An Act relative to wrongful discharge from employment
This bill creates a new legal cause of action for wrongful discharge in Massachusetts, allowing employees to sue if they are fired for refusing to break the law, terminated without valid reason after a probationary period, or dismissed in violation of their employer's written personnel policies. The law defines key terms such as "constructive discharge" and "good cause" to clarify what constitutes a wrongful termination, while explicitly excluding independent contractors and those with specific employment contracts. If an employee successfully proves a wrongful discharge, they may receive up to four years of lost wages and fringe benefits, though the bill strictly limits recoverable damages and excludes claims for emotional distress or pain and suffering.
Bill status
passed
3 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
Committee Review
Feb 2023
Senate Passage
Feb 2023
Governor
Introduced Feb 16, 2023
Last action May 15, 2024
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate. No roll call record of that vote is available.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Feb 16, 2023
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred
upper
Feb 16, 2023
Committee
Referred to the committee on Labor and Workforce Development
lower
0 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
No sponsor information available.
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