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S 1850

Relates to establishing the safe water infrastructure action program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jake Ashby and 17 co-sponsors

The bill designates the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Treasurer, the Auditor, and the Attorney General as the official employers for their respective employees under Chapter 1

PRINT NUMBER 1850A
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Bill Summary · S 1850

Summary — S.1850 (Print 1850A): Clarifying “Employer” for Constitutional Officers under Chapter 150E

Important note: the bill text provided and the bill title at the top of your message appear to be inconsistent. The body of the text and docket information below concern a Massachusetts bill that clarifies which officials are the “employer” for collective bargaining under Chapter 150E (state public-sector labor law). The title line “Relates to establishing the safe water infrastructure action program” does not match that text. This summary treats the bill text as the authoritative source.

Purpose

To clarify, for purposes of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 150E (public employee collective bargaining), that employees who work in the departments of four named constitutional officers — the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Treasurer, the Auditor, and the Attorney General — have those constitutional officers themselves designated as the “employer.”

Key provisions

  • Amends the definition of “employee” in Section 1 of Chapter 150E by removing the phrase referencing “the officers and employees within the departments of the state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney general.”
  • Amends the definition of “employer” in Section 1 of Chapter 150E by adding a sentence stating: in the case of employees of the state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney general, the employer shall be the state secretary, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney general respectively.

(In short: the bill removes language grouping those workers in the “employee” definition and explicitly names each constitutional officer as that workforce’s employer for collective bargaining purposes.)

Who is affected

  • Employees and supervisors in the offices/departments of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, State Treasurer, State Auditor and Attorney General.
  • The four constitutional officers (as the entities that will be recognized as employers).
  • Public-sector unions, bargaining units, and labor relations administrators that negotiate, enforce, or arbitrate under Chapter 150E.

Potential impact and implications

  • Administrative clarity: makes explicit which official has statutory employer authority for bargaining, recognition, contract negotiation, and bargaining-unit responsibilities for those offices.
  • Negotiation and liability: may affect who signs collective bargaining agreements, who is responsible for implementation, and who represents management in grievance/arbitration procedures.
  • May influence how bargaining units are organized and which entity handles personnel policy, though the bill is narrowly phrased (it addresses the statutory definition rather than broader operational details).

Procedural status (selected actions reported)

  • Filed in Senate docket: 1/17/2025.
  • Introduced in Senate and read twice; referred to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: 5/21/2025.
  • Committee hearing scheduled/rescheduled for 09/22/2025 (virtual and in-person entries).
  • Reported favorably by committee and referred to Senate Rules: 11/26/2025.
  • Print number issued as 1850A (records show actions on 03/06/2025 and related committee referrals and reports noted earlier in 2025).

Legal context

Chapter 150E is Massachusetts’ public employee collective bargaining statute; the bill changes statutory definitions used throughout that chapter to govern representation, bargaining obligations, and dispute resolution.

If you want, I can:
- Provide a redlined comparison showing the exact wording before and after the proposed amendments; or
- Outline likely operational questions agencies will face if the bill is enacted (e.g., payroll, legal representation, implementation steps).

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

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