BOSTON — The Massachusetts House of Representatives advanced House Bill 4767 on a unanimous roll-call vote on Nov. 20, moving the measure to be engrossed after floor debate and the adoption of a clarifying amendment.

The bill, sponsored on the floor by Mr. Lawn of Watertown, would require health care employers to conduct annual, facility-specific risk assessments developed jointly with employees and labor representatives, adopt written violence-prevention plans, provide employee training, and create in-house crisis-response procedures. It mandates annual incident reporting to the Department of Public Health and district attorneys and strengthens criminal penalties for assaults on health care workers. The measure also includes paid leave for employees seriously injured by an assault while performing their duties and protections allowing employees to use workplace or union addresses for legal documentation.

Mr. Lawn of Watertown, the bill’s sponsor, told colleagues the measure reflected years of work with stakeholders and survivors and framed it as a workforce and patient-safety priority. "Every day, health care workers show up to provide care and treat every person with dignity and respect. And every day, they face an unacceptable and imminent risk of workplace violence," he said on the floor, adding that the legislation provides "the first statewide uniform framework to protect health care workers and support safe care environments." He urged members to support the bill, saying, "We see you. We value you, and we are committed to your safety." (Mr. Lawn is recorded speaking at length beginning SEG 581.)

Representative Fields of Taunton, who spoke as a supporter during debate, cited workforce statistics and personal experience advocating for nurses and called the bill "meaningful action" to support frontline workers. "This is a bill about prevention and mitigation," Fields said, describing the bill’s annual risk assessments and crisis-response requirements. (Fields’ remarks appear beginning SEG 811.)

Miss Kane of Shrewsbury also urged passage, describing accounts from early-career nurses who had been struck or threatened on the job and saying prevention programs are also patient-safety measures.

Miss Viola of Fall River offered Amendment No. 1 to tighten the bill’s language about covered employees; the amendment was adopted by voice vote on the floor. After amendment adoption, the House ordered a roll call (Roll Call No. 114). The clerk displayed the final tally as 158 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative; the bill was "passed to be engrossed" in the House. (Amendment and vote recorded SEG 778–SEG 929.)

Supporters said the bill will improve reporting and data collection — currently uneven — by requiring annual incident reporting to DPH and district attorneys so the Commonwealth can better understand the scope of violence in health care settings. The text also updates criminal penalties for assaults on health care workers and includes a paid-leave benefit for employees seriously injured on the job.

The bill’s sponsors named a range of supporters on the floor, including the Massachusetts Nurses Association, SEIU 1199, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, the District Attorneys Association and other labor and health-care stakeholders.

The House’s action advanced the bill through the chamber’s process; the clerk recorded the House action as passage to engrossment following the vote. The transcript does not specify the bill’s next procedural step beyond being passed to be engrossed.