On June 20, Massachusetts lawmakers approved legislation aimed at preventing several high profile ballot questions from appearing before voters in November. Commonly referred to as the “Grand Bargain,” the legislation (H.4640) raises the state’s minimum wage, eliminates premium pay for those who work on Sundays and holidays, creates a paid family and medical leave program, and institutes a permanent annual sales tax holiday weekend.

The legislation represents a compromise between labor and progressive groups, led by Raise Up Massachusetts, supporting ballot questions to increase the minimum wage and create a paid family and medical leave program and business groups, led by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM), pushing for a ballot question to reduce the state sales tax and create a permanent sales tax holiday. By reaching this deal, lawmakers hope to keep the proposed questions regarding these topics off of the November 2018 ballot. Below we detail the components of the compromise...