# Massachusetts H 4646: An Act enhancing child welfare protections

Massachusetts H 4646, An Act enhancing child welfare protections, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status passed senate, last action 2026-07-30 (Reported by H5629) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4646-194
- 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 4646
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act enhancing child welfare protections
- Status: passed senate
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-10-22
- Last action: 2026-07-30, Reported by H5629
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 5
- Subjects: Senate Ways and Means
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (174 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Cosponsor: Christopher J. Worrell (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jay D. Livingstone (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Russell E. Holmes (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Garballey (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas W. Moakley (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-06-04 | committee | Committee Favorable with Amendment: Ought to pass with an amendment - New Text | pass | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025-10-22 | House | Passed to be engrossed | pass | 159 | 1 |   |

## Actions (20)

- 2026-07-30: Reported by H5629 (House)
- 2026-07-02: Committee of conference appointed (Comerford-Kennedy-O'Connor), in concurrence (Senate)
- 2026-07-02: Senate insisted on its amendment (Senate)
- 2026-07-02: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-07-01: Committee of conference appointed - (Livingstone-Garcia-Sullivan-Almeida) (House)
- 2026-07-01: House NON-concurred in the Senate amendment (House)
- 2026-07-01: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-06-11: Passed to be engrossed -- see Roll Call #192 (Yeas 39 to Nays 0) (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Read third (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Ordered to a third reading (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Reprinted, as amended, see S3121 (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Amended by striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the text of S3111 (Senate)
- 2026-06-11: Read second (Senate)
- 2026-06-04: Placed in the Orders of the Day for Thursday, June 11, 2026 (Senate)
- 2026-06-04: Order relative to subject matter adopted (Senate)
- 2026-06-04: Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting in place thereof the text of S3111 (Senate)
- 2026-06-04: Also based on S2659 (Senate)
- 2025-10-27: Read; and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means (Senate)
- 2025-10-22: Passed to be engrossed - 159 YEAS to 1 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 96) (House)
- 2025-10-22: H4644, published as amended (House)

## Bill text

- Passed to be engrossed, 2026-06-11: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4646.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 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the town of Sudbury (signed)
- 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)

## Sources
- [Passed to be engrossed (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4646.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 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the t…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4755-194)
- [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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4646-194 (as of 2026-11-01).