An Act Regarding Families and Children in Need of Assistance
H.265/ S.141 | FACT SHEET

Tuesday, July 8th Hearing

Families are often directed to file a Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) petition against their own child with the misunderstanding that courts would expedite connecting their children to services. Not only do courts have no power to fast-track children to services, court-involvement actually delays families’ ability to access these services.
20% of youth with a CRA petition received no services or supports. For CRA cases where services were provided, 71% were provided services that were NOT what the family and child needed or up to the level of service that was needed
School districts also have used the CRA process to avoid their obligations under federal and state disability laws: between 41-60% of CRA referrals were for services that schools are legally obligated to provide through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan processes.
This bill puts Massachusetts alongside New York and Connecticut as leaders in best practices to significantly reduce the number of these types of petitions by first requiring that community-based resources through Family Resource Centers be exhausted before a case can be referred to court. It also follows Connecticut’s lead by removing schools’ authority to file CRA petitions for services that are within the school’s legal authority.

Date: Tuesday, July 8th @ 1pm
Link to sign up to testify here.
- Deadline to register: Thursday, July 3rd @ 12pm.
- Oral testimony is limited to three minutes per person or six minutes total for a panel.
In-person: State House, Room B-2
- Closest entrance: Bowdoin Street. The hearing room is across from the security desk.
- From Beacon Street entrance: go to the 2nd floor, walk across the main hall of the State House and walk down the Grand Staircase (or take the elevator down to the basement).
- The entrance will have staffers with paper sign ups for anyone interested in testifying in-person last minute.
Virtual: link will be emailed on a calendar invite after registration
Submit written testimony by:
- email to o Audrey.Herrmann@mahouse.gov and carole.meehanoyama@masenate.gov
- Use subject line: “Testimony in Support of H.265/ S.141”.
- Deadline to submit written testimony: Tuesday, July 15th
- Please cc your own state representative and state senator (find them here).

Timing The first hour (maybe two hours) will most likely be taken up by elected officials who get called first. The order of bills will not be known ahead of time unfortunately.
Restrooms: : All gender public restrooms located in the basement between rooms 26 and 27. Men’s is in room 14 and women’s is in room 44. Additional women and men’s public restrooms are located on either side of Room 136, one floor up.
Food: Pack a snack or visit the 4th floor cafeteria for vending machine snacks or refrigerated meals.