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H 4997·MA·house

An Act relative to accomplice and joint venture criminal liability

Reported by CommitteeFiled Jan 29, 2026
Sponsor: Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Latest Action

House: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means

Jan 29, 2026

Summary

The bill changes Massachusetts’ accomplice and joint‑venture criminal liability statute by removing the word “felon” and adding a rule that, when the underlying crime is a violation of chapter 265‑1, an accomplice can be punished in the same way as the principal felon or receive any term of years. This affects individuals charged as accomplices in those offenses, giving courts more flexibility in sentencing. The change aims to align penalties for accomplices with those for principals in specific drug‑related crimes.

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