduction

The Massachusetts Coalition of Police Legislative Team is at the Massachusetts State House advocating on your behalf daily. We began a new session in January, and the legislature is slowly getting underway. Rules have been completed, committees assigned, and hearings are ongoing.

Below is a list of bills we are working on for our membership and for all law enforcement across the Commonwealth.

Priority Legislation

Due Process for POST Certification

HB1828 / SB1039 / SB1235 – Rep. Law, Sen. Collins, Sen. Oliveira
An Act Relative to Due Process

  • Creates a de novo appeals process in Superior Court if certification is suspended more than two weeks or revoked by POST.

  • Allows a judge to review case facts rather than just an administrative review.

  • Priority bill for MassCOP for three sessions.

  • Currently in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

Membership on the POST Commission

HB2717 – Rep. Turco
An Act Relative to Membership on the POST Commission

  • Names MassCOP to a seat on the commission, restoring representation removed at the last minute in the original bill.

HB2718 – Rep. Turco
An Act Relative to Labor Participation on the POST Commission

  • Names two law enforcement labor organizations to the commission.

Public Safety Dispatchers

HB2885 / SB1827 – Rep. Kilcoyne, Sen. Driscoll
An Act Relative to Public Safety Dispatchers

  • Places all dispatchers in Group Two for retirement purposes.

HB2629 / HB2662 – Rep. Hawkins, Rep. MacGregor
An Act Relative to Critical Incident Intervention by Emergency Service Providers

  • Adds dispatchers to peer support critical incident confidentiality protections.

SB1845 – Sen. Feeney
An Act Relative to 911 Emergency Telecommunicators Inclusion in the Heart Bill

  • Extends Heart Law benefits to dispatchers, recognizing stress-related heart and circulatory risks.

COVID-19 Retirement Credit

SB1102 – Sen. Collins
An Act Providing for a COVID-19 Retirement Credit to Essential Public Health and Safety Employees

  • Adds 14 months retirement credit for police, fire, EMS, and public-sector nurses.

HB3003 – Rep. Zlotnik
An Act Relative to COVID-19 Retirement Credit Study

  • Creates a study commission to review feasibility.

Accrued Leave & Critical Incident Leave

HB2845 – Rep. Giannino
An Act Relative to Accrued Leave While Awaiting a Determination of 111F

  • Provides automatic restoration of accrued leave once 111F eligibility is determined.

HB2621 – Rep. Giannino
An Act Relative to “Critical Incident Leave”

  • Requires departments to classify leave after critical incidents as “critical incident leave” in official communications.

Cancer Presumption for Police Officers

HB2850 / SB1877 – Rep. Giannino, Sen. Lovely

  • Adds police officers to the cancer presumption law currently covering firefighters.

Other Key Bills Filed by MassCOP

  • HB3811 / SB2449 – Blue Star Family License Plate (Rep. Walsh, Sen. Tarr)

  • HB2993 / SB1910 – Flags for Families of Fallen Officers or Firefighters (Rep. Walsh, Sen. Tarr)

  • HB2728 / SB1934 – Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Fund (Rep. Walsh, Sen. Collins)

  • HB2729 / SB1772 – Blue Alert System (Rep. Walsh, Sen. Tarr)

Special Legislation – Detective John Songy

HB2823 / SB1831 – Rep. Ferguson, Sen. Durant
Provides Killed in the Line of Duty benefits to the surviving spouse of Detective John D. Songy, the only Massachusetts officer on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in DC due to COVID-19.

Additional Bills We Are Supporting

Here are more bills we are tracking, supporting, and lobbying:

  • HB1998 – Penalties for Filing False Reports Against Police Officers (Rep. Stanley)

  • HB2909 / SB1821 – Disability or Death Caused by PTSD (Rep. McGonagle, Sen. DiDomenico)

  • HB2846 / SB17197 – Disability or Death Caused by Contagious Disease; Presumption (Rep. Giannino, Sen. Collins)

  • HB2853 / SB1788 – PTSD and Accidental Disability (Rep. Gordon, Sen. Brady)

  • HB2628 / SB1760 – Arson Investigators (Rep. Hawkins, Sen. Rush)

  • HB2533 – Safety of Fire, Police, and EMTs from Contagious Diseases (Rep. Scanlon)

  • HB2332 – COVID-19 Complications for Public Employees (Rep. Scanlon)

  • HB2515 – Exposure of Public Safety Officials to HIV (Rep. Plouffe)

  • HB2564 – Emergency Hazard Health Duty (Rep. Arciero)

  • HB2941 – Special Death Benefits to Fallen Public Safety Officers (Rep. Puppolo)

  • HB2966 – Capping Earnings in Retirement (Rep. Silvia)

  • HB2654 / SB1730 – Strengthening Critical Incident Stress Management (Rep. LaNatra, Sen. Montigny)

  • HB2057 – Safety and Dignity of First Responders (HALO Act) (Rep. Xiarhos, Rep. Wells)

  • HB3816 / SB1719 – Move Over Law – Enhancing First Responder Safety (Rep. Xiarhos, Rep. Giannino, Sen. Marks)

  • HB2738 – Advanced Life Support for Police Dogs (Rep. Xiarhos)

  • HB2663 / SB1761 – Internal Benefits of Public Safety Telecommunicators (Rep. MacGregor, Sen. Rush)

  • HB2818 / HB2968 / SB1856 / SB1906 – Massachusetts Certified Emergency Telecommunicators (Rep. Elliot, Rep. Smola, Sen. Feeney, Sen. Rush)

  • HB2971 – Equal Internal Benefits for Public Safety Telecommunicators (Rep. Soter)

  • HB2807 / HB2905 / SB1819 – Retirement Classification for Barnstable County Dispatchers (Rep. Diggs, Rep. Luddy, Sen. Cyr)

Contact

If you have questions about any of these bills, please contact:
John Nelson, Legislative Chairperson
📧 jen@masscop.org

MassCOP Legislative Committee
John Nelson, Chair
Mike Perreira
Tim King
Craig Chapman
John McCarthy

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