Rep. Wong supports bill to protect state transit workers from assaults; House proposal also creates crime of assault & battery with a bodily substance

On October 22, 2025, State Representative Donald Wong (R-Saugus) supported legislation that would add transit workers to an existing law providing penalties for assaulting a public employee while they are engaged in the performance of their duties. House Bill 4645, An Act relative to assault and battery upon a transit worker, was passed (160-0) by the House of Representatives on October 22. The bill still requires Senate approval and Governor Maura Healey’s signature before it becomes law. On October 23, the Senate referred the bill to its committee on Ways & Means.

Representative Wong said the House proposal will provide protections for transit workers under an existing statute governing assault and battery committed against a public employee. The law carries a penalty of imprisonment for not less than 90 days and not more than 2 1⁄2 years in a house of correction or a fine of between $500 and $5,000. He noted that House Bill 4645 expands the current law by adding the crime of assault and battery by means of a bodily substance. The bill defines a bodily substance as “any human secretion, discharge or emission including, but not limited to, blood, saliva, mucous, semen, urine or feces.”

According to the Federal Transit Administration, assaults on public transit employees increased by 232% nationwide between 2014 and 2024. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 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.