On August 11, 2022, then-Governor Charlie Baker signed Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022, An Act Relative to Equity in the Cannabis Industry, into law. This new statute went into effect on November 9, 2022, and will...more
On January 2, 2023, former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed Massachusetts House Bill 5103, “An Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities,” into law. The goal of this bill is to prevent road-related injuries and deaths....more
Governor Charlie Baker recently took steps to strengthen cybersecurity in Massachusetts by signing an executive order on December 14, 2022 creating an advisory panel to improve the state’s cyber defense. The new state task...more
Several important updates to the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law (“PFML”) go into effect on January 1, 2023. Background on the PFML - Beginning in 2021, the PFML began providing paid family and medical...more
On July 26, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles,” popularly known as the Massachusetts CROWN Act. The effective date of the new law...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair ("CROWN") Act, prohibiting discrimination against employees and students on the basis of natural...more
Voters in Massachusetts may be asked whether to repeal state law granting standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in November. In February 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives...more
Massachusetts Governor Signs Comprehensive Cannabis Regulation Bill - On August 11, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill (S. 3096) aimed at advancing social equity and diversity within the state’s...more
Following the signing of Massachusetts’ new sports wagering law by Governor Baker earlier in the month, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has released a Notice of Intent Regarding License for Sports Wagering, which it has...more
Since the Legislature passed An Act Regulating Sports Wagering, the Commonwealth has been a hive of activity as Massachusetts ushers in a new era in gaming and aligns with the dozens of other states that have already...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (“CROWN Act”) into law, making Massachusetts the 18th state to enact legislation aimed at protecting...more
Governor Baker signed the climate bill (H.5060), titled An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, into law on Thursday August 11, 2022. The act combines and modifies provisions from the House’s proposed offshore wind...more
On August 11, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law An Act driving climate policy forward. After months of heavy legislative activity involving a wide range of stakeholders in the clean energy and...more
For the first time since adult-use legalization in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Legislature voted to pass marijuana reform legislation that will impact the cannabis industry across the Commonwealth in significant ways,...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles,” also known as the Massachusetts CROWN Act. The law prohibits...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN Act) into law, making Massachusetts the 18th state to enact such a law....more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts joined seventeen other states which prohibit race discrimination based on natural hairstyles when Governor Charlie Baker signed the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair...more
On Monday, August 1, 2022, the Massachusetts House and Senate reached a last-minute deal to legalize retail and online sports betting throughout the state. The bill, which Governor Charlie Baker is expected to sign in the...more
The Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill, S. 3096, on August 1, 2022 that among other items clarifies and limits the authority of municipalities to demand percentage-based annual Community Impact Fees and other donations...more
A provision in the enacted state budget for fiscal year 2023 would have amended the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) to provide employers and employees more flexibility to use other accrued benefits to...more
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on July 26, 2022, signed into law the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act (CROWN Act), prohibiting discrimination against employees, students and other individuals based...more
On July 26, 2022, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (“CROWN”) Act. Among other things, the law prohibits discrimination based on “traits...more
On April 21, 2022, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the trial court’s decision that several restaurants were not entitled to business interruption coverage for losses resulting from shutdown orders issued by...more
On March 17, the same day we wrote about proposed legislation in Connecticut to cap drug price increases, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts included a similar proposal in his proposed budget. Similar to the Connecticut...more
On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law an act requiring eligible Massachusetts employers to provide emergency paid sick leave to employees who are unable to work for COVID-19–related reasons. On...more