# Massachusetts S 2563: An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities Massachusetts S 2563, An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-06-12 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2563-194 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Massachusetts S 2563 - State: Massachusetts - Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026) - Title: An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-07-24 - Last action: 2026-06-12, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2026 - Sponsors: no sponsor on record - Cosponsors: 17 - Subjects: House Steering, Policy and Scheduling, House Ways and Means, Bills in the Third Reading - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 3 (329 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Clear standards for developmental and intellectual disability: benefit, high. The law sets modern, detailed definitions for developmental and intellectual disability. For ages 5 and up, a developmental disability must start before age 22, be long‑term, limit at least three major life areas, and require ongoing, individualized supports. Children under 5 with serious delays or… - Stronger adult disability protections and caregiving rules: benefit, medium. The law defines who counts as a person with a disability ages 18 to 59 for adult protective services. It also clarifies who is a “caretaker,” including parents, guardians, agencies, and others in any day or residential setting. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs must act as an advocate for adult… - Justice system definition for disabilities: benefit, low. The law adds a clear definition of “person with a disability” in criminal procedure. It covers people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and those with other mental or physical disabilities who depend on others for daily needs. Courts and police use this definition to guide protections… - New housing rules for low-income disabled renters: mixed, medium. The law defines who counts as a “person with a disability of low income” for state housing. Your annual net income must be below the level the Housing Secretary sets as needed to keep decent, safe, and clean housing. You must also have a long‑term impairment that makes it hard to live on your own i… - Modern disability definitions in benefits and work: mixed, low. The law updates several definitions that some programs and laws use. Chapter 6 now defines a person with a disability as someone with an intellectual, developmental, or physical disability who, because of it, depends on others for daily living. Chapter 188 uses federal SSI disability rules and requ… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Cosponsor: Bradley H. Jones Jr. (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Bruce E. Tarr (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: James B. Eldridge (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: James K. Hawkins (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Jason M. Lewis (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Joanne M. Comerford (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: John F. Keenan (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Manny Cruz (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Mark C. Montigny (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Michael D. Brady (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Michael O. Moore (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Mike Connolly (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Patricia D. Jehlen (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Patrick M. O'Connor (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Paul R. Feeney (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Rebecca L. Rausch (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Sal N. DiDomenico (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-04 | House | House concurred in the Senate further amendment with a still further amendment, see H5474 | pass | 150 | 0 | | | 2025-11-05 | House | Passed to be engrossed | pass | 154 | 0 | | | 2025-11-04 | committee | Committee Favorable with Amendment: S.2563 “An Act amending certain laws relative to individuals with disabilities” as amended | pass | 25 | 0 | 1 | ## Actions (27) - 2026-06-12: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2026 - 2026-06-04: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate) - 2026-06-04: Enacted (House) - 2026-06-04: Emergency preamble adopted (Senate) - 2026-06-04: Emergency preamble adopted (House) - 2026-06-04: Senate concurred in the still further House amendment (Senate) - 2026-06-04: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2026-06-04: House concurred in the Senate further amendment with a still further amendment, see H5474 - 150 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 204) (House) - 2026-06-04: Rules suspended (House) - 2026-02-09: Referred to the committee on Bills in the Third Reading (House) - 2026-02-05: Senate concurred in the House amendment with a further amendment, see S2954 (Senate) - 2026-02-05: Rules suspended (Senate) - 2025-11-05: Passed to be engrossed - 154 YEAS to 0 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 105) (House) - 2025-11-05: Read third (House) - 2025-11-05: Rules suspended (House) - 2025-11-05: Ordered to a third reading (House) - 2025-11-05: Amendment adopted (as recommended by the committee on House Ways and Means) (House) - 2025-11-05: Rules suspended (House) - 2025-11-05: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting with the amendment pending (House) - 2025-11-05: Committee recommended ought to pass with an amendment, striking out all after the enacting clause and inserting the text of H4704, and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2025-10-27: Referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (House) - 2025-10-27: Read second (House) - 2025-09-15: Placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (under the last sentence of Rule 7A) for a second reading (House) - 2025-09-15: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting (House) - 2025-07-28: Read; and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (House) - 2025-07-24: Passed to be engrossed -- see Roll Call #61 (Yeas 40 to Nays 0) (Senate) - 2025-07-24: S137, reprinted as amended (Senate) ## Bill text - Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-06-12: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2563.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 - [Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2563.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) - [Massachusetts bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts/bills) - [Massachusetts state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/massachusetts) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-S2563-194 (as of 2026-11-01).