Bill > S938

This bill requires higher education institutions in Massachusetts to establish and publicly disclose conflict of interest policies for faculty and staff. Specifically, the legislation mandates that institutions develop written policies to eliminate or minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise when academic personnel develop financial relationships with entities outside their primary employer or government agencies. Faculty and staff must publicly disclose any financial relationships, which are broadly defined to include salaries, consulting fees, honorariums, equity interests, stock options, intellectual property rights, and royalties. The board of higher education must collaborate with the state ethics commission to create guidelines to help institutions develop and implement these conflict of interest policies, taking into account existing practices and seeking to establish best practices for minimizing potential conflicts. The board is required to issue these guidelines within 270 days of the bill's passage, and the conflict of interest policies and disclosure information must be made available online for public review, promoting transparency in academic financial relationships.

Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S938