Rep. Chris Hendricks

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new chapter in Massachusetts law to address workplace bullying, mobbing, and harassment regardless of whether the victim belongs to a protected class. It defines abusive conduct as repeated verbal abuse, threatening behavior, or actions that undermine an employee's work performance, while also covering online communications. The legislation prohibits employers from creating abusive work environments and bans retaliation against employees who report such behavior. Employers can be held liable for violations by their staff unless they can prove they took reasonable steps to prevent abuse and the employee failed to use available reporting channels.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts laws to strengthen protections for workers injured on the job by requiring the state department to investigate all injury claims and hold conferences to gather evidence, regardless of whether a dispute is currently active. It also expands the legal remedies available to injured workers by allowing for punitive damages and injunctive relief in cases where employers violate specific safety regulations. Additionally, the legislation updates fee schedules and clarifies the types of damages that can be recovered when workers file complaints against employers for failing to meet safety standards.

By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2995) of Antonio F. D. Cabral and others relative to bidding for public construction contracts. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

Maddy summaryThis Massachusetts bill updates the legal definition of fraud within public construction bidding to help ensure fair competition for government projects. It requires bidders to explicitly certify that their bids contain no intentional misrepresentations, omissions, or false statements, while also clarifying that the term "person" includes various business entities and joint ventures. The legislation further defines "fraud" as a knowingly false or misleading statement about a material fact intended to deceive, and it revises the definition of a "responsible" bidder to emphasize necessary skill, ability, and integrity. These changes directly affect construction companies and individuals submitting bids for state contracts by establishing clearer standards for honesty and accountability in the bidding process.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to protect residents from surveillance by foreign adversaries using specific social media platforms. It defines "social media companies" as large platforms with over one million users that sell ads and allow content sharing, while excluding simple review sites or emergency alert services. The legislation specifically targets companies domiciled in or controlled by "countries of concern," explicitly naming Bytedance, TikTok, and WeChat as covered entities. By classifying these platforms as potential threats, the bill establishes a legal framework for the state to regulate or restrict their operations within Massachusetts to safeguard citizen data.

Senate, December 28, 2023 -- The committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 26) of Brendan P. Crighton for legislation to modernize state agency information technology systems; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 30) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to protect sensitive information from security breaches; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 31) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation to regulate generative artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 32) of Barry R. Finegold for legislation relative to cyber incident response; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 35) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to protect against cyber ransom; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 36) of Michael O. Moore for legislation to establish a Cybersecurity Control and Review Commission; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 37) of Patrick M. O'Connor and Michael J. Soter for legislation to protect the residents of the Commonwealth; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 198) of Michael O. Moore for legislation to protect personal identifying information; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 66) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others relative to cyberattack responses; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 76) of Tram T. Nguyen relative to protecting sensitive information from security breaches; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 77) of Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., that the Office of Information Technology consider cloud computing service options under certain circumstances; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 82) of Michael J. Soter and others for legislation to protect residents of the Commonwealth from the threat posed by certain foreign adversaries using current or potential future social media companies; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 84) of Marcus S. Vaughn relative to electronic security for certain procurements involving electronic or cyber security equipment components, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2539).

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program called the Food Justice Frontline to provide paid work opportunities in food production, distribution, preparation, and delivery for residents living in food-insecure areas of Massachusetts. The program would offer grants of up to $500,000 to nonprofit organizations that operate in communities facing high levels of environmental pollution and low income, requiring those organizations to hire local residents at a wage calculated based on state per capita income. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources would manage the program, set application rules, and ensure that grant funds are used exclusively to create these jobs within the targeted overburdened communities.

Senate, October 30, 2023 -- The committee on Health Care Financing, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 732) of John J. Cronin for legislation to promote comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 749) of Cindy F. Friedman, Rebecca L. Rausch, Susannah M. Whipps, Joanne M. Comerford and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to pharmaceutical access, costs and transparency; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 767) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to define modest meals and refreshments in prescriber education settings; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 778) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 783) of Mark C. Montigny and Michael J. Barrett for legislation to promote transparency and prevent price gouging of pharmaceutical drug prices; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 784) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation relative to coverage for chronic illness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 797) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 619) of Nicholas A. Boldyga relative to establishing a prescription drug rebate program for seniors; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1176) of Edward F. Coppinger and others relative to promoting comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1201) of Kate Hogan relative to the pricing of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1205) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others that the Health Policy Commission and health insurers create listings of certain high cost prescription drugs and that the Attorney General require drug manufacturers to provide information to justify increases in costs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1206) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to contracts between the MassHealth program and pharmaceutical benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1215) of John J. Lawn, Jr., and others relative to pharmacy benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1246) of William M. Straus relative to drug prices paid by carriers; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1247) of Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida, Michael J. Soter and David F. DeCoste relative to pharmacy benefit managers reimbursements to pharmacies in the Commonwealth, reports the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2492).