Rep. Ken Gordon

Maddy summaryThis bill requires immigration enforcement officers to allow legal counsel during interviews with immigrants. It directly affects non-citizens facing immigration enforcement actions, such as detentions or removal proceedings. The key provision mandates that individuals must have the option to consult with an attorney before answering questions during such investigations.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits Massachusetts state and local government agencies (including police departments, sheriff's offices, and correctional facilities) from entering new agreements with federal immigration authorities for immigration enforcement or detention. It also requires all existing agreements of this type to end within 30 days (for enforcement agreements) or 90 days (for detention agreements) after the law takes effect. The Attorney General can enforce the law by seeking court orders to stop violations. The bill directly affects how Massachusetts law enforcement interacts with federal immigration authorities regarding detention and enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 1227) updates travel mileage reimbursement rates for sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and constables in Massachusetts. It sets a uniform rate of 65.5 cents per mile for travel related to serving legal documents, warrants, subpoenas, and jury notices. For trips exceeding 50 miles, the rate drops to 15 cents per mile for the excess distance. The changes apply specifically to the travel costs these officers incur while performing official duties under Chapter 262 of the General Laws.

Maddy summaryHD 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.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural bill extending a deadline for the House Committee on Education. It grants the committee until Wednesday, March 18, 2026, to report on four specific House documents (numbers 511, 646, 691, and 717), instead of the original deadline. The bill directly affects only the Education Committee's schedule for these documents. It has no substantive policy changes and was adopted on February 17, 2026.

Maddy summaryHD 2738 repeals Section 121 of Chapter 5 of the 1995 laws (as amended in 2014), which governed school attendance requirements. This removes an existing provision that had been part of state law since 1995, with updates in 2014. The bill's stated purpose is to promote equity in school attendance policies by eliminating this specific rule. The change directly affects school districts and students by removing a longstanding attendance requirement from state law.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts wage laws to extend the deadline for workers to file claims. It directly affects employees who believe they were denied prevailing wages (common in construction on public projects), pausing the standard 3-year filing deadline when they file a complaint with the Attorney General. The pause continues until the Attorney General either authorizes a private lawsuit or finalizes their own enforcement action. This change gives workers more time to pursue claims while the Attorney General investigates or acts on their complaint.

Maddy summaryHD 930 repeals a property tax exemption that previously allowed businesses leasing space from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) to avoid paying local property taxes on those leased properties. This change directly affects businesses leasing Massport facilities (like airport or port space) for profit, requiring them to pay annual property taxes directly to their local town, as if they owned the property. The bill modifies existing law to shift the tax burden from Massport to the lessee, while clarifying that taxes paid by lessees cannot be enforced through property seizure but can use standard tax collection methods. It does not change Massport's overall tax status or apply to properties not leased for profit.

Maddy summaryHD 507 extends Massachusetts' prevailing wage requirements to offsite fabrication work for public construction projects. It requires contractors to pay prevailing wages for prefabricated items like pipes, electrical systems, or modular units made offsite, and to include specific payroll details in weekly reports (e.g., facility location, worker names, hours, and wages). This applies to all public projects covered by existing wage laws, ensuring offsite manufacturing work meets the same labor standards as on-site construction. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis procedural bill extends the deadline for the House Committee on Education to report on specific pending documents. It grants the committee until Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (instead of the original deadline) to finalize reports on House documents numbered 504, 525, 527, 614, 738, 3941, 3980, and 4207. The bill does not change policy or affect constituents; it only adjusts a procedural timeline for committee work. It was adopted on February 9, 2026, without debate.