An Act relative to the integrity of state data systems
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 4/30/2026 | Senate | Accompanied H5316↗ |
| 2/26/2026 | Senate | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means |
| 2/12/2026 | Senate | Reporting date extended to Monday March 2, 2026 |
| 11/26/2025 | Joint | Hearing rescheduled to 11/25/2025 from 10:00 AM-05:00 PM in A-2 and Virtual — Hearing updated to New End Time |
| 11/25/2025 | Joint | Hearing rescheduled to 11/25/2025 from 10:00 AM-04:00 PM in A-2 and Virtual — Hearing updated to New End Time |
| 11/14/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 11/25/2025 from 10:00 AM-05:00 PM in A-2 |
| 2/27/2025 | House | House concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Referred to the committee on The Judiciary |
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J19 | Favorable | 1 entries |
| S30 | Accompanied | — |
Section 167 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after definition of “Criminal justice agencies” the following definition:- “Criminal justice duties”, those duties described in the definition of criminal justice agency which the specific agency is authorized by law to perform, and which an individual is authorized by the agency to perform in their official capacity. Criminal justice duties shall also include use of the criminal justice information system for criminal justice employment and background checks as well as licensing where the criminal justice agency is the licensing authority. Criminal justice duties shall not include duties for the purpose of effectuating civil arrests or initiating, investigating, prosecuting, or otherwise pursuing civil or administrative proceedings.
Section 167A of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after clause (i) the following clause:- (j) The department shall not disclose to any federal agency or permit any federal agency to access any files, data, or other information from the Massachusetts registry of motor vehicles for purposes of civil immigration enforcement, provided that information concerning a particular identified individual may be disclosed upon receipt of a valid probable cause warrant signed by a judge. The attorney general is authorized to bring an action in state or federal court to quash, modify, or otherwise contest any demand for information not in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph.
Said section 172 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting, in line 161, after the word “databases” the following words:- ; provided that criminal offender record information shall not be accessed or disclosed for any non-criminal justice purpose, including civil enforcement duties; and further provided that the director of any such federal agency has certified in writing subject to penalty of perjury that such database is used solely for the performance of criminal justice duties and the department has taken reasonable steps to confirm the accuracy of such certification to its satisfaction.
SECTION 1. Section 167 of chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after definition of “Criminal justice agencies” the following definition:- “Criminal justice duties”, those duties described in the definition of criminal justice agency which the specific agency is authorized by law to perform, and which an individual is authorized by the agency to perform in their official capacity. Criminal justice duties shall also include use of the criminal justice information system for criminal justice employment and background checks as well as licensing where the criminal justice agency is the licensing authority. Criminal justice duties shall not include duties for the purpose of effectuating civil arrests or initiating, investigating, prosecuting, or otherwise pursuing civil or administrative proceedings. SECTION 2. Section 167A of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after clause (i) the following clause:- (j) The department shall not disclose to any federal agency or permit any federal agency to access any files, data, or other information from the Massachusetts registry of motor vehicles for purposes of civil immigration enforcement, provided that information concerning a particular identified individual may be disclosed upon receipt of a valid probable cause warrant signed by a judge. The attorney general is authorized to bring an action in state or federal court to quash, modify, or otherwise contest any demand for information not in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph. SECTION 3. Said section 172 of said chapter 6, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting, in line 161, after the word “databases” the following words:- ; provided that criminal offender record information shall not be accessed or disclosed for any non-criminal justice purpose, including civil enforcement duties; and further provided that the director of any such federal agency has certified in writing subject to penalty of perjury that such database is used solely for the performance of criminal justice duties and the department has taken reasonable steps to confirm the accuracy of such certification to its satisfaction.