Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 111, sec. 245 — MA Code / Part I / Title XVI / Chapter 111 / Section 245
Initiative to increase public awareness of availability of extreme risk protection order process to remove firearm from individual posing risk to self or others
Status: in_force

[ Text of section added by 2024, 178, Sec. 44 effective August 8, 2024. For text of section added by 2024, 182, Sec. 1, and 2024, 186, Sec. 21, see below.]

[ Text of section added by 2024, 178, Sec. 44 effective August 8, 2024. For text of section added by 2024, 182, Sec. 1, and 2024, 186, Sec. 21, see below.]

Section 245. The department shall administer an initiative to increase public awareness of and education on the availability of the extreme risk protection order process established pursuant to sections 131R to 131Y, inclusive, of chapter 140, to remove a firearm from the control, ownership or possession of an individual who poses a risk of causing bodily injury to themself or others. The initiative shall focus on the risk of suicide associated with the possession of a firearm and shall include information on: (i) eligibility to petition for an extreme risk protection order; (ii) the procedure to petition for an extreme risk protection order; (iii) options to voluntarily surrender a firearm to a law enforcement agency; and (iv) the availability of existing legal resources and support services for a potential petitioner.

[Text of section added by 2024, 182, Sec. 1 effective January 1, 2025. See 2024, 182, Sec. 3. For text added by 2024, 178, Sec. 44, see above. For text added by 2024, 186, Sec. 21, see below.]

Section 245. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

''Firefighting personal protective equipment'', clothing or wearable items designed, intended or marketed to be worn by firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties that is designed for use in fire and rescue activities, including, but not limited to, jackets, pants, footwear, gloves, helmets and respiratory equipment.

''Intentionally-added PFAS'', PFAS chemicals that are added to a product or that enter the product from the manufacturing or processing of the product; provided, however, that the manufacturer of the product knows, or is reasonably expected to know, or possesses or controls information of the addition of PFAS chemicals; and provided further, that ''intentionally-added PFAS'' shall include any degradation products containing PFAS chemicals or products for which PFAS chemicals or PFAS precursors are used as a processing agent or mold release agent or PFAS created by chemical reactions.

''Local government'', a county, city, town, fire district, regional fire protection authority or special purpose district that provides firefighting services.

''Manufacturer'', a person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, organization, joint venture, importer or domestic distributor that manufactures, sells or distributes firefighting agents or firefighting equipment; provided, however, that in the case of a product imported into the United States, ''manufacturer'' shall include the importer or first domestic distributor of the product if the person that manufactured or assembled or whose brand name is affixed to the product does not have a presence in the United States.

''Perfluoraolkyl and polyfluoraolkyl substances'' or ''PFAS chemicals'', a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least 1 fully fluorinated carbon atom.

[Subsection (b) effective until January 1, 2027. For text effective January 1, 2027, see below.]

(b)(1) A manufacturer or other person that sells firefighting personal protective equipment containing PFAS chemicals to any person, local government or state agency shall provide written notice to the purchaser at the time of sale which shall state: (i) that the firefighting personal protective equipment contains PFAS chemicals; (ii) the reason for which the firefighting personal protective equipment contains PFAS chemicals; and (iii) the specific PFAS chemicals within the product listed by chemical name and abbreviated name.

(2) A manufacturer or other person selling firefighting personal protective equipment and the purchaser of said equipment shall retain a copy of the notice on file for not less than 3 years from the date of the purchase. Upon the request of the department, a manufacturer or purchaser shall furnish the notice, or copies of the notice, and associated sales documentation to the department within 60 days of the request.

[Subsection (b) as amended by 2024, 182, Sec. 2 effective January 1, 2027. See 2024, 182, Sec. 4. For text effective until January 1, 2027, see above.]

(b) A manufacturer or other person that sells firefighting personal protective equipment to a person, local government or state agency shall not manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale or distribute for use in the commonwealth any firefighting personal protective equipment containing intentionally-added PFAS.

[ Text of section added by 2024, 186, Sec. 21 effective November 21, 2024. For text of section added by 2024, 178, Sec. 44 and 2024, 182, Sec. 1, see above.]

Section 245. (a) The commissioner shall develop and disseminate to the public, information regarding pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and recurrent miscarriage, which shall include information on: (i) the awareness of pregnancy loss and the incidence and prevalence of pregnancy loss among pregnant people; and (ii) the accessibility of the range of evidence-based treatment options, as medically appropriate, for pregnancy loss, including, but not limited to, comprehensive mental health supports, necessary procedures and medications and culturally responsive supports including pregnancy loss doula care. The commissioner shall ensure that information disseminated pursuant to this section is available in multiple languages, including, but not limited to Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Haitian Creole and other spoken languages in the commonwealth.

(b) The commissioner may disseminate information to the public directly through the department's website or through arrangements with agencies carrying out intra-agency initiatives, nonprofit organizations, consumer groups, community organizations, institutions of higher education or state or local public-private partnerships.

(c) The commissioner shall develop and coordinate programs for conducting and supporting evidence-based research with respect to the causes of pregnancy loss and treatment options.

(d) The commissioner shall, in consultation with and in accordance with guidelines from relevant professional boards of registration, develop and disseminate to perinatal health care workers information on pregnancy loss to ensure that such perinatal health care workers remain informed about current information regarding pregnancy loss and prioritizing both the physical and mental health care of patients experiencing pregnancy loss. For the purposes of this subsection, the term ''perinatal health care worker'' shall include, but shall not be limited to, a physician, certified nurse-midwife, licensed certified professional midwife, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, doula, community health worker, peer supporter, licensed lactation consultant, nutritionist or dietitian, childbirth educator, social worker, trained family support specialist or home visitor, and language interpreter or navigator.

(e) The commissioner shall, in a manner that protects personal privacy and complies with federal law, collect and assess data regarding pregnancy loss, including information disaggregated by race, ethnicity, health insurance status, disability, income level and geography on the prevalence of, the incidence of and knowledge about pregnancy loss.