Furthering clearing the decks before a July 31 deadline, Massachusetts lawmakers have reached a compromise on legislation that would require most employers to be upfront about the wages they pay their employers.

The Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) law now permits employees to “top off” benefits received through the state Department of Family and Medical Leave (“DFML”) with employer-provided accrued paid time off (e.g., vacation, PTO, or sick time). 

More than 11,000 undocumented students now qualify for in-state tuition and state financial aid at Massachusetts colleges as schools start to implement the new policy. The law that passed this summer makes higher education more accessible to undocumented people who have grown up in Massachusetts.

BOSTON (SHNS) – Vulnerable workers, including immigrants who don’t know their rights or are fearful of employer retaliation, could gain stronger protections against pervasive wage theft under legislation that is supported by the state’s top prosecutor and Gov. Maura Healey but has failed to win over Democrats on Beacon Hill for years.

BOSTON (AP) — A bill that would allow immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts has become law after the state Senate voted Thursday to override the veto of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

BOSTON (SHNS) – Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed legislation that will allow businesses to avoid steep spikes in unemployment insurance taxes this spring and summer by spreading the cost over the next 20 years, but the administration and lawmakers still face pressure to use federal relief funds to remove some of that burden from employers.