Study Order

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

authorizes a legislative study on wage, overtime, unemployment and related topics, with findings and potential draft legislation due by Dec 31, 2026.

Discharged to the committee on House Rules

What the bill is

Bill Type: Study order from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Bill Number: H. 5362

Session: 194th

Date of issuance: April 15, 2026

Principal action: Authorizes a legislative study by the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development regarding several wage-related and unemployment insurance topics referenced in related House documents.

Purpose and intent

The primary purpose is to authorize the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development to conduct a formal investigation and study of a set of wage, compensation, and unemployment insurance issues raised in a group of companion bills (House documents 2071, 2081, 2107, 2134, 2148, 2159, 2161, and 2174).

The committee is directed to examine these topics and report back with findings, recommendations, and, if appropriate, drafts of legislation to implement any recommendations.

Key provisions

Authorization to investigate: The committee is empowered to sit during a recess of the General Court to study the specified documents.

Scope of study: The topics include:

Time-and-a-half wages (overtime) practices
Minimum gratuity expectations in dining
Raising the state minimum wage
Municipal unemployment insurance
Public health prevailing wage exemptions
Fair wages on government-subsidized construction projects
Ensuring fair and full employee compensation
Salaries and wages for municipal employees

Deliverables and timeline:

The committee must report its investigation results, findings, and recommendations to the General Court.
The report should include drafts of any necessary legislation to implement the recommendations.
Deadline for filing the report with the Clerk of the House: on or before December 31, 2026.

Who would be affected (potential impacts)

Workers and employees: Depending on the final recommendations, changes could affect wage practices (e.g., overtime rules, tipped employees, fair compensation, minimum wage levels).

Employers and business sectors: Potential changes to overtime requirements, gratuity policies, wage floors, and bidding on government projects with prevailing wage or wage standards.

Municipal governments: Possible reforms to municipal unemployment insurance programs and compensation practices for city/town employees.

Government-funded construction projects: Implications for prevailing wage exemptions and the level of wage standards on projects with public subsidies.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Process: The committee is authorized to meet during a General Court recess to conduct the study.

Reporting: A final report with findings, recommendations, and proposed statutory drafts is due to the Clerk of the House by December 31, 2026.

Next steps if adopted: If the report contains recommended legislation, it would be introduced and considered in subsequent sessions or rules processes (the bill itself is a study order, not immediate law).

Overall takeaway

H. 5362 is a formal authorization for focused legislative study on a cluster of wage, compensation, and unemployment insurance topics drawn from several related proposals. The goal is to produce a comprehensive set of findings and, if warranted, draft legislation to address identified issues by the end of 2026.

Bill