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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Massachusetts legislature, overriding Governor Baker’s prior veto, has voted to enact a new elective pass-through entity (“PTE”) tax designed as a way for PTE owners to get out from under the $10,000 cap ($5,000 for...more
Much of the recent news about climate-influenced building codes has come out of California, where the California Energy Commission announced adoption of revisions to its Building Energy Efficiency Standards, also known as the...more
Signed into law back in January 2021, the state's landmark Campus Sexual Violence Act (Act) took effect Aug. 1, 2021, and new regulations from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) will take effect Aug. 13....more
Maine, Massachusetts, and Maryland all passed legislation this summer that expands the raison d’etre of state utility regulatory bodies to include addressing the impacts of climate change. These efforts mark an emerging trend...more
On May 28, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed into law “An Act providing for Massachusetts COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave.” The act requires eligible Massachusetts employers to provide emergency paid sick...more
On Friday, May 28, 2021, Governor Baker signed a law requiring Massachusetts employers to provide job-protected paid leave to their employees for certain reasons related to COVID-19 (the “Leave”). Eligible employers may seek...more
Effective immediately, Massachusetts employers must furnish up to 40 hours of COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave (“COVID Leave”) to their employees, to be made available either through September 30, 2021, or until the...more
On January 12, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed a new Campus Safety Act aimed at addressing sexual violence on- and off-campus at institutions of higher education, including a number of compliance obligations for public...more
While much attention has been paid to the ambitious climate change mitigation requirements in "An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy," the comprehensive climate change legislation recently...more
On March 26, 2021, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed Chapter 8 of the Acts of 2021, An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (the Act), into law, cementing the Commonwealth's status as...more
It’s not always the case, but my speculation about the Massachusetts climate bill was correct. On Friday, Governor Baker signed it into law. If I haven’t succeeded in making this clear previously, I want to emphasize that...more
In January, when Governor Baker vetoed the Legislature’s effort to go big on climate, my colleague Zach Gerson made clear that the bill was not even “mostly dead.” I am pleased to say that Zach’s diagnosis was correct. The...more
On January 12, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker signed a new Campus Safety Act (“CSA”) aimed at addressing sexual violence on- and off-campus at institutions of higher education. The CSA establishes a state task force on sexual...more