Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1320 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2040 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1320
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Paul R. Feeney
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 to increase unemployment insurance benefits for low wage workers.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Paul R. FeeneyBristol and Norfolk 1 of 3
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2040 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1320
18	18	By Mr. Feeney, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1320) of Paul R. Feeney for
19	19	legislation to increase unemployment insurance benefits for low wage workers. Labor and
20	20	Workforce Development.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 1175 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act to increase unemployment insurance benefits for low wage workers.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Subsection (a) of section 24 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as
32	32	2appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking, in line 4, the words “thirty
33	33	3times the weekly benefit rate” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-
34	34	4 "fifteen times the individual’s average weekly wage in the base period, provided that
35	35	5when there is a reduction in the benefit rate from thirty times to twenty-six times the benefit rate
36	36	6under subsection (a) of section 30, an individual shall have been paid wages in the base period
37	37	7amounting to at least thirteen times the individual’s average weekly wage; provided that if the
38	38	8individual is thereby rendered ineligible for benefits, the individual shall have been paid wages
39	39	9in two quarters of the base period." 2 of 3
40	40	10 SECTION 2. Section 29 of chapter 151A of the General. Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
41	41	11amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
42	42	12 (a) An individual in total unemployment and otherwise eligible for benefits shall be paid
43	43	13for each week of unemployment an amount equal to fifty percent of the individual’s average
44	44	14weekly wage in their base period, rounded to the next lower full dollar amount; but not more,
45	45	15exclusive of dependency benefits, than fifty-seven and one-half per cent of the average weekly
46	46	16wage of all employees covered by this chapter; nor less than twenty per cent of the average
47	47	17weekly wage of all employees covered by this chapter or seventy-five percent of the individual’s
48	48	18average weekly wage, whichever is less, exclusive of dependency benefits. On or before the first
49	49	19day of October of each year, the total wages reported on contribution reports for the twelve
50	50	20months ending March the thirty-first of such year shall be divided by the average monthly
51	51	21number of insured employees (determined by dividing the total insured employees reported on
52	52	22contribution reports for the twelve months ending March the thirty-first by twelve). The average
53	53	23annual wage thus obtained shall be divided by fifty-two and the average weekly wage
54	54	24determined, rounded to the nearest cent. Fifty-seven and one-half per cent of this amount,
55	55	25rounded to the next lower full dollar amount shown shall establish the weekly benefit rate paid
56	56	26any individual whose benefit year commences on or after the first Sunday of October of each
57	57	27year and prior to the first Sunday of October the following year. Twenty per cent of the average
58	58	28weekly wage of all employees covered by this chapter, rounded to the next lower full dollar
59	59	29amount shown shall establish the minimum weekly benefit rate paid any individual whose
60	60	30benefit year commences on or after the first Sunday of October each year and prior to the first
61	61	31Sunday of October the following year, provided that the weekly benefit rate which an individual 3 of 3
62	62	32may receive during the individual’s benefit year exclusive of dependency benefits is not greater
63	63	33than seventy-five per cent of the individual’s average weekly wage.
64	64	34 SECTION 3. Section 30 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
65	65	35amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
66	66	36 (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the total benefits which an unemployed
67	67	37individual may receive during the benefit year shall be an amount equal to sixty percent of the
68	68	38individual’s wages in the base period, or an amount equal to 30 times the individual’s weekly
69	69	39benefit rate in the base period, whichever is less, plus dependency benefits payable under section
70	70	4029; provided, however, that if any month the average local unemployment for the last 12 months,
71	71	41as determined by the United States Department of Labor, is equal to or below 5.1 per cent in
72	72	42each of the 10 metropolitan statistical areas of the commonwealth, the total benefits which an
73	73	43unemployed individual who then files a claim may receive during the individual’s benefit year
74	74	44shall be an amount equal to 60 per cent of their wages in the base period or an amount equal to
75	75	4526 times the individual’s weekly benefit rate, whichever is less, plus dependency benefits
76	76	46payable under said section 29; provided further that no such reduction in benefit rate from 30
77	77	47times to 26 times the weekly benefit rate due to the operation of this section shall occur to an
78	78	48individual’s total benefit amount if, in any month during the individual’s benefit year, the
79	79	49requirements of this section have not been met. If such amount includes a fractional part of a
80	80	50dollar, it shall be rounded to the next lower full dollar amount.