This bill filed by the Governor authorizes a capital improvements program for public higher education institutions to support both their educational missions and regional economic development. The bill authorizes bond funding for a range of projects—including deferred maintenance, modernization, decarbonization initiatives, repairs, construction, renovations, and adaptive reuse of campus facilities—covering state colleges, community colleges, and the University of Massachusetts. All projects must conform to campus master plans that are developed in consultation with institutional leadership and approved by state officials. The bill also earmarks funds for laboratory modernization, student support infrastructure, and technology capital projects that facilitate remote and hybrid learning. The financing of these improvements is realigned through the issuance of special obligation bonds. The bill also sets up a procedure for the sale of surplus owned by a higher education institution.

This bill focuses on regulating artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision systems (ADS) within workplaces. It sets forth comprehensive guidelines for the deployment of electronic monitoring tools by employers, which can only be employed for specific purposes such as quality control, compliance, or workplace safety, with minimal and only necessary data collection. Employers are required to provide written notice and obtain employee consent before implementing these tools, clearly specifying their purpose, the data collected, and retention policies, and ensuring they adopt the least invasive monitoring methods. It also mandates the maintenance of detailed compliance records and the protection of data confidentiality and integrity. Restrictions include provisions banning monitoring to obtain health or other private information about employees, and may not take place in bathrooms, locker rooms, lounges and similar spaces. Importantly, the bill prohibits using electronic monitoring data for disciplinary actions unless performance standards have been disclosed to employees with proper notice.

Additionally, the bill governs the use of automated employment decision tools, requiring these tools to undergo impact assessments by independent auditors. These assessments must evaluate the tools' validity, potential biases, and effects on protected groups, ensuring they do not foster discrimination and are not solely relied upon for employment decisions. Meaningful human oversight is required, and employers must inform employees and candidates about their use, offering alternatives or accommodations as necessary. The bill specifically bans the use of ADS with facial or emotion recognition technologies unless essential for security reasons, protects employees from retaliatory actions when challenging AI outputs, and mandates regular impact assessments by state agencies to avoid discriminatory outcomes. Moreover, it restricts the use of automated decision systems in public services unless authorized by law, aiming for transparency and accountability in the use of AI and ADS within state operations.

Repeals a specific section of a 1995 act, as amended in 2014.

Requires school districts to annually distribute and post a notice on secure firearm storage, using model content developed by the Department in consultation with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

Mandates that the model explain the life-saving importance of secure storage in homes and vehicles, the risks posed by unsecured firearms to children, teens, schools, and the broader community, and actions the school community can take, including awareness of secure storage requirements and available suicide prevention and other behavioral health or educational resources. Requires the Department to publish the content in English and additional languages reflecting local needs, review it annually, and directs each district's Office of the Superintendent and School Committee to collaborate on distribution.

Strengthens evaluation and services for English learners in special education by requiring school committees to consider students' English proficiency, administer assessments in the child's primary language in forms most likely to yield accurate information, ensure IEP teams include participants with expertise in second-language acquisition and the student's language needs, and mandate IEPs that address both English language and special education needs.

Prohibits school districts from recommending that parents decline any English learner program services, including for scheduling reasons, and requires English learner programs to address any academic deficits resulting from a focus on language acquisition within a reasonable amount of time.

Requires the Board to ensure meaningful communication with parents and guardians through qualified, bilingual, trained interpreters and translators; expands school anti-discrimination protections to include immigration or citizenship status and disability; and directs the Department to promulgate regulations to maintain and enforce specified federal provisions as of January 1, 2025.

This bill requires schools to limit student access to personal electronic devices during the school day. Exceptions are made for emergencies or educational needs. Schools must communicate these policies to parents and submit them to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for oversight and guidance. Schools must also educate students on the social, emotional, and physical risks of social media use.

Social media platforms must implement nearly foolproof age verification systems and establish default privacy-focused settings for minors, including permitting communication and content sharing only with established connections, disabling features like autoplay and continuous scrolling, and barring access during certain hours, such as nighttime and school hours. Platforms are also required to include mechanisms for flagging unwanted content and must issue health warnings related to social media use. 

Establishes a 15-member special legislative commission on community schools to investigate models and recommend strategies for statewide adoption, co-chaired by the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education and including the Secretaries of Education and of Health and Human Services, designated union and nonprofit representatives, and seven gubernatorial appointees representing students, a parent, district and school leaders, a community school coordinator, and a community-based organization, with attention to rural, urban, and suburban representation.

Requires the commission to meet at least bimonthly to analyze implementation systems and trends, review other jurisdictions' policies, assess current adoption and outcomes, define essential elements-including as an equity strategy-evaluate research evidence such as impacts on absenteeism, and identify legal, regulatory, information and training, and funding barriers. Directs the commission to file by February 15, 2026 a report with specific recommendations, including legislative or regulatory changes, policies to codify definitions, strategies and sustainable funding streams to incentivize statewide adoption, and a design for a statewide community school pilot program specifying eligible communities, required resources, funding award processes, and data and evaluation criteria. Defines "Community School" and "Community Schools strategy."

This bill establishes an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund, aimed at providing immigration legal services to eligible immigrants and refugees, with a focus on those in federal detention or facing removal proceedings. Administered by the Office for Refugees and Immigrants, the fund administers a competitive grant program that supports nonprofit organizations, law firms, and qualified private attorneys experienced in immigration law. Priority for legal services will go to individuals detained or facing immediate deportation risks. A Coordinator will offer logistical support, technical assistance, and training to legal professionals. The fund will receive revenue through a line-item in the state budget as well as external sources.

Overhauls private-sector labor relations by activating state protections whenever federal preemption or National Labor Relations Board jurisdiction lapses, providing for prompt certification of previously certified bargaining units and preservation of existing terms during verification, and empowering the Department of Labor Relations, with review by the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, to exclusively adjudicate unfair labor practices with expanded remedies including back pay without mitigation, front pay, consequential and treble liquidated damages, punitive damages, civil penalties, interim injunctive relief, and personal liability for corporate officers.

Broadens coverage by redefining employer and employee to include health care facilities, nonprofits, and government-funded vendors; adopting a joint-employer standard based on shared, direct, indirect, or reserved control; and presuming workers are employees unless they satisfy a three-part independent-contractor test.

Modernizes organizing and elections by recognizing written majority authorization-authorization cards, petitions, or electronic signatures dated within 12 months-for exclusive-representative status, requiring draft regulations within 90 days for electronic signature verification, authorizing remote electronic representation elections, and barring captive-audience meetings and employer electioneering without an opt-out during the post-petition critical period while ensuring unions equal access to communicate upon request.

Strengthens worker rights by prohibiting permanent replacement of strikers, retaliation against returning strikers, and pre-strike lockouts to influence bargaining; barring misclassification and misrepresentations of coverage; authorizing agency service fees in lieu of membership; mandating public reporting by consultants hired to persuade employees or monitor labor activity; and updating notice requirements for concerted refusals to work at health care institutions.

This bill proposes a series of incremental increases to the minimum wage in Massachusetts, and includes a mechanism to adjust it based on inflation. The bill raises the minimum wage in successive annual increments from the current $15.00 to $16.25, then to $17.50, $18.75, and finally reaching $20.00 in 2029. For employees earning a subminimum wage, incremental raises are also outlined, progressing from $6.75 to $7.92, $9.19, and $10.55, ultimately adjusting to 60 percent of the calculated minimum wage by 2030. Additionally, the bill mandates that starting in 2030, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development will determine an adjusted minimum wage reflecting inflation changes, using the consumer price index for urban wage earners.

This bill concerns protections and benefits for agricultural and farm workers.Under the bill, the minimum wage for agricultural employees is set at the general minimum wage. Also, agricultural employees accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, with a maximum accrual of 55 hours per year. This leave can be taken for any reason with appropriate notice and cannot be replaced with sick leave or result in retaliation. Employers may also offer more generous leave policies at their discretion. Also, the bill provides that agricultural workers working for eight or more hours in a day are entitled to two paid 15-minute breaks, with break areas required to have regulated temperatures and access to hydration. The Department of Labor Standards is responsible for establishing regulations to ensure safe and suitable conditions for these breaks, particularly during extreme temperatures.

The "Safe Communities Act" bill limits the role of state law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement. It expressly forbids law enforcement officers from inquiring about an individual's immigration status, including those of crime victims and witnesses, unless mandated by state or federal law. The bill requires that interviews related to immigration enforcement conducted under the custody of law enforcement proceed only with the individual's informed consent. This consent must be obtained through a multilingual written form that clearly communicates the nature of the interview and the individual's rights, including the right to decline the interview or to request the presence of legal counsel.

Additionally, the bill restricts communications with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by limiting notifications regarding an individual’s release from local or state custody. It mandates that these individuals be informed of any federal requests concerning their detention. The bill also prohibits state and local law enforcement and correctional officers from carrying out immigration enforcement functions and invalidates existing agreements that conflict with this prohibition unless they relate to inter-governmental arrangements for housing detainees with DHS covering daily expenses.

Creates refundable income and corporate excise tax credits for employers of agricultural and farm workers (excluding immediate family), equal to a size-scaled percentage-capped at 40 percent-of the overtime premium paid, with any excess refunded in full without interest. Restructures overtime by applying it after 40 hours to employees engaged solely or primarily in secondary agriculture, while those engaged solely in primary agriculture or in both primary and secondary agriculture receive overtime only after 55 hours.

Redefines "Agricultural and farm work" to distinguish primary from secondary agriculture, adds a definition of "Farm," and removes agricultural and farm work from exclusions in the definition of "Occupation." Directs the Department of Revenue and the Department of Labor Standards to issue regulations within six months to set credit scaling by farm size and clarify the weekly mix of primary and secondary work that triggers the 55-hour threshold.

This bill proposes changing how certain foreign income amounts are handled under state tax law. Under the bill, 50% of revenue received from non-US companies that are controlled by American individuals, federally considered the so-called GILTI income, will be subject to state income tax. These changes are scheduled to be effective for tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025.

This bill replaces current law on underperforming schools and receivership, and substitutes reforms relating to the oversight and performance of underperforming schools. Key provisions include the establishment of local stakeholder groups tasked with developing comprehensive support and improvement plans for up to five percent of schools selected as needing support. These groups will comprise superintendents, school committee members, union representatives, educators, parents, and community figures. The improvement plans will employ evidence-based interventions such as class size reduction, professional development, and student mental and social health support services. The focus is on aligning strategies with the school’s vision and addressing unique challenges and strengths. Plans are set for a four-year duration, with annual reviews and possible extensions upon meeting exit criteria.

The bill also mandates a transition plan for districts in receivership, to conclude within a year, facilitated by necessary funding and technical assistance. A special commission will evaluate and recommend enhancements to the state's student, school, and district assessment systems, ensuring federal compliance while promoting authentic and less demographically biased evaluation methods. Additionally, the bill revises the financial arrangements between public school districts and charter schools, imposing a cap on charter school tuition payments at 9% of a district's net school spending, with additional allowances in excess of the cap if necessary due to siblings attending charter schools.

This bill focuses on regulating artificial intelligence (AI) and automated decision systems (ADS) within workplaces. It sets guidelines for the deployment of electronic monitoring tools by employers, which can only be employed for specific purposes such as quality control, compliance, or workplace safety, with minimal and only necessary data collection. Employers are required to provide written notice and obtain employee consent before implementing these tools, specifying their purpose, the data collected, and retention policies, and ensuring they adopt the least invasive monitoring methods. The bill also mandates the maintenance of detailed compliance records and the protection of data confidentiality and integrity. Restrictions include provisions banning monitoring to obtain health or other private information about employees, and may not take place in bathrooms, locker rooms, lounges and similar spaces. The bill also prohibits using electronic monitoring data for disciplinary actions unless performance standards have been disclosed to employees with proper notice.

Additionally, the bill governs the use of automated employment decision tools, requiring these tools to undergo impact assessments by independent auditors. These assessments must evaluate the tools' validity, potential biases, and effects on protected groups, ensuring they do not foster discrimination and are not solely relied upon for employment decisions. Employers must inform employees and candidates about their use, offering alternatives or accommodations as necessary. The bill specifically bans the use of ADS with facial or emotion recognition technologies unless essential for security reasons, protects employees from retaliatory actions when challenging AI outputs, and mandates regular impact assessments by state agencies to avoid discriminatory outcomes. Moreover, it restricts the use of automated decision systems in public services unless authorized by law.

This bill requires schools to limit student access to personal electronic devices during the school day. Exceptions are made for emergencies or educational needs. Schools must communicate these policies to parents and submit them to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for oversight and guidance. Schools must also educate students on the social, emotional, and physical risks of social media use.

Social media platforms must implement nearly foolproof age verification systems and establish default privacy-focused settings for minors, including permitting communication and content sharing only with established connections, disabling features like autoplay and continuous scrolling, and barring access during certain hours, such as nighttime and school hours. Platforms are also required to include mechanisms for flagging unwanted content and must issue health warnings related to social media use. 

This bill replaces current law on underperforming schools and receivership, and substitutes reforms relating to the oversight and performance of underperforming schools. Key provisions include the establishment of local stakeholder groups tasked with developing comprehensive support and improvement plans for up to five percent of schools selected as needing support. These groups will comprise superintendents, school committee members, union representatives, educators, parents, and community figures. The improvement plans will employ evidence-based interventions such as class size reduction, professional development, and student mental and social health support services. The focus is on aligning strategies with the school’s vision and addressing unique challenges and strengths. Plans are set for a four-year duration, with annual reviews and possible extensions upon meeting exit criteria.

The bill also mandates a transition plan for districts in receivership, to conclude within a year, facilitated by necessary funding and technical assistance. A special commission will evaluate and recommend enhancements to the state's student, school, and district assessment systems, ensuring federal compliance while promoting authentic and less demographically biased evaluation methods. Additionally, the bill revises the financial arrangements between public school districts and charter schools, imposing a cap on charter school tuition payments at 9% of a district's net school spending, with additional allowances in excess of the cap if necessary due to siblings attending charter schools.

Requires the Department, in consultation with the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, to develop model materials on secure firearm storage for school districts-covering the importance of securing firearms in homes and vehicles, the risks of unsecured firearms to children, teens, schools, and the wider community, and actions the school community can take, including awareness of secure storage requirements and suicide-prevention and other behavioral health or educational resources-that are reviewed annually and provided in multiple languages as needed.

Mandates superintendents and school committees to collaborate to annually distribute a notice based on this content to parents, guardians, and staff, and to make the information electronically accessible on the district's webpage.

Repeals a provision of a 1995 act that was subsequently amended in 2014.

The bill creates a commission to make recommendations to ensure fair and adequate funding for PreK-12 public education. The commission will review all facets of the school funding formula and additional financial mechanisms for public schools, concentrating on the foundation budget's components, the necessity to eliminate the cap on the foundation inflation index, and the financial needs for special education and student transportation. It will also assess the effects of low and declining enrollments, the hurdles faced by rural districts, and the sufficiency of local contribution efforts, among other concerns. The commission will consist of legislators, education stakeholders, and individuals with expertise in education or municipal finance. 

Creates a 15-member special legislative commission to investigate community schools and recommend statewide adoption, while establishing definitions for "Community School" and "Community Schools strategy." The commission is co-chaired by the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Education and includes the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, representatives of the Massachusetts Community Schools Coalition, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, Massachusetts Teachers Association, and United Way of Massachusetts Bay, plus seven gubernatorial appointees (two students, a parent, a superintendent, a principal, a coordinator, and a community-based organization representative), with attention to rural, urban, and suburban representation.

Requires the commission to analyze implementation models and trends; review supportive policies in other jurisdictions; assess adoption, implementation, and outcomes (including absenteeism); define essential elements, including as an equity strategy; identify legal, regulatory, information/training, and funding barriers; and meet at least bimonthly.

Directs it to submit by February 15, 2026 a report with findings and specific recommendations, including legislative or regulatory changes, policies to codify definitions and incentivize statewide adoption with sustainable funding streams, and a proposed statewide pilot program specifying eligible communities, necessary resources, the funding award process, and data, outcomes, and evaluation criteria.

This bill concerns educational assessments and services for English Language Learner (ELL) students, particularly those who also have disabilities. It requires that during evaluations, school committees account for a student’s English proficiency and ensure assessments are given in the student’s primary language. Additionally, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team for ELL students must include experts in second language acquisition, with the IEP addressing both their language and special education needs.

The bill prohibits school districts from suggesting parents opt out of ELL services to simplify the scheduling of special education services. It mandates schools to facilitate meaningful communication with parents and guardians through interpreters and translators who are both bilingual and skilled in specialized terminology. 

This bill establishes an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund, aimed at providing immigration legal services to eligible immigrants and refugees, with a focus on those in federal detention or facing removal proceedings. Administered by the Office for Refugees and Immigrants, the fund administers a competitive grant program that supports nonprofit organizations, law firms, and qualified private attorneys experienced in immigration law. Priority for legal services will go to individuals detained or facing immediate deportation risks. A Coordinator will offer logistical support, technical assistance, and training to legal professionals. The fund will receive revenue through a line-item in the state budget as well as external sources.

Overhauls private-sector labor relations to ensure state coverage whenever federal preemption or jurisdiction lapses, triggering application of state law to any employer, employees, trade, or industry outside the National Labor Relations Board's reach; requires prompt certification of previously NLRB-certified bargaining units, maintaining existing terms during a 30-day verification. Expands coverage by redefining "employer" and "employee" to capture nonprofits, health care facilities, and certain vendors to public entities while excluding specified domestic, agricultural, and family workers; codifies an ABC test presuming employee status; adopts a joint-employer standard based on direct, indirect, or reserved control; and defines "written majority authorization" with a 12-month signature window and e-signature rules.

Strengthens protections and enforcement by prohibiting permanent replacement of strikers, pre-strike lockouts to influence bargaining, and misclassification or misrepresentations about coverage; authorizing interim injunctive relief; empowering the Department of Labor Relations and the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board to investigate, subpoena, and enforce; and imposing remedies including back pay without mitigation, front pay, consequential and treble liquidated damages, punitive damages, attorneys' fees, civil penalties, and individual liability for corporate officers. Regulates employer anti-union conduct by requiring detailed reporting by consultants who persuade employees or supply employers with information on employee or union activities in a labor dispute, barring captive-audience meetings and mandating equal access for unions during the post-petition critical period, permitting payment of an agency service fee in lieu of union membership, requiring 10-day advance notice before strikes at health care institutions, and directing the Department to implement remote representation elections via internet or telephone voting.

This bill proposes a series of incremental increases to the minimum wage in Massachusetts, and includes a mechanism to adjust it based on inflation. The bill raises the minimum wage in successive annual increments from the current $15.00 to $16.25, then to $17.50, $18.75, and finally reaching $20.00 in 2029. For employees earning a subminimum wage, incremental raises are also outlined, progressing from $6.75 to $7.92, $9.19, and $10.55, ultimately adjusting to 60 percent of the calculated minimum wage by 2030. Additionally, the bill mandates that starting in 2030, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development will determine an adjusted minimum wage reflecting inflation changes, using the consumer price index for urban wage earners.

The "Safe Communities Act" bill limits the role of state law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement. It expressly forbids law enforcement officers from inquiring about an individual's immigration status, including those of crime victims and witnesses, unless mandated by state or federal law. The bill requires that interviews related to immigration enforcement conducted under the custody of law enforcement proceed only with the individual's informed consent. This consent must be obtained through a multilingual written form that clearly communicates the nature of the interview and the individual's rights, including the right to decline the interview or to request the presence of legal counsel.

Additionally, the bill restricts communications with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by limiting notifications regarding an individual’s release from local or state custody. It mandates that these individuals be informed of any federal requests concerning their detention. The bill also prohibits state and local law enforcement and correctional officers from carrying out immigration enforcement functions and invalidates existing agreements that conflict with this prohibition unless they relate to inter-governmental arrangements for housing detainees with DHS covering daily expenses.

Amends overtime law to include agricultural and farm workers, confirming that employees engaged solely or primarily in secondary agriculture are covered by the general overtime requirement, while providing that employees engaged in solely primary agriculture or in both primary and secondary agriculture earn time-and-a-half only after 55 hours in a workweek. Redefines "Agricultural and farm work" to distinguish primary and secondary agriculture and enumerate covered activities, defines "Farm," and removes "agricultural and farm work" from the definition of "Occupation."

Creates a refundable tax credit for employers of agricultural and farm workers equal to up to 40% of overtime wages paid above the regular hourly rate, scaled inversely to farm size so smaller farms receive a higher percentage, and excluding immediate family employees; excess credit is refundable without interest and applies under both the personal income and corporate excise taxes. Requires the Department of Revenue to implement the credit's scaling and the Department of Labor Standards to clarify criteria for the 55-hour threshold; both the overtime and tax-credit changes take effect January 1 following enactment.

This bill concerns protections and benefits for agricultural and farm workers.Under the bill, the minimum wage for agricultural employees is set at the general minimum wage. Also, agricultural employees accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, with a maximum accrual of 55 hours per year. This leave can be taken for any reason with appropriate notice and cannot be replaced with sick leave or result in retaliation. Employers may also offer more generous leave policies at their discretion. Also, the bill provides that agricultural workers working for eight or more hours in a day are entitled to two paid 15-minute breaks, with break areas required to have regulated temperatures and access to hydration. The Department of Labor Standards is responsible for establishing regulations to ensure safe and suitable conditions for these breaks, particularly during extreme temperatures.

This bill proposes changing how certain foreign income amounts are handled under state tax law. Under the bill, 50% of revenue received from non-US companies that are controlled by American individuals, federally considered the so-called GILTI income, will be subject to state income tax. These changes are scheduled to be effective for tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2025.