Massachusetts H 2466: An Act supporting survivors through financial assistance

Bill Text

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3719 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2466

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Sally P. Kerans
_________________
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 supporting survivors through financial assistance.
_______________
PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Sally P. Kerans 13th Essex 1/17/2025
Jason M. Lewis Fifth Middlesex 3/3/2025
Samantha Montaño 15th Suffolk 3/11/2025
Natalie M. Higgins 4th Worcester 4/7/2025
Danillo A. Sena 37th Middlesex 4/13/2025
Leigh Davis 3rd Berkshire 4/17/2025
James B. Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester 7/14/2025
Vanna Howard 17th Middlesex 7/31/2025
Natalie M. Blais 1st Franklin 9/3/2025
Marjorie C. Decker 25th Middlesex 9/24/2025

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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3719 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2466
By Representative Kerans of Danvers, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2466) of
Sally P. Kerans, Jason M. Lewis and Samantha Montaño that the Department of Public Health be
authorized to establish a program to support survivors through financial assistance. Public
Health.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________

An Act supporting survivors through financial assistance.

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. Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 official edition,
2 is hereby amended by inserting after Section 244 the following section-:
3 Section 245 (A). As used in this act:
4 a. “Community-based organization” means a nonprofit organization, or an organization
5 fiscally sponsored by a nonprofit organization, that provides direct services to survivors of
6 violence. Community-based organizations include but are not limited to: social and human
7 service organizations, legal aid organizations, grassroots organizations, faith-based
8 organizations, culturally specific organizations, community development organizations, health
9 and mental health support organizations, housing assistance organizations
10 b. “Family member” means any of the following:
11 i. A person related to another by blood, adoption, or marriage.

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12 ii. A household member or former household member of another.
13 iii. A person who is not related by blood, adoption, or marriage to another but who
14 otherwise has a significant emotional relationship with another.
15 c. “Grant program” means the Flexible Assistance for Survivors of Violence (FAS) pilot
16 grant program established by this chapter.
17 d. “Flexible cash assistance” shall mean payments directly to recipients, that include, but
18 are not limited to:
19 i. Prepaid cards
20 ii. Gift cards
21 iii. Checks
22 iv. Money deposited in a bank account
23 v. Cash
24 e. “Department” means the Department of Public Health
25 f. “Survivor of violence” means any of the following:
26 i. A person who has been a victim of stalking, domestic violence, sexual violence,
27 community violence, homicide, kidnapping, child abuse, human trafficking, or elder abuse.
28 ii. A person who has been physically injured by an act of force by another person.
29 iii. A person who has been threatened with physical injury or reasonably believes they
30 were threatened with physical injury by another person.

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31 iv. A person who has suffered physical injury, as a result of a law enforcement officer’s
32 inappropriate use of force.
33 v. A person who suffers a threat of physical injury or reasonably believes they were
34 threatened with physical injury as a result of a law enforcement officer’s inappropriate use of
35 force.
36 vi. A person who has witnessed an act described under paragraph (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v)
37 and has experienced an emotional injury or feels threatened as a result.
38 vii. A family member of a person who is the victim of an act described under paragraph
39 (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v), including, but not limited to, a family member or person of significant
40 emotional relationship of a person who is killed by the act.
41 (B). The Flexible Assistance for Survivors (FAS) pilot grant program is hereby
42 established, to be administered by the department, with the goal of improving safety, healing,
43 and financial stability for survivors, and the loved ones of those violently injured or killed.
44 (C). FAS grants shall be made to qualifying community-based organizations pursuant to
45 this section for the purpose of establishing assistance funds to distribute in direct cash assistance
46 to survivors.
47 (D). The department shall establish an advisory committee that includes, without
48 limitation, persons who have be