An Act relative to the concealment of the death of children and the penalties for the sale or purchase of minor children
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 3/26/2026 | House | Accompanied a study order, see H5281↗ (under House Rule 27) |
| — | House | Reported by committee to Clerk’s Office for processing, will accompany a study order |
| 10/20/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2 |
| 6/5/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 06/10/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2 |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on The Judiciary |
No additional cosponsors.
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J19 | Accompanied | — |
Chapter 272 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out Section 22 and inserting in place thereof the following:— Section 22. Whoever conceals the death of a child, so that it cannot be ascertained whether it was born alive or, if born alive, whether it was murdered, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years.
Chapter 272 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after Section 22 the following section:— Section 22A. Unless otherwise provided by law, whoever trades, sells or arranges for the sale of a minor child to another person for money or property, real or personal, or anything else of value, or whoever receives such minor child for such payment or thing of value shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for not more than five years or in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years.
SECTION 1. Chapter 272 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out Section 22 and inserting in place thereof the following:— Section 22. Whoever conceals the death of a child, so that it cannot be ascertained whether it was born alive or, if born alive, whether it was murdered, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than 5 years or in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years. SECTION 2. Chapter 272 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after Section 22 the following section:— Section 22A. Unless otherwise provided by law, whoever trades, sells or arranges for the sale of a minor child to another person for money or property, real or personal, or anything else of value, or whoever receives such minor child for such payment or thing of value shall be punished by imprisonment in state prison for not more than five years or in a house of correction for not more than two and one-half years.