| 1 | 1 | | 1 of 1 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3994 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2077 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | Tackey Chan, (BY REQUEST) |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | An Act requiring certain employers to establish and maintain a human resources department. |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Joanie Lawlor1/17/2025 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3994 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2077 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Chan of Quincy (by request), a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | 2077) of Joanie Lawlor for legislation to require certain employers to establish and maintain a |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | human resources department. Labor and Workforce Development. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (2025-2026) |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | An Act requiring certain employers to establish and maintain a human resources department. |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 149 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | 2is hereby amended by adding after section 203 the following new section:- |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | 3 Section 204. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | 4otherwise requires, have the following meanings: |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | 5 “Compliance,” employer’s compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local labor |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | 6laws, including but not limited to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Massachusetts Equal Pay |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | 7Act, and the Massachusetts Family and Medical Leave Act. |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | 8 “Employee relations,” employer’s efforts to maintain employee morale, engagement, and |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | 9job satisfaction; foster positive workplace culture and productivity; effectively manage conflict |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | 10and address employee concerns; and ensure fair treatment of employees by maintaining open and |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | 11clear communication between said employer and their employees. 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | 12 (b) Any employer operating within the Commonwealth with twenty-five or more |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | 13employees shall maintain a full-time human resources department; any employer with fewer than |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | 14twenty-five employees shall maintain a part-time human resources department. A human |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | 15resources department shall be staffed with at least one individual. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | 16 (c) The human resources department’s responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to: |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | 17employee relations; benefits administration; recruitment and hiring; training and development; |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | 18compliance; and recordkeeping. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | 19 (d) Any employer in violation of this section shall be subject to complaint to and action |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | 20by the Fair Labor Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 21 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026. |
|---|