An Act to clarify the charitable purposes of certain organizations
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 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2 |
| 7/29/2025 | Joint | Hearing rescheduled to 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2 and Virtual — Hearing updated to New End Time |
| 7/29/2025 | Joint | |
| 7/16/2025 | Joint | |
| 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 | — |
of Chapter 231 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence of the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following sentence: It shall not constitute a defense to any cause of action based on tort brought against a corporation, trustees of a trust, or members of an association that said corporation, trust or association is or at the time the cause of action arose was a charity; provided, that if the tort was committed in the course of any activity carried on to accomplish directly the charitable purposes of such corporation, trust or association, and such corporation, trust or association derives more than fifty percent of its income from charitable gifts or donations, then liability in any such cause of action shall not exceed the sum of twenty thousand dollars, exclusive of interest and costs.
Section 85K of Chapter 231 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out the first sentence of the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following sentence: It shall not constitute a defense to any cause of action based on tort brought against a corporation, trustees of a trust, or members of an association that said corporation, trust or association is or at the time the cause of action arose was a charity; provided, that if the tort was committed in the course of any activity carried on to accomplish directly the charitable purposes of such corporation, trust or association, and such corporation, trust or association derives more than fifty percent of its income from charitable gifts or donations, then liability in any such cause of action shall not exceed the sum of twenty thousand dollars, exclusive of interest and costs.