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