Bill > H378

This bill establishes a new legal framework for protecting social care information through what it calls a Closed-Loop Referral System (CLRS), defining social care broadly as support services related to an individual's basic needs like food, housing, transportation, employment, and safety. The bill prohibits participating organizations (which include healthcare providers, health plans, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations) from selling or licensing social care information, and restricts the use of such information to only the purpose for which it was originally collected. Any organization that violates these privacy protections can be subject to a $1,000 civil penalty for each violation, with penalties to be collected and enforced by the attorney general. The bill provides detailed definitions for key terms like "social care information" and "participating organization" to ensure clarity, and gives the attorney general authority to create implementing regulations. The new legal provisions will take effect 90 days after the bill's enactment, creating a new Chapter 93M in Massachusetts General Laws focused on protecting individuals' sensitive social care data from unauthorized use or commercial exploitation.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H378