Massachusetts H.4017: A Bill to Treat Parental Alienation as Child Abuse
This page is general information about a pending bill, not legal advice. For how this would apply to a specific case, consult an attorney licensed in Massachusetts.
Bill: MA H.4017 (2025-2026) • Massachusetts • Sent to study (shelved for the session) • Last checked: June 2026
Massachusetts H.4017, “An Act to eliminate parental alienation,” is one of the most far-reaching parental-alienation bills filed in any state. It would require Massachusetts courts to recognize parental alienation as a form of psychological child abuse, define the term, set identification criteria and judicial training, make alienating behavior a best-interest factor with specific remedies, and create state education, support, and research programs. In March 2026 it was sent to study, which in Massachusetts usually shelves a bill for the rest of the session.
Estrangement caused by genuine abuse is not parental alienation. Notably, the text of H.4017 does not include an explicit carve-out protecting a parent who restricts contact in good faith to shield a child from harm. That gap is the central concern raised about bills like this one, and it is one reason other states, such as New Hampshire and Illinois, wrote protective-parent language directly into their versions.
What this bill is
H.4017 is a broad, pro-recognition bill. It was filed on January 15, 2025 by Representative Russell E. Holmes of Boston and would amend several chapters of Massachusetts law at once: the child-welfare chapter (119), the divorce chapter (208), and two chapters governing support and parentage proceedings (209 and 209C). It treats parental alienation as a child-protection issue, not only a private custody dispute.
Why it matters for parental alienation
If enacted, H.4017 would put Massachusetts among the states that go furthest in naming parental alienation as harm to a child. Declaring it a form of psychological child abuse that a court “shall recognize” is a strong doctrinal statement that could shape custody findings, guardian ad litem analysis, and child-welfare responses. It sits firmly in the group of bills that elevate alienation rather than restrict it. The flip side, and the reason it draws opposition, is the absence of an explicit protective-parent safe harbor in the text.
What the bill would do
The bill works through several sections.
It adds two sections to the child-welfare chapter. One directs the Department of Children and Families to create parent-education programs about the harm of alienation and healthy co-parenting, and to establish specialized support services, including counseling, therapy, and support groups, for targeted parents and alienated children. The other directs the department to research prevalence, causes, and effective interventions, to maintain a database of alienation cases, and to report to the legislature each year.
It adds a new section to the divorce chapter that defines four terms, “alienated child,” “alienating parent,” “parental alienation,” and “targeted parent,” and then makes the central move: in any custody or parenting-time proceeding, the court shall recognize parental alienation as a form of psychological child abuse that causes significant emotional and developmental harm. The same section directs the trial court to establish criteria for identifying alienation and to train judges, guardians ad litem, court clinicians, and probation officers. Where a court finds a parent engaged in alienating behaviors, it must weigh that as a best-interest factor, and it may order remedies including counseling, family therapy, a parenting coordinator, a change in custody or parenting time, supervised parenting time, or any other remedy in the child’s best interest. The court would also set up expedited procedures for these cases.
Finally, the bill adds alienating interference with the child’s relationship with the other parent to related provisions in the divorce, support, and parentage chapters.
Where it stands
H.4017 was filed on January 15, 2025, referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on April 10, 2025, and given a public hearing on June 10, 2025. The committee then reported it to the clerk to accompany a study order, and on March 26, 2026 it was sent to study (it now accompanies order H5281 under House Rule 27). In Massachusetts, sending a bill to study is the usual way the legislature sets a bill aside, and such bills very rarely advance afterward. To move forward, the bill would most likely need to be refiled in a future session.
Updates
March 2026
H.4017 was sent to study (accompanying order H5281). What it means: in Massachusetts practice this effectively shelves the bill for the 2025-2026 session.
June 2025
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing on the bill.
April 2025
The bill was referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, and the Senate concurred.
Common questions
Did H.4017 make parental alienation child abuse in Massachusetts? No. The bill would have required courts to recognize alienation as a form of psychological child abuse, but it did not pass. It was sent to study in March 2026, so it is not law.
Does H.4017 protect a parent who is shielding a child from abuse? The text does not include an explicit carve-out for good-faith protective actions, which is the main criticism of the bill. A parent’s reasonable steps to protect a child from a genuinely harmful parent are estrangement, not alienation, and many observers argue a bill like this should say so directly.
Could H.4017 come back? Yes. Bills sent to study are commonly refiled in a later session, sometimes in revised form. If that happens, this page will be updated.
Sources
- Massachusetts General Court, Bill H.4017 (194th), bill history and text. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4017
- Massachusetts General Court, H.4017 full text (PDF). https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4017.pdf
If you are struggling right now
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
- Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
- NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-6264
Author: Alex Buckles (PAC Founder) • Last reviewed: June 7, 2026
