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2022 – Nero’s Law
S. 2573: An Act allowing humane transportation of K9 partners aka Nero’s law
MSPCA Position: Support Sponsors: Representative Steven Xiarhos and Senator Mark Montigny Status: Signed by the Governor February 15, 2022.
Photo from Yarmouth Police Department Facebook
This bill allows a police dog (a dog owned by a police department or police agency of the Commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, that is used by the department or agency for official duties) injured in the line of duty to be transported in an ambulance if there is not competing need for human transport. Similar laws already exist in several other states. California, Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin allow pre-veterinary treatment for dogs and cats by EMS. Mississippi, New York, Illinois, and Michigan allow for police K9s to be transported by EMS. And Maine allows for police K9s and service dogs to be treated and transported by EMS. Similar bills are pending in eight additional states.
The town of Yarmouth suffered an incredible tragedy in April of 2018 when Sergeant Sean Gannon was killed in the line of duty. Also injured in this vicious attack was Gannon’s canine partner, Nero. Nero suffered life-threatening injuries and was unable to be treated by emergency medical personnel due to existing state law that prohibits working animals from being treated or transported by emergency personnel.
This legislation will:
Allow emergency personnel to treat injured police dogs.
Allow emergency personnel to transport injured police dogs.
Require any emergency personnel that would render care to a police dog to have completed training consistent with standards approved by the Office of Emergency Medical Services.
Co-Sponsors
State Senators:
Name
District/Address
Mark C. Montigny
Second Bristol and Plymouth
Bruce E. Tarr
First Essex and Middlesex
Susan L. Moran
Plymouth and Barnstable
Julian Cyr
Cape and Islands
Michael O. Moore
Second Worcester
Michael D. Brady
Second Plymouth and Bristol
Ryan C. Fattman
Worcester and Norfolk
Diana DiZoglio
First Essex
John C. Velis
Second Hampden and Hampshire
Walter F. Timilty
Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth
Patrick M. O’Connor
Plymouth and Norfolk
Nick Collins
First Suffolk
John F. Keenan
Norfolk and Plymouth
Anne M. Gobi
Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex
Jason M. Lewis
Fifth Middlesex
Sal N. DiDomenico
Middlesex and Suffolk
John J. Cronin
Worcester and Middlesex
State Representatives:
Name
District/Address
Steven G. Xiarhos
5th Barnstable
Alyson M. Sullivan
7th Plymouth
Mathew J. Muratore
1st Plymouth
Patrick Joseph Kearney
4th Plymouth
Adam J. Scanlon
14th Bristol
David T. Vieira
3rd Barnstable
Timothy R. Whelan
1st Barnstable
Sarah K. Peake
4th Barnstable
Christopher Hendricks
11th Bristol
Colleen M. Garry
36th Middlesex
Brian M. Ashe
2nd Hampden
Hannah Kane
11th Worcester
Steven S. Howitt
4th Bristol
Bradley H. Jones, Jr.
20th Middlesex
Alan Silvia
7th Bristol
Patricia A. Duffy
5th Hampden
Paul McMurtry
11th Norfolk
David F. DeCoste
5th Plymouth
Kimberly N. Ferguson
1st Worcester
Joseph D. McKenna
18th Worcester
William M. Straus
10th Bristol
Shawn Dooley
9th Norfolk
Kathleen R. LaNatra
12th Plymouth
Kelly W. Pease
4th Hampden
Michael J. Soter
8th Worcester
Patricia A. Haddad
5th Bristol
Carole A. Fiola
6th Bristol
David K. Muradian, Jr.
9th Worcester
Todd M. Smola
1st Hampden
Susan Williams Gifford
2nd Plymouth
Jacob R. Oliveira
7th Hampden
Thomas M. Stanley
9th Middlesex
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.
12th Hampden
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf
17th Worcester
Jessica Ann Giannino
16th Suffolk
Kip A. Diggs
2nd Barnstable
Ann-Margaret Ferrante
5th Essex
Gerard J. Cassidy
9th Plymouth
Sheila C. Harrington
1st Middlesex
Kenneth I. Gordon
21st Middlesex
Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.
28th Middlesex
Bradford Hill
4th Essex
Paul F. Tucker
7th Essex
James M. Murphy
4th Norfolk
Andres X. Vargas
3rd Essex
William C. Galvin
6th Norfolk
Angelo L. D’Emilia
8th Plymouth
Carol A. Doherty
3rd Bristol
Carmine Lawrence Gentile
13th Middlesex
Dylan A. Fernandes
Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket
Michael P. Kushmerek
3rd Worcester
Antonio F. D. Cabral
13th Bristol
David Allen Robertson
19th Middlesex
John Barrett, III
1st Berkshire
F. Jay Barrows
1st Bristol
Kevin G. Honan
17th Suffolk
Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.
5th Worcester
Kate Lipper-Garabedian
32nd Middlesex
Josh S. Cutler
6th Plymouth
Christina A. Minicucci
14th Essex
Tami L. Gouveia
14th Middlesex
Edward R. Philips
8th Norfolk
Sally P. Kerans
13th Essex
Natalie M. Blais
1st Franklin
Meghan Kilcoyne
12th Worcester
Vanna Howard
17th Middlesex
David M. Rogers
24th Middlesex
Paul K. Frost
7th Worcester
James J. O’Day
14th Worcester
Tackey Chan
2nd Norfolk
Linda Dean Campbell
15th Essex
Rob Consalvo
14th Suffolk
Norman J. Orrall
12th Bristol
James M. Kelcourse
1st Essex
Marcos A. Devers
16th Essex
Richard M. Haggerty
30th Middlesex
Carlos González
10th Hampden
Marc T. Lombardo
22nd Middlesex
Jack Patrick Lewis
7th Middlesex
Tram T. Nguyen
18th Essex
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