Bill Commons

MA S 2659

in committee

An Act enhancing child welfare protections

Massachusetts · 2025-2026 Regular Session (194th General Court) · upper

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Quick answers

Did MA S 2659 pass?

Not yet. MA S 2659 is in committee and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2026-06-04): Accompanied H4646

What is MA S 2659 about?

Senate, October 23, 2025 -- The committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 107) of Joanne M. Comerford and Nick Collins for legislation to establish a bill of rights for children in foster care; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 125) of Ryan C. Fattman, Joseph D. McKenna and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to create an electronic backpack for foster children; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 127) of Paul R. Feeney and Michael S. Chaisson for legislation to authorize the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish additional mandated reporters for the purpose of the protection and care of children; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 129) of Paul R. Feeney for legislation to require that mandated reporters complete training at least every two years to recognize and report suspected child abuse or neglect; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 133) of Adam Gomez for legislation relative to child fatality review; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 148) of Robyn K. Kennedy for legislation to enhance child welfare protections; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 159) of Joan B. Lovely for legislation relative to supporting families dealing with sudden unexplained death in pediatrics; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2585) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Michael O. Moore for legislation to establish compliance with federal education reporting requirements for out of home placement students, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2659).

Who sponsors MA S 2659?

Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities is the primary sponsor of MA S 2659, joined by 16 cosponsors.

Description

Senate, October 23, 2025 -- The committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 107) of Joanne M. Comerford and Nick Collins for legislation to establish a bill of rights for children in foster care; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 125) of Ryan C. Fattman, Joseph D. McKenna and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to create an electronic backpack for foster children; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 127) of Paul R. Feeney and Michael S. Chaisson for legislation to authorize the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish additional mandated reporters for the purpose of the protection and care of children; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 129) of Paul R. Feeney for legislation to require that mandated reporters complete training at least every two years to recognize and report suspected child abuse or neglect; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 133) of Adam Gomez for legislation relative to child fatality review; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 148) of Robyn K. Kennedy for legislation to enhance child welfare protections; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 159) of Joan B. Lovely for legislation relative to supporting families dealing with sudden unexplained death in pediatrics; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2585) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Michael O. Moore for legislation to establish compliance with federal education reporting requirements for out of home placement students, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2659).

Introduced
—
Latest action
2026-06-04 — Accompanied H4646
Bill type
bill
Last updated
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Sponsors

  • Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilitiesprimary
  • Robyn K. Kennedycosponsor
  • Joanne M. Comerfordcosponsor
  • Ryan C. Fattmancosponsor
  • Paul R. Feeneycosponsor
  • Adam Gómezcosponsor
  • Joan B. Lovelycosponsor
  • Michael O. Moorecosponsor
  • Lydia Edwardscosponsor
  • Nick Collinscosponsor
  • Joseph D. McKennacosponsor
  • Michael S. Chaissoncosponsor
  • John F. Keenancosponsor
  • Patrick Joseph Kearneycosponsor
  • Bruce E. Tarrcosponsor
  • Hannah Kanecosponsor
  • Kelly W. Peasecosponsor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-06-04

    Accompanied H4646

  2. 2025-11-24

    Committee recommended ought to pass and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means

    committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  3. 2025-11-03

    Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently

    committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

Not provided by source.

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-16T06:48:08.363921Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

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Use this data

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Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.

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