Reading Delegation and Mass. Legislature Protect Public Transit Workers from Assault

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis, House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., and State Representative Richard Haggerty joined their colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to strengthen protections for public transit workers by expanding laws on assault and battery while they are on duty.

An Act relative to assault and battery upon a transit worker responds to an increased number of assaults targeting workers on Massachusetts’ public transportation systems, including the MBTA, commuter rail lines, and regional transit authorities, by ensuring a heightened minimum punishment for assailants.

On the MBTA alone, workers in 2024 were targeted by 33 assaults with weapons and 72 physical assaults. The bill ensures that all transit workers are covered, including those who are not directly employed by the state, such as the Keolis employees who operate the commuter rail.

“MBTA employees and other public transit staff are essential workers who keep us moving and safe when we are riding the subway, trains, and buses,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “Transit workers, like all other workers, should never fear being assaulted while doing their jobs, and this legislation will ensure that violent or abusive individuals are held accountable for their actions.”

“No one should ever be subjected to physical abuse and violence when doing their jobs,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. “The unfortunate reality is that the MBTA reported over 600 assaults on its employees in 2024 alone, 33 of which included a weapon and 38 of which involved the use of a bodily fluid in the attack. That is unacceptable. As a co-sponsor of an earlier version of this bill, I am pleased to see the House and Senate implement these enhanced penalties to help protect our hard-working public transit workers.”

“Our transit workers show up every day to serve the residents of communities across the Commonwealth, and they deserve to feel safe while doing their jobs,” said Representative Richard Haggerty. “I'm proud to stand with my colleagues in the House and Senate to ensure these hardworking essential workers receive the protections they need and deserve.”

This law adds public transit workers to the list of public employees—including police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel—who are protected from assault and battery with heightened penalties for any individual who commits such a crime.

Public transit workers also face assault with bodily fluids, such as saliva. MBTA workers were targeted by 38 bodily fluid assaults in 2024 alone. This legislation explicitly clarifies that assaults with bodily substances will be punished as assault. Offenders would face a sentence ranging from a minimum of 90 days to two and a half years in a house of correction, a fine between $500 and $5,000, or both.

After passing in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, this legislation was signed into law on December 3, 2025 by Governor Maura Healey.