Labor & Employment in Massachusetts

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 1936: An Act to enforce laws protecting worksite safety

HD 1936 prohibits construction contractors from shifting responsibility for workplace safety violations through contracts. It directly affects parties entering construction contracts who have legal or contractual duties to maintain safe worksites. The bill makes any contract clause attempting to transfer liability for safety breaches - covering claims, fines, or damages - void and unenforceable. This amendment to Massachusetts law ensures contractors cannot legally avoid accountability for their own safety failures.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Workplace Safety

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 2296: An Act strengthening sexual harassment and discrimination policies in the Commonwealth

HD 2296 strengthens Massachusetts workplace protections by prohibiting employers from retaliating against employees who report sexual harassment or discrimination based on sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It specifically bans employers from requiring employees to sign agreements containing nondisclosure clauses about harassment claims, restrictions on reporting, or waivers of legal rights related to such claims. The bill directly affects employees seeking to report misconduct and employers who might use unfair contracts to silence them. Key provisions make it illegal to punish employees through termination, demotion, or reduced benefits for filing complaints or cooperating in investigations.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 1422: An Act requiring health care employers to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence

This bill requires health care employers (including hospitals, certain state facilities, and other licensed health care sites like teaching hospitals and non-acute care facilities) to create and maintain workplace violence prevention programs. Key mechanisms include annual risk assessments co-developed with employees, written violence prevention plans detailing hazard mitigation and reporting systems, mandatory employee training on reporting incidents, and designated crisis response teams for affected staff. Employers must submit incident reports every 180 days to the department and local district attorney, with data made publicly available statewide. Violations can result in fines up to $2,000 per offense, and employees cannot be penalized for reporting safety concerns.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 2633: An Act relative to the consideration of ergonomically designed school buildings

HD 2633 requires Massachusetts public schools to consider ergonomic design principles during construction or renovation projects. The bill defines "ergonomics" as designing school spaces to optimize safety, comfort, and performance for students and educators. It mandates that school districts evaluate the feasibility of incorporating ergonomic models into classroom and laboratory layouts as part of their building plans. This policy directly affects school districts, architects, and construction firms involved in Massachusetts public school facilities. The key change adds a specific consideration requirement to school building standards, focusing on practical design impacts for users.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics School Safety Student Health

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 4174: An Act relative to acts of violence

This bill (HD 4174) modifies workers' compensation rules for specific public safety and healthcare employees injured by violence during work. It directly affects employees like healthcare workers treating patients, court officers in courtrooms, and correctional staff working with prisoners. Key provisions require employers to pay the difference between an injured employee's regular salary and their workers' compensation benefits (without deducting from sick leave), even for short absences. Additionally, it creates a presumption of eligibility for correctional employees injured by violence during work, whether inside or outside a correctional facility, to receive benefits under Chapter 152.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 2306: An Act to protect unpaid interns, volunteers, and independent contractors from sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination

This bill expands anti-discrimination and anti-harassment protections under state law to include unpaid interns, volunteers, and independent contractors. It defines "employer" and "employee" to cover unpaid work, prohibiting discrimination or harassment based on protected characteristics (like race, sex, or gender identity) in unpaid programs, volunteer roles, or independent contracting relationships. Employers must prevent harassment and take corrective action if they knew or should have known about it, but the protections do not create employment relationships for wage, workers' compensation, or unemployment purposes. Non-employees like vendors or contractors in the workplace also gain similar protections against harassment.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Employment Discrimination Unemployment

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 3501: An Act relative to healthcare industry recruitment and education for the 21st Century

This bill creates a 23-member Healthcare Industry Recruitment and Education Advisory Council to advise state agencies on workforce development strategies and establishes the HIRE Fund, financed by excise taxes and other sources. The fund must allocate at least 30% annually through competitive grants to support healthcare education, including facility upgrades, expanded health science programs, faculty pipelines, and culturally competent curricula in low-income schools. It specifically targets increasing diversity in healthcare careers by prioritizing grants for underrepresented youth through summer internships, mentorship, and partnerships with healthcare providers. The bill directly affects healthcare education institutions, K-12 schools in underserved areas, and underrepresented student populations seeking healthcare careers. The council must submit annual recommendations by March 31, including draft legislation to implement its findings.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Workforce Development

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 3361: An Act to establish an employer-provided childcare tax credit pilot program

This bill establishes a pilot program offering Massachusetts-based employers a tax credit equal to 25% of their annual spending on licensed childcare services for employees, capped at $750,000 per employer per year. It applies to corporate entities with their principal business in Massachusetts, creating two parallel credit structures under Chapters 62 and 63 of the General Laws. The program requires the Executive Office of Economic Development to develop technical assistance for smaller businesses by November 2025 and conduct annual studies on participation, impact, and cost projections. Funded up to $10 million, the pilot expires on June 30, 2027, with findings reported to relevant legislative committees.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Tax Credits

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 1114: An Act establishing parking cash-out

This bill requires employers with 10+ employees who offer parking benefits to provide workers a choice between cash or transit subsidies instead of parking. Employees must decline the parking benefit to qualify for the alternative. Employers must document the market parking rate annually (adjusted for inflation) and offer tax-exempt transit benefits, taxable cash, or a combination equal in value to the parking subsidy. The law applies broadly but excludes employers covered by union contracts requiring parking, employees needing personal vehicles for work under IRS rules, and those with long-term parking leases.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Transportation

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

introduced · Massachusetts · Senate

SD 2275: An Act to promote economic mobility through ESOL

SD 2275 creates a new ESOL for economic mobility coordinator position within Massachusetts' Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The coordinator must develop a statewide strategy to help workers with limited English proficiency (LEP), particularly newly-arrived and underemployed individuals, gain English skills needed for in-demand jobs. Key provisions include a 90-day pilot program to rapidly expand ESOL access, increased state funding (specifically $13 million allocated), and annual reporting on metrics like participants served, job placements, and program growth. The bill requires collaboration with employers, community organizations, and state agencies to align ESOL efforts with workforce needs without diminishing existing programs.

Topics ✓ Immigration ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Workforce Development

All labor & employment bills