Healey signs new bill increasing protections for public transit workers

Governor Maura Healey signed a bill Wednesday that strengthens protections for public transportation workers.

The new legislation makes assaulting a public transit worker punishable by at least 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.

Healey’s Office says, “…this bill creates a heightened penalty for perpetrators of assault and battery against public employees. It also adds public transit workers or any transit worker contracted or employed to operate public transit services to the list of public employees subject to this section. The bill also broadens the definition of assault to include the projection of bodily fluids.”

“This bill is about sending a message,” said Healey. “It’s about creating a culture of safety and respect, creating a culture of dignity and accountability and to making sure that every transit worker knows that we have their back.”

In a statement, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll wrote, “The people who operate and support our transit system should be able to show up to work each day without fear of violence. This law expands critical protections for our workers and helps ensure a safer, more secure environment for everyone who relies on public transportation.”

The bill did not make it through the last session, so this year some lawmakers said they made it a top priority.

“The stories that the Carmen’s Union shared with us over the course of the last two terms were compelling, heartbreaking and motivated us to action,” said Representative Michael Day.

7 Investigates previously looked into attacks on MBTA workers, and found more than 900 MBTA and transit workers have been assaulted in the last two years.

“People are acting out more. They’re angry,” said Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka. “They feel like they can say or do, many of them, things that would have been unheard of years ago but we need to do whatever we can to protect our transit workers.”

The bill goes into effect on January 4, 2026.