An Act to increase unemployment insurance benefits for low wage workers

HD 522 increases unemployment insurance benefits for low-wage workers in Massachusetts. It changes how weekly benefits are calculated, setting a minimum of 20% of the average weekly wage for all covered workers (or 75% of the individual’s wage, whichever is lower), while capping the maximum at 57.5% of the average wage. The bill also reduces the maximum total benefits from 30 times the weekly rate to 26 times, but only if unemployment stays below 5.1% across all 10 Massachusetts metro areas for 10 months. Crucially, it ensures individuals cannot lose benefits if the unemployment threshold isn’t met during their benefit year.