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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1428 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1912 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | John J. Lawn, Jr. |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act protecting the right to time off for voting. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:John J. Lawn, Jr.10th Middlesex1/18/2023Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol1/31/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/2/2023 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1428 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1912 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Lawn of Watertown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1912) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | John J. Lawn, Jr., Carol A. Doherty and Vanna Howard relative to requiring employers to allow |
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| 20 | 20 | | sufficient time for employees to exercise their right to vote in elections. Labor and Workforce |
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| 21 | 21 | | Development. |
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| 22 | 22 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 23 | 23 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 2011 OF 2021-2022.] |
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| 24 | 24 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 28 | 28 | | _______________ |
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| 29 | 29 | | An Act protecting the right to time off for voting. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 31 | 31 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 32 | 32 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 178 of Chapter 149 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2amended by striking said section and inserting in place thereof the following: - |
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| 34 | 34 | | 3 Section 178. Every employer shall allow sufficient time for a person under his or her |
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| 35 | 35 | | 4employ to exercise their right to vote in an election in the Commonwealth. If a voter does not |
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| 36 | 36 | | 5have sufficient time outside of working hours to vote at an election, the voter may, without loss |
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| 37 | 37 | | 6of pay, take off enough working time that, when added to the voting time available outside of |
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| 38 | 38 | | 7working hours, will enable the voter to vote. 2 of 3 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 8 The time off for voting shall be only at the beginning or end of the regular working shift, |
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| 40 | 40 | | 9whichever allows the most free time for voting and the least time off from the regular working |
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| 41 | 41 | | 10shift, unless otherwise mutually agreed. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 11 If said election includes a period of in-person early voting, each voter shall be allowed |
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| 43 | 43 | | 12one period of time off for voting in the eligible election, by notification to his or her employer in |
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| 44 | 44 | | 13accordance with this section. |
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| 45 | 45 | | 14 If a voter intends to exercise said right to vote and will require time off as provided in this |
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| 46 | 46 | | 15section, he or she shall give the employer at least three working days’ notice that time off for |
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| 47 | 47 | | 16voting is desired. Said notice shall be in writing via electronic or other means agreeable to the |
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| 48 | 48 | | 17employer or designee. |
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| 49 | 49 | | 18 SECTION 2. Said Chapter 149 is further amended by adding the following new sections: |
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| 50 | 50 | | 19- |
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| 51 | 51 | | 20 Section 178(a). Any employer who refuses to comply with the provisions of section one |
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| 52 | 52 | | 21hundred seventy-eight regarding time off to vote shall be punished by providing an aggrieved |
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| 53 | 53 | | 22voter under his or her employ a full day’s pay. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 23 Enforcement of this section will be under the purview and supervision of the Fair Labor |
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| 55 | 55 | | 24Division of the Attorney General’s Office. |
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| 56 | 56 | | 25 Section 178(b). Every employer subject to this section shall post in a conspicuous place |
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| 57 | 57 | | 26or places on his or her premises, and via electronic communication when practicable in advance |
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| 58 | 58 | | 27of each statewide election, a notice prepared and disseminated by the Secretary of the |
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| 59 | 59 | | 28Commonwealth, which shall set forth excerpts of section one hundred seventy-eight and such 3 of 3 |
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| 60 | 60 | | 29other relevant information which the Secretary deems necessary to explain the section. Any |
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| 61 | 61 | | 30employer who refuses to comply with the provisions of this section regarding notification shall |
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| 62 | 62 | | 31be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than one hundred dollars. |
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