# Massachusetts H 4538: An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth

Massachusetts H 4538, An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Joint Committee on the Judiciary; status in committee, last action 2025-09-25 (Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4538-194
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Massachusetts H 4538
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth
- Status: in committee
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-09-25
- Last action: 2025-09-25, Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- Sponsor: Joint Committee on the Judiciary
- Cosponsors: 29
- Subjects: Judiciary, House Ways and Means
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 1 (10 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joint Committee on the Judiciary
- Cosponsor: Brian M. Ashe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Bud L. Williams (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Carole A. Fiola (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: David Allen Robertson (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: David Paul Linsky (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Estela A. Reyes (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Greg Schwartz (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Homar Gómez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: James B. Eldridge (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: James C. Arena-DeRosa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: John Barrett III (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John Francis Moran (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John J. Lawn Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John J. Marsi (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: John R. Gaskey (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kelly W. Pease (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kenneth I. Gordon (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Leigh Davis (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mark D. Sylvia (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michelle L. Badger (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Natalie M. Blais (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Patrick Joseph Kearney (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Patrick M. O'Connor (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Richard G. Wells Jr. (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Samantha Montaño (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Steven J. Ouellette (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Susannah M. Whipps (Independent), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-09-15 | committee | Committee Redraft: H1734 - An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (3)

- 2025-09-25: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House)
- 2025-09-25: New draft of H573, H1634, H1733, H1734 and H1832 (House)
- 2025-09-25: Reported from the committee on The Judiciary (House)

## Bill text

- As Filed: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4538.pdf)

## Related bills

- H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed)
- H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate)
- H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house)
- H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust to acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions (signed)
- H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading)
- H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed)

## Sources
- [As Filed (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4538.pdf)

## Related
- [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194)
- [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194)
- [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194)
- [H 3909: An Act authorizing the Provincetown year-round market rate rental housing trust…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H3909-194)
- [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194)
- [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4538-194 (as of 2026-11-01).