H 2191

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3165  FILED ON: 1/16/2025
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2191
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _________________
  PRESENTED BY:
  Christopher J. Worrell
  _________________
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 establish an enhanced care worker minimum wage.
  _______________
  PETITION OF:
NAME:  DISTRICT/ADDRESS:  DATE ADDED:
Christopher J. Worrell  5th Suffolk  1/16/2025
Christopher Hendricks  11th Bristol  1/23/2025
John Barrett, III  1st Berkshire  1/23/2025
Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.  12th Hampden  1/23/2025
Carmine Lawrence Gentile  13th Middlesex  1/23/2025
Lindsay N. Sabadosa  1st Hampshire  1/23/2025
Paul J. Donato  35th Middlesex  1/23/2025
Rodney M. Elliott  16th Middlesex  1/27/2025
Natalie M. Higgins  4th Worcester  1/27/2025
Bud L. Williams  11th Hampden  1/27/2025
Danillo A. Sena  37th Middlesex  1/27/2025
James B. Eldridge  Middlesex and Worcester  1/29/2025
James K. Hawkins  2nd Bristol  1/29/2025
Samantha Montaño  15th Suffolk  1/29/2025
Margaret R. Scarsdale  1st Middlesex  1/29/2025
Christine P. Barber  34th Middlesex  1/29/2025
Erika Uyterhoeven  27th Middlesex  1/29/2025
Sean Reid  11th Essex  2/3/2025
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Michael D. Brady  Second Plymouth and Norfolk   2/3/2025
Paul McMurtry  11th Norfolk  2/5/2025
Steven Owens  29th Middlesex  2/7/2025
Michelle L. Badger  1st Plymouth  2/12/2025
David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf   17th Worcester  2/12/2025
Daniel Cahill  10th Essex  2/12/2025
James C. Arena-DeRosa  8th Middlesex  2/12/2025
Marjorie C. Decker  25th Middlesex  2/21/2025
Patricia A. Duffy  5th Hampden  2/21/2025
Frank A. Moran  17th Essex  2/25/2025
Kevin G. Honan  17th Suffolk  2/25/2025
Adam J. Scanlon  14th Bristol  3/4/2025
Mary S. Keefe  15th Worcester  3/5/2025
Adrian C. Madaro  1st Suffolk  3/5/2025
Antonio F. D. Cabral  13th Bristol  3/12/2025
Adrianne Pusateri Ramos       14th Essex  3/12/2025
Mike Connolly  26th Middlesex  3/12/2025
Steven Ultrino  33rd Middlesex  3/13/2025
John Francis Moran  9th Suffolk  3/13/2025
James J. O'Day  14th Worcester  3/19/2025
Dennis C. Gallagher  8th Plymouth  3/19/2025
Tara T. Hong  18th Middlesex  3/19/2025
Daniel M. Donahue  16th Worcester  3/19/2025
Amy Mah Sangiolo  11th Middlesex  3/27/2025
David M. Rogers  24th Middlesex  4/8/2025
Russell E. Holmes  6th Suffolk  4/18/2025
Michael P. Kushmerek  3rd Worcester  5/5/2025
Bridget Plouffe  9th Plymouth  5/2/2025
Rita A. Mendes  11th Plymouth  5/5/2025
Kate Donaghue  19th Worcester  5/13/2025
Estela A. Reyes  4th Essex  5/13/2025
Michelle M. DuBois  10th Plymouth  5/20/2025
Jack Patrick Lewis  7th Middlesex  5/20/2025
Sean Garballey  23rd Middlesex  5/30/2025
Vanna Howard  17th Middlesex  7/7/2025
Natalie M. Blais  1st Franklin  7/15/2025
Orlando Ramos  9th Hampden  7/9/2025
Simon Cataldo  14th Middlesex  9/9/2025
Leigh Davis  3rd Berkshire  10/9/2025
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Nick Collins   First Suffolk   1/29/2026
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  HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3165  FILED ON: 1/16/2025
      HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2191
     By Representative Worrell of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2191) of
     Christopher J. Worrell and others relative to an enhanced care worker minimum wage. Labor
     and Workforce Development.
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
     An Act to establish an enhanced care worker minimum wage.
  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. Chapter 19A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after
 2   Section 4D the following new section:-
 3  Section 4E: In establishing rates of payment for homemaker and personal care
 4   homemaker services pursuant to the second paragraph of section 13C of chapter 118E of the
 5   M.G.L. and in implementing such rate regulations, the executive of office shall require that the
 6   minimum wage paid to employees of home care agencies providing such services shall be no less
 7   than $25 per hour in the first rate year and that such minimum wage shall be adjusted by the rate
 8   of inflation for each subsequent rate year. Such adjusted minimum wage rate shall be calculated
 9   to the nearest cent using the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers or
10   a successor index, for the 12 months prior to each rate year as calculated by the United States
11   department of labor. When establishing rates of payment for homemaker and personal care
12   homemaker services, the executive office shall adjust such rates to ensure that the rates fully
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13   account for the cost to providers of paying such enhanced minimum wage. Nothing in this
14   section shall be construed as limiting consideration of other governmental mandates or operating
15   costs that affect the cost of providing services pursuant to section 4 of chapter 19A of the
16   General Laws.
17  SECTION 2. Section 13C of Chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
18   Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following new paragraph:-
19  In establishing such rates of payment pursuant to the second paragraph of this section and
20   in implementing rate regulations, the executive office shall require that the minimum wage paid
21   to employees of social service program providers receiving such payments shall be no less than
22   $25 per hour in the first rate year and that such minimum wage shall be adjusted by the rate of
23   inflation for each subsequent rate year. Such adjusted minimum wage rate shall be calculated to
24   the nearest cent using the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers or a
25   successor index, for the 12 months prior to each rate year as calculated by the United States
26   department of labor. When establishing rates of payment for social service programs, the
27   secretary of the executive office shall adjust such rates of payment to ensure that the rates fully
28   account for the cost to providers of paying such enhanced minimum wage.
29  SECTION 3. The executive office of health and human services shall complete the
30   processes above and file for emergency adoption of such amended regulations no later than 180
31   days after passage of this Act.
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