Bill > H2732

This bill establishes a comprehensive framework to address the disproportionate violence and missing persons cases affecting Black women and girls in Massachusetts. The legislation creates an executive office of missing and murdered Black women and girls within the public safety and security department, which will be led by a director with strong community connections and expertise in criminal investigations. The office will have extensive responsibilities, including collecting and analyzing data on missing persons and homicide cases involving Black women and girls, tracking Ebony Alerts (a new notification system specifically for missing Black youth), and developing recommendations to address systemic issues like trafficking and domestic violence. The bill also establishes a community-centered advisory commission to examine underlying causes of violence against Black women and girls, provide guidance to the office, and report annually on their findings. Additionally, the legislation introduces an Ebony Alert system, which allows law enforcement to issue specialized alerts for missing Black youth between 12-25 years old who are in potentially dangerous situations. The office will have the authority to access confidential data, issue grants to community organizations, and submit annual reports to state leadership, with the ultimate goal of preventing and ending targeting of Black women and girls in the Commonwealth.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2732