The Massachusetts Legislature is entering the final days of its formal session, which ends on July 31. Any bill that is not advanced by then will have to be refiled in January 2027 and begin the legislative process all over again.

That includes H.5229/S.1389, An Act Modernizing the Six Fundamental Rights.

The bill was developed by the Respite & Rights Coalition, a collaboration of organizations and advocates including the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC), Roots Up, MassACT, Wildflower Alliance, and independent advocates. It is sponsored by Senator Julian Cyr and Representative Natalie Higgins.

Unless the bill is released from both the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees before the end of formal session, it will not move forward this year.

Five of the Six Fundamental Rights have remained largely unchanged since 1997, with the sixth added in 2015.

Yet these rights continue to be violated routinely across the Commonwealth, often without meaningful accountability or recourse.

The consequences extend far beyond individual incidents. Research increasingly shows that environments characterized by powerlessness, unnecessary restrictions, and repeated rights violations can contribute to hopelessness, conflict, damaged therapeutic relationships, institutional dependence, and increased suicide risk.

Nearly thirty years is long enough.

Please help us make some noise by asking members of both the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees to move this bill forward before July 31.

For more about why these rights matter, including personal stories from people directly affected, watch the video by clicking here.