H5188 • 2025

An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Luddy, Hadley
Last action: 2026-04-23
Official status: Referred to Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth

An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth By Representatives Luddy of Orleans and Tarsky of Needham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Hadley Luddy for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) to study access to unemployment insurance.

What This Bill Does

An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth By Representatives Luddy of Orleans and Tarsky of Needham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Hadley Luddy for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) to study access to unemployment insurance.
Labor and Workforce Development.
Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-04-23 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 04/29/2026 from 11:00 AM-12:00 PM in B-1 and Virtual Hearing location changed
2026-04-17 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 04/29/2026 from 11:00 AM-12:00 PM in B-2
2026-03-02 Senate
Senate concurred
2026-02-26 House
Reported, referred to the committee on Joint Rules, reported, rules suspended and referred to the committee on Labor and Workforce Development
2026-01-27 House
Referred to the committee on House Rules

Official Summary Text

An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth
By Representatives Luddy of Orleans and Tarsky of Needham, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Hadley Luddy for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) to study access to unemployment insurance. Labor and Workforce Development.
Status:
Referred to Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Bill H.5188

SECTION 1. (a) There shall be a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the commonwealth. The commission shall study and make recommendations for remedying timeliness and equity issues in the processing of claims for unemployment insurance. The commission shall evaluate the structure and operations of the department of unemployment assistance, including the current number of employees and the departmental budget, and make recommendations to improve the department’s effectiveness in fulfilling its legislative mandate.

(b) The commission shall consist of 9 members: the secretary of labor and workforce development, or a designee; the director of the department of unemployment assistance, or a designee; the chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, or designees; and 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 3 of whom shall have expertise in the administration of unemployment insurance or other social services and 2 of whom shall have experience in pursuing a claim for unemployment insurance in the commonwealth.

SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 2026, the commission shall file a report of its findings, including any legislative, regulatory or budgetary recommendations, with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on labor and workforce development.

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