Labor & Employment in Massachusetts

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 39: An Act to correct non-fault unemployment insurance overpayments

This bill (SD 39) amends Massachusetts unemployment insurance law to better handle overpayments made to individuals who were not at fault. It limits deductions from future benefits for non-fault overpayments to 10% of the weekly benefit rate and requires the department to stop recovery efforts for 60 days after notifying recipients of their waiver rights. The bill expands automatic waiver eligibility for overpayments when recipients are on programs like SNAP, TAFDC, or SSI, or when overpayments resulted from department errors (e.g., pandemic program mix-ups). It also sets a 3-year deadline for recovery actions in non-fault cases, compared to 6 years previously. The changes directly affect unemployed individuals who received benefits by mistake but did not cause the error.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Unemployment

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 483: An Act relative to electronic monitoring department personnel pension group classification

This bill changes pension classification rules for specific state employees. It adds assistant coordinators in the electronic monitoring department of the Office of Probation to pension group 2 under Massachusetts retirement law. This means these employees will now be eligible for the same retirement benefits as other group 2 members, regardless of existing laws that might have prevented this classification. The change directly affects their retirement benefits eligibility under the state pension system.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 1022: An Act relative to public safety retention in gateway municipalities

This bill creates a grant program to help gateway municipalities retain public safety staff. Gateway municipalities are defined as those with 35,000-250,000 residents, below-average income, and below-average bachelor's degree attainment. Eligible departments (fire, police, ambulance, etc.) can receive grants if they offer specific retention incentives like competitive wages, cost-of-living adjustments, or retention bonuses. Grant amounts are based on how many eligible incentives a department provides, and funds can be used to hire more staff or for other approved purposes.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Policing Tags Public Safety

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 599: An Act to expand the doula workforce

This bill establishes the Maternal Health Justice Fund to expand access to doulas in Massachusetts. The fund, managed by the Department of Public Health, will provide scholarships for people seeking doula certification - prioritizing historically marginalized groups, low-income applicants, and those in areas with limited doula services - and support community-based doula programs and maternal health workforce development. It requires certification programs to meet specific competencies, including training on health equity, implicit bias, racism, and trauma-informed care. The fund will be financed through state appropriations and non-state sources like grants or donations, with unused funds carried forward annually.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Professional Licensing Workforce Development

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 708: An Act extending parental leave

This bill (HD 708) is currently a draft under review by House Counsel with no substantive text or details provided in the available context. The title indicates it aims to extend parental leave, but specific provisions - such as the duration of the extension, eligibility criteria, or affected groups - have not been defined. Without finalized language or a completed summary, no concrete policy changes or mechanisms can be described. As a draft bill, it has not yet been introduced or debated, so its actual impact remains undetermined. A full summary cannot be provided until the bill is finalized and published.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Paid Leave

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 748: An Act relative to the retirement benefits of Virginia E. Cummings

This bill (HD 748) provides specific retirement benefits to Virginia E. Cummings, a Bourne correction officer permanently disabled after being injured by an inmate in 2009. It directs the State Board of Retirement to grant her a disability pension equal to 72% of her pre-retirement salary as a Correction Officer III, effective from her planned retirement date (April 21, 2016). Additionally, if she dies, her husband John Cummings would receive 75% of her pension as a survivor annuity, provided he remains unmarried. The bill is a targeted exception to standard retirement rules for this individual case, not a general policy change.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 471: An Act to further enhance behavioral health workforce development

This bill requires Massachusetts state departments to update job classifications to fully include Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) and Licensed Supervised Mental Health Counselors (LSMHCs) in their official job descriptions. It directly affects the Departments of Mental Health, Youth Services, Children and Families, Public Health, and Personnel Administration, as well as LMHCs and LSMHCs working in state roles. The key mechanism mandates that all relevant state job postings under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services must reflect these updated classifications by September 1, 2023. This change ensures state hiring practices formally recognize the full scope of practice for these mental health professionals.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Medical Licensing Mental Health Workforce Development

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 847: An Act establishing a bill of rights for individuals experiencing homelessness

HD 847 establishes a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness, defining this group to include those in shelters, vehicles, parks, or transitional housing. It guarantees specific rights such as free use of public spaces without discrimination based on housing status, access to medical care (including pandemic-related services), and the ability to vote without requiring a fixed address. The law also prohibits discrimination in employment and housing based on housing status and protects privacy of information shared with shelters. It amends existing anti-discrimination laws (chapters 151B and 51) to explicitly include "housing status" as a protected category.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Housing ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Homelessness Tenant Rights

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 218: An Act relative to fairness in worker’s compensation disfigurement benefits

This bill increases the maximum worker's compensation benefit for disfigurement injuries in Massachusetts. It replaces a fixed $15,000 cap with a new limit of 30 times the state's average weekly wage, calculated using a standard formula. It also removes a previous restriction that denied benefits for scar-based disfigurement unless it affected the face, neck, or hands. These changes directly affect workers who suffer visible disfigurement injuries covered under the state's worker's compensation system.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 341: An Act relative to certain option B and option C retirees

This bill increases retirement allowances for certain pre-2004 retirees. Specifically, it provides a 4% raise for Option B retirees and a 12% raise for Option C retirees under Chapter 32 retirement systems. Retirement systems must formally adopt the change via board vote (with legislative approval), though the state teachers' and employees' systems are already included. The increase applies only to future payments starting from the bill's effective date, with no retroactive benefits for past years. It directly affects retirees who retired before July 1, 2004, under these specific retirement plan options.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Retirement Benefits

All labor & employment bills