House bill also creates crime of assault & battery with a bodily substance
BOSTON – House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) are backing legislation that would expand an existing state law providing penalties for assaulting a public employee to include protections for state transit workers.
House Bill 4645, An Act relative to assault and battery upon a transit worker, was engrossed by the House of Representatives on October 22 by a unanimous vote of 160-0.
Under the existing statute, committing assault and battery on a public employee while they are engaged in the performance of their duties carries a penalty of imprisonment in a house of correction for a minimum of 90 days and up to 2½ years, or a fine of between $500 and $5,000. House Bill 4645 would maintain the same penalties but would expand the current law by adding the crime of assault and battery by means of a bodily substance, which it defines as “any human secretion, discharge or emission including, but not limited to, blood, saliva, mucous, semen, urine or feces.”
Jones and Haggerty noted the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reported over 600 assaults on its employees in 2024 alone, 33 of which included a weapon and 38 of which involved the use of a bodily fluid in the attack. On a national level, assaults on public transit employees increased by 232% nationwide between 2014 and 2024, according to the Federal Transit Administration.
“There has been an alarming number of attacks, both in Massachusetts and across the country, on transit workers who are simply doing their job and helping transport people to and from work, doctor’s appointments and other destinations,” said Jones. “This bill recognizes the growing workplace dangers transit employees face and imposes penalties to help protect them.”
“Our transit workers show up every day to serve the residents of communities across the Commonwealth, and they deserve to feel safe while doing their jobs,” said Representative Haggerty. “I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in the House to ensure these hardworking essential workers receive the protections they need and deserve.”
House Bill 4645 is now before the Senate Ways and Means Committee for review.
