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Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Mass. bills could protect older teens from sexual assault
The teacher, Rutledge was never charged with rape. Simon was 16 at the time and in Massachusetts, where the age of consent is 16, there's no law stating that a teenager over 16 can't consent to sexual intercourse. That would change under a pair of bills sponsored by Representative Leigh Davis, a Democrat of Great Barrington, and state Senator Joan Lovely, a Salem Democrat. Advertisement The bills seek to close the loophole that allowed adults in positions of power to get away with sexually assaulting teenagers who were 16 and older. The bills do not change the age of consent in Massachusetts. But they specify that when adults are in a position of power in relation to a minor, that student can't give consent. Adults in positions of power are defined broadly in the bills, to include anyone employed, or acting as a volunteer, in private or public schools as tutors, coaches or child-care providers. Advertisement 'Right now in Massachusetts, a teacher, a coach or a priest can legally have sex with a 16 or 17 year-old in their care and claim it was consensual,' Davis said during a hearing before the Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary. 'That's not consent. It's exploitation.' In situations where the adult is a coach who is 19, or somewhat close to the age of the minor, the student also would not be able to give consent as per the law, Lovely said. No matter the age gap, the coach is still in a position of power relative to the student, said Lovely, who has filed bills to close the loophole at least since 2021. 'The legislation ensures that adults cannot use their position of authority or trust to take advantage of students,' Lovely said. Davis, who was elected to office last year, said she filed her bill after a conversation with Timothy Shugrue, the Berkshire district attorney. Under the current law, Shugrue's office could not charge Rutledge, despite finding the teacher's actions troubling, he said. At the hearing, Shugrue said over 39 states have enacted strong legal protections for minors experiencing sexual assault. 'This came out of a local case, but it has widespread impacts,' Davis said, 'Massachusetts is behind in this regard compared to a lot of other states.' Citizens and legislators gave emotional testimony in support of the bills during the four-hour hearing. Citizens spoke about a host of other bills dealing with sexual assault victims and human trafficking at Tuesday's meeting as well. To get passed into law, the bills have 60 days from the day they were heard in committee to be reported out, officials said. Advertisement Melissa Fares, who graduated from Miss Hall's School in 2010, five years after Simon, said she was also was abused by Rutledge. Fares testified that rape doesn't always involve a violent attack by a stranger in a dark alley. It can also take the form of a trusted authority figure, like a teacher coercing a student behind closed doors in a classroom closet. 'He never asked me if he could kiss me, grope me or penetrate me, 'Fares said. 'He just did it, and nothing in the law stops him from walking into another school and doing it all over again.' Now 33, Fares said she still has panic attacks, night terrors, waves of depression, and ongoing difficulties with intimacy. Fares urged the committee to take action on the bills. 'For the . . . survivors silenced by imbalance, confusion and fear, who were robbed of the hope, healing and justice they deserve, the next generation needs the protection we never got,' she said. 'Massachusetts must do better." Angela Mathew can be reached at
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Mass. lawmakers take action on illicit drug-making machines? Public comment sought.
Two bills seeking to establish regulation and criminal penalties related to illicit pill press machines will get their first hearing in front of the state Legislature this week. On Tuesday, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hear public testimony on both HD.58 and HD.3071. Pill press machines, which compress powder into tablets, have historically had legitimate and legal uses by the pharmaceutical profession and people who make their own supplements, and still do. But in recent years, the machines have fallen into the hands of illicit drug traffickers, morphing into a clandestine tool used to produce dangerous and sometimes deadly counterfeit pills containing fentanyl or methamphetamine — at frightening volumes. Read MassLive's series on pill press machines Since 2019, the machines have helped fuel an explosion in the counterfeit pill market as drug dealers shifted their business strategy and stopped relying on finished pills imported from Mexico. Often, the pills are nearly indistinguishable from pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone or Adderall. Other times, they look like candy. Read more: Fake Adderall joins vapes as growing danger for high schoolers. These teens are fighting back Pill presses themselves are legal to possess — it's what people do with them that can make them illegal. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security have struggled to police them for that reason, particularly when they're easily purchased from China through encrypted apps using cryptocurrency. HD.58, filed by Rep. Marcus Vaughn, R-9th Norfolk, would make it illegal for someone to 'possess, purchase, deliver, sell or possess with intent to sell or deliver' a pill press machine 'knowing, intending or having reasonable cause to believe' that it will be used to manufacture a controlled substance or counterfeit controlled substance. The bill would make the crime a felony with a potential prison sentence of up to five years or a fine of at least $25,000. Read more: Mass. lawmakers target pill press machines fueling opioid crisis HD.3071, filed by Rep. Richard Wells Jr., D-7th Norfolk, would also create a felony charge, but goes a step further. It would direct the state Board of Registration in Pharmacy to adopt rules and regulations 'for standards of compliance for the use of and licensing of pill press machines for the legal use ...' The board could also require registration of pill presses or similar equipment. Hearings on the pill press proposals and other bills start at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the State House. The hearing will also be livestreamed on the Legislature's website. The Joint Committee on the Judiciary must report on the bills by July 5. Last fall, MassLive published a multi-part investigative series looking into pill presses in Massachusetts. Pill press operations are often set up in residential neighborhoods and can churn out hundreds to thousands of pills per hour. MassLive found, as of December 2024, that pill presses had been discovered in more than 25 cities and towns across the state within the last five years. There are likely many more. The series was recently recognized as a finalist for the 2025 Livingston Awards. MassLive journalist is a finalist for prestigious 2025 Livingston Award Dominican national arrested after fentanyl, cocaine, guns found in hidden closet Mass. lawmakers target pill press machines fueling opioid crisis Read the original article on MassLive. Read the original article on MassLive.
