An Act creating a commission to study unemployment insurance reform
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1/28/2026 | House | Discharged to the committee on House Rules |
| 1/15/2026 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committees on Rules of the two branches, acting concurrently |
| 1/15/2026 | House | Reported on a part of H4931↗ |
| 1/15/2026 | House | Reported from the committee on House Rules |
| 1/15/2026 | House | Accompanied a study order, see H4931↗ |
| 10/27/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 11/04/2025 from 10:30 AM-01:30 PM in A-2 |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on Financial Services |
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J11 | Accompanied | — |
| H33 | Favorable | — |
| J40 | Discharge to Another Committee | — |
There shall be a special commission to: (i) evaluate the Commonwealth’s current unemployment policies and assess their effect on the health and growth of Massachusetts small businesses, and (ii) make recommendations to improve the existing unemployment insurance procedures in regard to fostering economic growth and incentivizing employers to hire additional workers. The commission shall file its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives not later than December 31, 2027. The commission shall consist of 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the senate president; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; the secretary of labor and workforce development or a designee; the secretary of economic development or a designee; the chair of the joint committee on community development and small business; the chair of the joint committee on labor and workforce development; the chair of the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies; and 1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, the Massachusetts chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Massachusetts State Labor Council.
SECTION 1. There shall be a special commission to: (i) evaluate the Commonwealth’s current unemployment policies and assess their effect on the health and growth of Massachusetts small businesses, and (ii) make recommendations to improve the existing unemployment insurance procedures in regard to fostering economic growth and incentivizing employers to hire additional workers. The commission shall file its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives not later than December 31, 2027. The commission shall consist of 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 member who shall be appointed by the senate president; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; the secretary of labor and workforce development or a designee; the secretary of economic development or a designee; the chair of the joint committee on community development and small business; the chair of the joint committee on labor and workforce development; the chair of the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies; and 1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: Associated Industries of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, the Massachusetts chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the Massachusetts State Labor Council.