Massachusetts SD 1975: An Act improving protections relative to domestic violence

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1975 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1077

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Michael O. Moore
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act improving protections relative to domestic violence.
_______________
PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS:
Michael O. Moore Second Worcester
Susannah M. Whipps 2nd Franklin 1/25/2023
Jack Patrick Lewis 7th Middlesex 1/26/2023
Rebecca L. Rausch Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex 2/8/2023
Jason M. Lewis Fifth Middlesex 2/8/2023
James K. Hawkins 2nd Bristol 2/8/2023
Walter F. Timilty Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol 2/13/2023
Patrick M. O'Connor First Plymouth and Norfolk 2/13/2023
Anne M. Gobi Worcester and Hampshire 2/22/2023
Joanne M. Comerford Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester 2/28/2023
Paul R. Feeney Bristol and Norfolk 3/2/2023
Steven George Xiarhos 5th Barnstable 3/9/2023
Thomas M. Stanley 9th Middlesex 3/22/2023
Bruce E. Tarr First Essex and Middlesex 3/22/2023
Susan L. Moran Plymouth and Barnstable 3/30/2023
Ryan C. Fattman Worcester and Hampden 4/12/2023
Liz Miranda Second Suffolk 5/1/2023
Joan B. Lovely Second Essex 5/2/2023

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Patricia A. Duffy 5th Hampden 5/8/2023
Lydia Edwards Third Suffolk 5/30/2023
Carol A. Doherty 3rd Bristol 6/14/2023
John C. Velis Hampden and Hampshire 6/21/2023
Paul W. Mark Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and
Hampshire
7/12/2023
Mathew J. Muratore 1st Plymouth 7/13/2023
Norman J. Orrall 12th Bristol 7/24/2023
Jacob R. Oliveira Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester 7/24/2023
Danielle W. Gregoire 4th Middlesex 7/24/2023
Sal N. DiDomenico Middlesex and Suffolk 8/30/2023
John F. Keenan Norfolk and Plymouth 9/19/2023

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1975 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1077
By Mr. Moore, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1077) of Michael O. Moore,
Susannah M. Whipps, Jack Patrick Lewis, Rebecca L. Rausch and other members of the General
Court for legislation to improve protections relative to domestic violence. The Judiciary.

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1112 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________

An Act improving protections relative to domestic violence.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 SECTION 1. For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the
2 following meanings:
3 “Coercive control,” a pattern of conduct that has the purpose or effect of substantially
4 restricting an individual’s safety or autonomy through intimidation, isolation, implicit or explicit
5 threats, or by compelling compliance. Conduct undertaken by an individual to protect themselves
6 or their children from the risk of present or future harm does not constitute coercive control.
7 Examples of coercive control include:
8 (i) Isolating the other parent from friends, relatives, faith cultural, or linguistic
9 communities, employment, education, or other supporting networks;

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10 (ii) Repeatedly humiliating or using degrading language or behaviors towards the
11 petitioner;
12 (iii) Controlling, regulating, or monitoring the individual’s activities, communications,
13 movements, finances, economic resources, or access to resources;
14 (iv) Threatening to harm, abduct or kill the individual or a child or relative of the
15 individual;
16 (v) Threatening to publish information or make false reports to the police or the
17 authorities;
18 (vi) Damaging property or household goods; and
19 (vii) Forcing the individual to take part in criminal activity;
20 (viii) Committing or threatening to commit cruelty or abuse to animals connected to the
21 family;
22 (xi) using repeated court actions not warranted by existing law or good faith argument to
23 harass, coerce, or control the other party, diminish or exhaust the other party’s financial
24 resources, or compromise th other party’s employment or housing;
25 (x) cleaning, accessing, displaying, using or wearing a firearm in an intimidating or
26 threatening manner; and
27 (xi) threatening deportation or to contact federal agencies based on actual or perceived
28 immigration status, refusing to file immigration applications, refusing to sponsor, withholding
29 essential documents needed for immigration applications, or threatening to withdraw

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30 immigration applications filed on the other parent or child’s behalf or coercing or forcing the
31 other parent to violate the terms of their immigration visa.
32 “Technological abuse”, an act or pattern of behavior intended to harm, threaten,
33 intimidate, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, e