An Act relative to the appointment of the police chief in the city of Fall River
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1/29/2026 | Executive | Signed by the Governor, Chapter 10 of the Acts of 2026 |
| 1/20/2026 | Senate | Enacted and laid before the Governor |
| 1/20/2026 | House | Enacted |
| 1/15/2026 | Senate | Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed |
| 1/15/2026 | Senate | Taken out of the Orders of the Day |
| 12/22/2025 | Senate | Read, rules suspended, read second and ordered to a third reading |
| 12/18/2025 | House | Read third and passed to be engrossed |
| 11/24/2025 | House | Read second and ordered to a third reading |
| 11/24/2025 | House | Rules suspended |
| 11/24/2025 | House | Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next sitting |
| 11/19/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Steering, Policy and Scheduling |
| 9/17/2025 | Joint | Hearing rescheduled to 09/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-02:00 PM in B-2 and Virtual — Hearing updated to New End Time |
| 9/5/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 09/17/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in B-2 |
| 6/12/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 6/9/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on Public Service |
No additional cosponsors.
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J23 | Favorable | 1 entries |
| H52 | Place in OD | — |
| H36 | Correctly Drawn | — |
| S31 | Correctly Drawn | — |
Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the position of Police Chief in the City of Fall River shall, upon the effective date of this Act, be subject to the provisions of Chapter 31 of the Massachusetts General Laws and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder governing civil service.
The Mayor of the City of Fall River shall remain the appointing authority for the Police Chief and the terms and conditions of the Police Chief's employment contract shall be subject to Section 1080 of General Laws Chapter 41, for a period not to exceed three (3) years.
The Police Chief shall be the head of the Fall River Police Department, shall be responsible for the management and operation of said police department, and shall be the "Appointing Authority" for all employees of the police department in accordance with Section of General Laws Chapter 31, with all the rights, duties and privileges appurtenant thereto and as contained in subsequent sections of Chapter 31 and any other general or special law applicable to chiefs of departments.
This Act shall apply to any vacancy in the position of Police Chief occurring on or after the effective date of this Act. Nothing in this Act shall affect the civil service status, seniority, or rights of any person employed in the Fall River Police Department as of the effective date of this Act.
This Act shall take effect upon its passage.
SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the position of Police Chief in the City of Fall River shall, upon the effective date of this Act, be subject to the provisions of Chapter 31 of the Massachusetts General Laws and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder governing civil service. SECTION 2. The Mayor of the City of Fall River shall remain the appointing authority for the Police Chief and the terms and conditions of the Police Chief's employment contract shall be subject to Section 1080 of General Laws Chapter 41, for a period not to exceed three (3) years. SECTION 3. The Police Chief shall be the head of the Fall River Police Department, shall be responsible for the management and operation of said police department, and shall be the "Appointing Authority" for all employees of the police department in accordance with Section of General Laws Chapter 31, with all the rights, duties and privileges appurtenant thereto and as contained in subsequent sections of Chapter 31 and any other general or special law applicable to chiefs of departments. SECTION 4. This Act shall apply to any vacancy in the position of Police Chief occurring on or after the effective date of this Act. Nothing in this Act shall affect the civil service status, seniority, or rights of any person employed in the Fall River Police Department as of the effective date of this Act. SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its passage.