The 2025-2026 MA state legislative session is now underway, and legislators have nearly 7,000 proposed bills to comb through.  As every bill in MA is guaranteed a public hearing, the joint committee review process will continue into the fall.  RAM will be focused on promoting public policy decisions that can result in higher sales and lower costs for our members.  The following bills, filed at RAM’s request, look to further that agenda:

 

HD3979 & SD799, An Act to establish a vendors’ collection allowance (Rep. Paul McMurtry & Sen. John Velis) - authorizes merchants who collect sales tax to retain up to 2% of the tax collected, capped annually at $750, as recognition of the work retailers and restaurants do, operating as tax collectors for the Commonwealth.  

 

SD1902, An Act relative to unemployment insurance (Sen. Bruce Tarr) - requires individuals to show work in two quarters to qualify for UI benefits. 

 

HD887 & SD269, An Act relative to gift card tampering (Rep. Tackey Chan & Sen. Michael Moore) - creates a new criminal statute on gift card tampering.

 

HD2412, An Act relative to Felony Threshold for Multiple Theft Offenses (Rep. David Muradian) - allows prosecutors to aggregate the value of merchandise stolen as part of a series of thefts occurring within a 180-day period to satisfy the $1,200 felony threshold contained in the crimes of larceny, shoplifting, credit card fraud, receipt of stolen goods.

  

SD390, An Act relative to small business health insurance incentives (Sen. Moore) - authorizes health insurance carriers to provide financial incentives to small group purchasers based on administrative efficiencies realized through group buying coverage through a state cooperative and based on group size.

 

HD514 & SD2256, An Act clarifying the process for paying the wages of dismissed employees (Rep. Jeff Roy & Sen. Barry Finegold) - creates a 15 day right to cure violations for the nonpayment of wages to dismissed employees upon written request. 

HD3978 & SD387, An Act establishing the Office of Massachusetts Main Streets (Rep. McMurtry & Sen. Jason Lewis) - creates a new office within the executive branch designed to coordinate local main street efforts, share best practices, provide education, and allow the Commonwealth’s main street organizations to access federal grant funds and programs.