Malden legislators help protect public transit workers from assault

Special to The Advocate

State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Paul Donato, Steven Ultrino and Kate Lipper-Garabedian joined their colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to strengthen protections for public transit workers while they are on duty by expanding laws on assault and battery. 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 November 24, 2025, the Legislature enacted the bill, and on December 3, Governor Maura Healey signed it into law as Chapter 79 of the Acts of 2025.

On the MBTA alone, workers in 2024 were targeted by 33 assaults with weapons and 72 physical assaults. 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. 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 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.”

“Transit workers cannot be expected to serve the public while being subjected to harassment or physical harm,” said Representative Donato, who is the House Second Assistant Majority Leader. “This act establishes a zero-tolerance standard for violence on the public transportation system. I am proud to join my colleagues in protecting and supporting Massachusetts workers.”

“Public transit workers are the backbone of our transportation system, and ensuring their safety is essential to maintaining a reliable service for riders,” said Representative Ultrino. “By strengthening penalties that hold offenders fully accountable and establishing clear safeguards, this legislation sends a clear message that assaulting transit workers will not be tolerated.”

“The Commonwealth’s transit workers oversee essential daily operations for residents in our cities and towns, including in the 32nd Middlesex District,” said Representative Lipper-Garabedian. “No one should be fearful to enter their place of work, and this critical legislation enhances protections for our transit workers so that they can continue to carry out necessary services that allow our everyday lives to run smoothly. Thank you to Speaker Mariano and Chair Day for your leadership on this necessary legislation.”

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 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.