Maddy summaryHD 1786 requires residential property sellers and landlords in Massachusetts to provide prospective buyers and tenants with standardized flood hazard disclosures before key transactions. The disclosure must include past flooding history, current flood zone designation from FEMA maps, whether flood insurance was required, and federal aid impacts on insurance obligations. Sellers must provide this information prior to accepting a purchase offer, while landlords must provide it before signing a lease or rental agreement. This law directly affects homeowners, real estate agents, and property managers handling residential sales or rentals in flood zones. The goal is to ensure transparency about flood risks before property transactions occur.
Rep. Sam Montaño
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHD 2419 requires Massachusetts insurers to submit certificates of insurance to a publicly accessible database maintained by the commissioner of insurance. The database will display the insured person's name, insurer, policy expiration date, QR codes for access, employee counts, and payroll classifications. This directly affects insurers (who must submit data), employers (whose insurance details become public), and the commissioner (who manages the database). The bill aims to combat workers' compensation fraud by increasing transparency and enabling public verification of insurance coverage.
By Representative Fluker-Reid of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1158) of Brandy Fluker-Reid and others relative to economic mobility through matched savings. Financial Services.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes Massachusetts' "Secure Choice Savings Program," requiring private employers with 5+ Massachusetts-based employees (who don't already offer retirement plans) to automatically enroll workers in a payroll-deduction retirement savings account. The program, managed by a state board, creates a separate fund for individual retirement accounts (IRAs) that meet federal tax rules, with contributions deducted directly from paychecks. Employees earn retirement savings without needing to take action, and employers must facilitate payroll deductions but aren't required to contribute. The program targets private-sector workers in businesses that lack existing retirement plans, aiming to boost savings through automatic enrollment.
By Representative Livingstone of Boston, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Jay D. Livingstone and others relative to ivory and rhinoceros horn trafficking. Environment and Natural Resources.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes minimum pay rates for Massachusetts public school educators. Starting July 2025, teachers must earn at least $70,000 annually, and defined education support professionals (including paraeducators, clerical staff, and support workers) must earn at least $55,000 annually. The bill also requires the state to reimburse school districts for 100% of increased costs in the first year, gradually decreasing to 20% over three years. Starting in 2030, these minimum rates will increase to $80,000 for teachers and $65,000 for support staff, with future annual adjustments based on inflation.
Maddy summaryThis bill (H 4910) affects families receiving public assistance (like TANF) who have child support obligations. It requires recipients to cooperate with child support agencies to establish or enforce support orders, with sanctions for non-cooperation unless exemptions apply (e.g., abuse, safety risks, or child's best interest). Key provisions include: (1) creating an income disregard for the first $100/month (one child) or $200/month (two+ children) in child support collected, preventing these amounts from reducing their public assistance benefits; and (2) extending this disregard to former recipients and payments on past-due support, starting July 2027. The changes aim to ensure child support payments directly benefit the family receiving assistance.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a year-round healthy incentives program in Massachusetts for SNAP (food assistance) recipients. It provides matching benefits on EBT cards when recipients buy fresh, canned, dried, or frozen fruits and vegetables at participating vendors. The program prioritizes expanding access in underserved areas with limited produce availability and requires collaboration with local food coalitions for outreach. A dedicated "Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Fund" will manage program funding from state and federal sources, and the department must submit annual reports tracking participant demographics, vendor locations, and efforts to improve access in underserved communities.
By Representative Donahue of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 224) of Daniel M. Donahue relative to the establishment of an accessibility in the creative economy (ACE) grant program to be administered by the Office on Disability. Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
Maddy summaryHD 2032 requires the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to submit a report within three months of enactment to state legislative committees. The report must detail the Department of Transitional Assistance's short- and long-term goals for improving access to federal nutrition programs and the specific financial and staffing resources needed to achieve those goals. This bill directly affects eligible households seeking nutrition benefits by mandating an assessment of current service capacity and resource gaps. It does not change program rules but establishes a process to identify and address barriers to timely enrollment and customer service. The focus is on planning and resource allocation, not immediate policy changes.