Governor Healey signs bill protecting public transportation workers from assault
Image credit: MassDOT
Governor Maura Healey signed a bill that strengthens protections for public transportation workers. An act relative to assault and battery upon a transit worker (H4645) expands current laws on assault and battery against public employees to include public transit workers, ensuring they receive similar legal protections as other public employees.
Effective March 3, 2026, this bill creates a heightened penalty for perpetrators of assault and battery against public employees. It also adds public transit workers or any transit worker contracted or employed to operate public transit services to the list of public employees subject to this section. The bill also broadens the definition of assault to include the projection of bodily fluids.
Source: MassDOT
