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S 747

Relates to veterans tuition awards program eligibility

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Extends unemployment insurance and paid family & medical leave to Massachusetts graduate student workers by removing the §6(k) exclusion, expanding coverage to TAs and RAs.

SIGNED CHAP.75
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Bill Summary · S 747

Summary — S.747 (Massachusetts, 194th General Court)

Status: Signed into law (Chapter 75) — enacted Feb 14, 2025
Filed: Jan 17, 2025 (Senate docket); introduced Feb 26, 2025
Primary text title: "An Act relative to access to paid family and medical leave and unemployment insurance for graduate student workers"

Note: the metadata supplied contains inconsistencies (a different short title referencing veterans tuition awards and multiple duplicated action dates and sponsors). The legislative language below and the enacted statutory change concern graduate student workers’ access to unemployment insurance and paid family & medical leave.

Purpose

The bill’s stated purpose is to extend access to Massachusetts’ unemployment insurance (UI) and paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits to graduate student workers by removing an existing statutory exclusion in the definition of “employment.”

Key provision

  • Amends section 6 of chapter 151A of the General Laws (2022 Official Edition) by striking out subsection (k).
    • Subsection (k) is an exclusion that has historically limited UI coverage for certain student/employment relationships. Removing (k) brings those previously excluded graduate student workers within the statutory definition of “employment” for purposes of chapter 151A.
  • The bill’s preamble and title explicitly reference both PFML and UI, indicating the intent that graduate student workers be eligible for both systems (PFML eligibility often depends on alignment of statutory employment definitions and payroll contribution status).

Who is affected

  • Primary: graduate student workers (e.g., graduate teaching assistants, research assistants) at Massachusetts colleges and universities previously excluded from UI/PFML coverage.
  • Employers: public and private institutions of higher education—may see changes in payroll reporting, contribution obligations, and administration of benefits.
  • State programs: Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance and the PFML program must update regulations, eligibility processes, and outreach to incorporate graduate student workers.
  • Fiscal: potential impacts on UI trust fund and PFML fund experience and employer contribution rates over time.

Administrative and procedural notes / timeline

  • Filed in the Senate (docketed Jan 17, 2025); referred to committees; substituted for companion A1470; passed both chambers in late January–early February 2025.
  • Delivered to the Governor: Feb 12, 2025. Signed into law and published as Chapter 75 on Feb 14, 2025.
  • Some public hearing scheduling entries and duplicated dates appear in the provided record; the core enacted change is the removal of subsection (k) from G.L. c.151A, §6.

Expected impact

  • Short term: universities and state agencies update payroll, eligibility determinations, and communications.
  • Medium/long term: greater access to UI and PFML for graduate student workers (income support during unemployment and paid leave for qualifying family/medical events), and potential budgetary effects on benefit funds and employer contribution rates. Exact fiscal impact requires actuarial analysis by state agencies.

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

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