HOW I VOTED ON H.4644 and H.4645

HOW I VOTED ON H.4644

H.4644 – AN ACT ENHANCING CHILD WELFARE PROTECTIONS

On Wednesday, October 22, 2025 I voted YES on H.4644, comprehensive legislation to

strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability within the Commonwealth’s child welfaresystem. This bill modernizes the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) statutory reporting, clarifies the independence of the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), improves educational stability for children in care, and updates the state’s child fatality review process.

This bipartisan vote was 159 YAY and 1 NAY – it now goes to the Senate for consideration. This legislation expands statutory reporting by DCF to include disability and disaggregated demographic data, breakdowns of 51A reports by reporter role, ADA accommodation and complaint metrics, and refined placement and permanency measures. It also adds reporting requirements on outcomes for youth aging out of DCF’s care, behavioral health boarding, and education metrics, such as individualized education program counts, attendance, and graduation rates.

The bill allows for the creation of a DCF Education Unit, tasked with academic monitoring, support, and strengthening coordination with school districts. It also requires DCF and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to establish clear enrollment timelines and record transfer standards for children in DCF custody who change schools.

The bill also clarifies the role of the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) as an independent state agency. It further expends the OCA’s authority to examine

disproportionality, partner with agencies while safeguarding oversight, maintain a public mandated reporter website, and conduct systemwide reviews of DCF.

Additionally, the bill strengthens the Child Fatality Review System by establishing joint

leadership between the OCA and the Department of Public Health (DPH). It further updates the membership to include the Department of Early Education & Care (EEC) and codifies the structure of local review teams.

Lastly, the bill improves timely notifications to children’s counsel following placement changes, hospitalizations, 51A reports or school disciplinary events. It also requires reporting on children who remain in psychiatric care beyond medical necessity, including length of stay and licensure/training requirements for DCF social workers.

There were two amendments offered:

Amendment #5 – Establishes a commission to study a digital education portfolio system to support educational stability and wellbeing of foster youth.

I voted YES, and the bipartisan vote was 160 YAY and 0 NAY.

Amendment #17 – Adds a social worker from the Department of Social Services as a member of the Child Fatality Review Team.

I voted YES and the bipartisan vote was 159 YAY and 1 NAY.

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HOW I VOTED ON H.4645

H.4645 – AN ACT RELATIVE TO ASSAULT AND BATTERY UPON TRANSIT WORKERS

On Wednesday, October 22, 2025 I voted YES on H.4645, a bill that strengthens protections for public transit workers by expanding current laws on assault and battery against public employees. The bill ensures that transit employees receive the same legal heightened protections as other public employees while performing their jobs.

This bipartisan vote was 160 YAY and 0 NAY – it now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Current Massachusetts law imposes heightened penalties on individuals for assault and battery against public employees including police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and other government workers. This bill adds public transit workers to that list.

The bill also clarifies and broadens the definition of assault by specifically recognizing that projecting bodily fluids, such as spitting or throwing substances like urine, constitutes assault against a public worker. Offenders would face a sentence ranging from a minimum of 90 days to 2.5 years in a house of correction, a fine between $500 and $5,000 or both.