SENATE, No. 1055

By Mr. Tolman, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1055) of Steven A. Tolman for legislation relative to certain payments for victims. The Judiciary

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

In the Year Two Thousand and Five.

AN ACT RELATIVE TO CERTAIN PAYMENTS FOR VICTIMS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1.

Paragraph (2) of Subsection (A) of section 2 of chapter 62 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition is hereby amended by adding the following subparagraph:-

“(Q) Distributions or payments, including interest, if any, made to an individual because of his status as a victim of sexual abuse by a tax-exempt institution or its officer, employee or agent or as an heir of such a victim.”

SECTION 2.  An agency of the commonwealth that disqualifies an individual from receiving benefits under any program because of receipt of a distribution or payment subject to section 1 shall reinstate those benefits as soon as the individual again qualifies for those benefits under the program’s ordinary standards, without requiring any waiting period for such requalification.

SECTION 3.

Section 1 shall apply to tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2004.