Labor & Employment

introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 3789: An Act relative to bereavement leave for the loss of a child

This bill creates a new paid bereavement leave policy for Massachusetts employees who lose a child under 18 years old. It requires employers to provide up to 10 days of paid leave (at the employee's regular pay rate) within 12 months of the child's death, which can be taken consecutively or in parts. Employees must provide documentation like a death certificate or obituary within 30 days of absence, and employers must notify all staff about this policy. The law does not restrict existing employer policies offering more than 10 days of leave and takes effect January 1 following enactment.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates new paid bereavement leave (10 days) for child loss, expanding employee benefits and protecting workers' rights during bereavement.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Paid Leave

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 1019: An Act relative to educator pay

By Mr. Gomez, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 370) of Adam Gomez, Vanna Howard, Michael D. Brady, James K. Hawkins and others for legislation to require that all public school educators are paid not less than a living wage as defined by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator. Education.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates living wage for public school educators, directly supporting teacher compensation and retention in education policy.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates living wage for public school educators using MIT calculator, directly advancing wage standards for workers in education sector.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers Minimum Wage

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 2423: An Act relative to wage theft and due process

By Mr. Tarr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1377) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation relative to wage theft and due process. Labor and Workforce Development.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill targets wage theft, directly protecting workers' right to earned compensation and strengthening enforcement mechanisms under Labor and Workforce Development.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Workforce Development

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 505: An Act encouraging employer student loan repayment

By Mr. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2024) of Edward J. Kennedy for legislation to encourage employee student loan assistance. Revenue.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentEncourages employer-provided student loan assistance, expanding worker benefits as a form of compensation support within employment standards.85% confidence

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 255: An Act to promote employee ownership

This bill (SD 255) allows small businesses with fewer than 500 employees to deduct capital gains from selling company shares to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) when the ESOP owns at least 49% of the business. It directly affects small business owners who sponsor ESOPs, providing a tax incentive to transition ownership to employees. The key provision amends tax law to permit this deduction for gains from the sale of employer securities to qualifying ESOPs. The bill must be sponsored by the business itself and applies only to non-publicly traded companies. The measure was recently referred to the Revenue committee after House concurrence.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates tax deduction for small business ESOP transitions, providing tax relief under fiscal policy.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentPromotes employee ownership via tax incentives for ESOPs, aligning with worker benefit protections and ownership rights85% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Tax Incentives Tags Small Business

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 1941: An Act relative to the employment of persons with disabilities

By Mr. Collins, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2107) of Nick Collins for legislation relative to the employment of persons with disabilities. State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill directly promotes employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, advancing inclusive labor standards and worker protections within employment policy.90% confidence

Track

passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 212: An Act to improve long-term care staffing and dignity for caregivers

By Mr. Tarr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2085) of Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to improve long-term care staffing and dignity for caregivers through training, tuition reimbursements, tax credits and other programs. Revenue.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly includes tax credits as a funding mechanism for caregiver programs, aligning with tax incentive support for public services.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill improves long-term care staffing through training, tuition reimbursements, and tax credits, directly advancing healthcare service quality and caregiver support in a key healthcare sector.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill provides training, tuition reimbursements, and tax credits to improve staffing and dignity for caregivers, directly advancing workers' conditions and employment standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SD 2092: An Act clarifying constitutional officer employers for collective bargaining purposes

By Mr. Feeney, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1850) of Paul R. Feeney for legislation to designate constitutional officers as employers of the employees under their jurisdiction. Public Service.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentClarifies constitutional officers as employers for collective bargaining, enabling worker unionization and negotiations per bill summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Public Employees

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introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 3528: An Act relative to municipal unemployment insurance reform

This bill modifies Massachusetts unemployment insurance rules for two specific groups. It prohibits unemployment benefits for municipal employees providing services to educational institutions (like school staff working for towns). Additionally, it reduces unemployment benefits by 65% for individuals receiving pensions from their previous employer (based on their prior work with that employer), but only if they worked at least 75% of their service years for that employer and the reduction aligns with federal tax rules. Social Security payments are exempt from this reduction. The changes directly affect municipal workers in education and those receiving pensions who file for unemployment.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill reduces state unemployment spending by eliminating benefits for school staff and cutting pensioners' benefits by 65%, decreasing government expenditure.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentReduces unemployment benefits by 65% for pensioners and prohibits benefits for municipal education staff, weakening worker financial protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Unemployment

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introduced · Massachusetts · House

HD 1054: An Act relative to prevailing wages

This bill amends Massachusetts' prevailing wage law to require that approved apprenticeship and training programs pay the same prevailing wages as other covered entities, such as pension and health funds. It specifically adds these programs to the list of initiatives subject to prevailing wage requirements under Chapter 149 of the General Laws. The change applies to all state-approved apprenticeship programs that meet standards outlined in Chapter 23, ensuring they comply with existing wage rules for public works projects. This policy update extends current wage protections to apprenticeship participants without creating new programs.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires apprenticeship programs to pay prevailing wages, extending existing wage protections to more workers under Massachusetts law.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Apprenticeships

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