An Act reducing emergency department boarding
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 3/25/2026 | House | Accompanied a new draft, see H5275↗ |
| 12/24/2025 | House | Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026 |
| 9/26/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 10/06/2025 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 Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery |
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J18 | Accompanied | — |
| Bill | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| H5275 | An Act reducing emergency department boarding | Active |
Section 12 of Chapter 123 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after the first paragraph in subsection (a) the following paragraphs:- No person shall be involuntarily held for more than 72 hours at a facility that has not been authorized by the department to perform evaluations under section 12(b). Any person held longer than 72 hours must be released. Any psychiatric hold lasting for more than 48 hours at a facility that has not been authorized by the department to perform evaluations under section 12(b) must be referred to the Committee for Public Counsel Services for appointment of counsel.
Section 1. Section 12 of Chapter 123 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after the first paragraph in subsection (a) the following paragraphs:- No person shall be involuntarily held for more than 72 hours at a facility that has not been authorized by the department to perform evaluations under section 12(b). Any person held longer than 72 hours must be released. Any psychiatric hold lasting for more than 48 hours at a facility that has not been authorized by the department to perform evaluations under section 12(b) must be referred to the Committee for Public Counsel Services for appointment of counsel.