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S 1302

An Act to correct non-fault unemployment insurance overpayments

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Jo Comerford and 2 co-sponsors

Massachusetts bill waives unemployment insurance overpayment repayment obligations for recipients who received excess benefits through no personal fault or misrepresentation.

Hearing rescheduled to 10/08/2025 from 10:00 AM-12:15 PM in B-1 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
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Bill Summary · S 1302

Legislative bill overview

S 1302 would allow Massachusetts to waive repayment of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that were overpaid to recipients through no fault of their own. This would prevent the state from pursuing claimants for money they received due to administrative errors, system failures, or incorrect state guidance rather than personal fraud or misrepresentation.

Why is this important

Unemployment overpayments can burden financially vulnerable people with substantial debt collection efforts, wage garnishments, or offset of future benefits. This bill addresses a real policy problem where claimants who followed state instructions or received benefits due to processing errors face years of repayment obligations, creating barriers to financial stability and employment transitions.

Potential points of contention

  • Cost to the state: Waiving overpayments shifts financial losses from individual claimants to state UI trust funds, potentially affecting future premium rates for employers or benefit availability
  • Definition of "non-fault": The bill's specific criteria for what constitutes claimant non-responsibility could be disputed—does it include all administrative errors, or only certain categories?
  • Employer impact: Some business groups may argue that unrecovered overpayments indirectly increase their UI tax burden, though supporters counter this is preferable to punishing jobless workers

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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