Peer Respite Bill Info Center

In January, 2025, H.2231/S.1383, An Act Establishing Peer Respites Throughout the Commonwealth, officially became a part of the new (2025-2026) legislative cycle in Massachusetts. As with last cycle, the bill is sponsored by Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa. This bill would require at least one peer respite per each of 14 Massachusetts counties including two respites centering LGBTQ+ communities and two respites centering Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC).

Last legislative season, the bill (then H.3602/S.1238) passed successfully through the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, but had been so delayed in its vote that there was no time left for it to move forward any further.

The delays were largely due to a group that objected to the bill right before its first scheduled vote and then proposed edits right before the rescheduled vote, causing significant postponements on both occasions. You can read a summary of some of their initial objections and our response to the objections HERE.

Our next steps will include being proactive in talking with legislators and seeking supporters who are interested in testifying at the public hearing when it gets scheduled. There is typically no more than a week’s notice for public hearings and so our hope is to begin identifying people who are interested in testifying now and offer training for anyone who has never testified before and would like that support. If you are interested in testifying in favor of more peer respites in Massachusetts and would like to work with us on preparing for the public hearing, PLEASE CLICK HERE!

CURRENT STATUS: As noted above, the bill was assigned to the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. The Committee is chaired by Senators John Velis and Robyn K Kennedy, and Representatives Mindy Domb and Michelle M DuBois. Other members can be viewed here. We anticipate a public hearing will be announced over the course of the next few months. It is expected that the bill would be acted upon* in accordance with Joint Rule 10 by February 4, 2026.

*What it means for a Bill to be ‘acted upon’ in this context:

Joint Rule 10 says that committees must decide to vote on each Bill before them by the first Wednesday of February in the second year of the legislative session. In 2026, that is February 4. The options are to vote favorably (should pass) or unfavorably (shouldn’t pass), “referred to study,” or to request an extension.

If a Bill is voted upon favorably, that typically means it moves forward to another committee. Bills often end up at the Ways and Means committee before being passed, for example. It is anticipated that this particularly Bill will move to the Committee on Health Care Financing if it is voted upon favorably. If a Bill is voted upon unfavorably, it dies there. Typically, “referred to study” is seen as another way to kill a Bill, as well.

It’s also worth noting that there is one exception to this which is the Committee on Health Care Financing. According to the applicable rule, “The Committee on Health Care Financing shall make final report not later than the last Wednesday of March of the second annual session on all matters referred to them on or before the fourth Wednesday of February and within 30 days on all matters referred to it after the fourth Wednesday in February of the second annual session of the General Court.” As such, if the peer respite bill moves to Health Care Financing it should have 30 days from that referral to vote itself.

Want to join in on the advocacy? Watch and share these videos in support of peer respite. (Note: The videos refer to the 23/24 peer respite legislation, but will be updated in coming months with new videos added.)

Watch this 5 minute video of a father’s loss of his daughter due to psychiatric force and lack of alternatives