 | *** Legislation Alert ***Pass the Prevention Package in Massachusetts! |
Dear Advocates to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse, A Joint Committee on Education hearing has been scheduled and several key Massachusetts child sexual abuse prevention bills are being heard! We need YOUR support to get these bills passed this year! Please consider testiying in support, in person or virtually, or submitting written testimony. The hearing is scheduled at the MA State House at 24 Beacon St. in Boston for next Tuesday, June 17th at 1pm EST, in room B-2. Three bills in the "Prevention Package" are being heard: - H.516 "An Act establishing employee screening requirements in schools to prevent child sexual abuse" would prevent school from hiring abusers by requiring enhanced reference checks
- S.405 "An Act stopping harm inflicted by the exploitation of life and development" would require child sexual abluse prevention education for staff and students in schools and the adoption of a Code of Conduct to prevent child sexual abuse
- S.404 "An Act relative to supporting survivors of child sexual abuse" would enhance opportunities for justice in CSA cases involving sports or nonprofit institutions.
Please see the"Prevention Package" bill summary for more details about the bills being heard (they are highlighted in yellow).
Those who wish to testify virtually at the Joint Committee on Education upcoming hearing must register by completing this form before 12:00 p.m. on Monday, June 16th, 2025. Registration will CLOSE at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, June 16th. |
| Those wishing to testify in person may register in person at the time of the hearing but are encouraged to register ahead of time using this form. The Chair will limit testimony to two minutes per individual and reserves the right to call public officials out of turn. Enough Abuse will be handing out "Prevention Paddles" for those who would like to come to the hearing and express their support for these bills. We also encourage you to submit written testimony if you have longer information to share or are unable to testify in person or virtually. |
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Written testimony should be submitted to Fiona Bruce-Baiden at [email protected] and Emily Reynolds at [email protected], or to the Committee on Education at 24 Beacon Street, Room 473G, Boston, MA 02133. The Chairs request that those submitting written testimony include “EDUCATION COMMITTEE TESTIMONY” and the bill number IN THE SUBJECT LINE, and provide the committee with your name, organization, and phone number.
For the hearing details, click here.
The other bills in the prevention package, including the Age of Consent/Adults in Positions of Authority or Trust bills, do not yet have hearing dates as they are pending before other committees. We will keep you updated. If you have questions about preparing testimony, please reach out to us. Thank you all for your advocacy efforts. |
To learn more about the "Prevention Package" bills and their history, click here to visit our Citizens to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse webpage. Passing bills, even those that face little or no opposition, can be daunting. By banding together, we can create a powerful megaphone to ensure that these crucial bills become law and that children can be better protected from sexual abuse and exploitation. The fight continues...
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Jetta Bernier, Executive Director |
ENOUGH ABUSE®, formerly Massachusetts Citizens for Children, dba MassKids, is the nation’s oldest citizen-based child advocacy organization, with a 6-decade history of improving the lives of vulnerable children. We prevent the sexual abuse of children in their homes, communities and online through prevention trainings, education and advocacy. |
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