Bill > H1820

This bill aims to add "height" as a protected characteristic across multiple Massachusetts state laws to provide increased protections from harassment and discrimination. The bill modifies several existing legal statutes to explicitly include height alongside other protected characteristics like race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Specifically, the bill updates definitions of hate crimes to include height-based prejudice, amends anti-discrimination provisions in educational settings (including school district policies and student harassment policies), and extends height as a protected category in employment and criminal laws. The changes mean that individuals cannot be legally discriminated against, harassed, or targeted based on their height in various contexts such as schools, workplaces, and public interactions. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is tasked with developing rules and regulations to implement these new protections. By adding height as a protected characteristic, the bill seeks to provide legal recourse for individuals who may have experienced unfair treatment or discrimination based on their physical stature.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1820