Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H223 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3396 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 223
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Mindy Domb
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 relative to a livable wage for human services workers.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Mindy Domb3rd Hampshire1/17/2025 1 of 4
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3396 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 223
18	18	By Representative Domb of Amherst, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 223) of Mindy
19	19	Domb relative to a livable wage for human services workers. Children, Families and Persons
20	20	with Disabilities.
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 relative to a livable wage for human services workers.
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 6A of the General Laws, as so appearing in the 2022 Official
30	30	2Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-
31	31	3 Section 105. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context
32	32	4clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:
33	33	5 “Human service provider,” a community-based human services organization with a
34	34	6human services program funded by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the
35	35	7Executive Office of Elder Affairs or the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
36	36	8 “Human services worker,” an employee of a human service provider who provides
37	37	9treatment, support or services to clients or their families. 2 of 4
38	38	10 “Disparity amount,” the monetary calculation of the average difference in salary between
39	39	11human services workers and 1) direct care workers, nurses, clinicians or other comparable
40	40	12employees employed by the commonwealth’s state-operated programs for human services;
41	41	13 “Rate,” the reimbursement rate paid by the Executive Office of Health and Human
42	42	14Services, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable
43	43	15Communities or the Department of Early Education and Care to a human service provider to
44	44	16deliver services to clients on the Commonwealth’s behalf.
45	45	17 (b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the Executive Office of
46	46	18Health and Human Services, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Executive Office of
47	47	19Housing and Livable Communities shall increase the rate of reimbursement for human services
48	48	20providers by an amount that reduces the disparity amount, as defined by subsection (a), to:
49	49	21 50 percent on or before July 1, 2026
50	50	22 30 percent on or before July 1, 2027
51	51	23 10 percent on or before July 1, 2028
52	52	24 Zero percent on or before July 1, 2029, and shall remain at 0 percent thereafter
53	53	25 (c) All increases in the rate of reimbursement provided for in this section shall be used to
54	54	26increase the compensation of human services workers.
55	55	27 (d) The Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Executive Office of
56	56	28Administration and Finance, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Executive Office of
57	57	29Housing and Livable Communities shall adopt regulations to implement this section. 3 of 4
58	58	30 (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the elimination of the disparity
59	59	31amount prior to July 1, 2028.
60	60	32 SECTION 2. On or before July 1, 2025 and annually thereafter until the disparity amount
61	61	33is eliminated for human services workers, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services,
62	62	34the Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable
63	63	35Communities, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers,
64	64	36Inc., shall provide a report to the Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means, the Joint
65	65	37Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, the Joint Committee on Elder
66	66	38Affairs, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, the Joint Committee on Mental Health,
67	67	39Substance Use and Recovery, the Joint Committee on Public Health, and the Joint Committee on
68	68	40State Administration and Regulatory Oversight that includes the following information:
69	69	41 The current disparity amount, as defined in Subsection (a) of Section 105 of Chapter 6A
70	70	42of the General Laws, between the salaries of human services workers, as defined in Subsection
71	71	43a) of Section 105 of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, employed by human service providers, as
72	72	44defined in Subsection (a) of Section 105 of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, and direct care
73	73	45workers, nurses, clinicians or other comparable employees employed by the Commonwealth’s
74	74	46state-operated programs for human services;
75	75	47 The amount of annual increases in the rate of reimbursement, as defined in Subsection (a)
76	76	48of Section 105 of Chapter 6A of the General Laws, to human service providers under contract
77	77	49with their department necessary to reduce and eliminate the disparity amount by July 1, 2028
78	78	50pursuant to the schedule articulated in Subsection (b) of Section 105 of Chapter 6A of the
79	79	51General Laws; 4 of 4
80	80	52 The amount needed to be appropriated annually to achieve the reductions in the disparity
81	81	53amount described in paragraphs (1)-(4) of Subsection (b) of Section 105 of Chapter 6A of the
82	82	54General Laws by July 1, 2028; and
83	83	55 The implementation of rates necessary to eliminate the disparity amount by agency, job
84	84	56description and start date of implementation.