SECTION 1. Section 6 of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out sub-section (v) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection: --

(v) service performed by a person committed to a custodial or penal institution.

SECTION 2.  Section 25 of said chapter 151A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the final paragraph of sub-section (e) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:  --

Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, no waiting period shall be allowed and no benefits shall be paid to an individual under this chapter for the period of unemployment next ensuing and until the individual has had at least eight weeks of work and in each of said weeks has earned an amount equivalent to or in excess of the individual’s weekly benefit amount after having left work to accompany or join one’s spouse or another person at a new locality; provided that this disqualification shall not apply to an individual who has left work to accompany or join the individual’s spouse or another person, who, being a service member on active service in the armed forces of the United States, has relocated beyond commuting distance due to a permanent change of station; provided further, however, that the service member has not been relocated in order to be separated from service.  If the individual’s employer is liable for contributions under section 14 or 14C of this chapter, such employer’s account shall not be charged for any benefits paid out to the individual under this paragraph.

SECTION 3.  Section 25 of said chapter 151A is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 325 through 327, the following words --

provided further, that the amount deducted each week shall not exceed 25 per cent of the individual’s weekly unemployment benefit rate; and

SECTION 4.  Section 46 of said chapter 151A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out sub-section (g) and inserting in place thereof the following sub-section: --

(g) Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions of this section, the director may publish a list of active employers that are delinquent under this chapter in the payment of their obligations in an amount greater than five thousand dollars, provided that the information already has become public either through its inclusion in a document filed in court in connection with an effort to collect the delinquency or in a notice of lien recorded as part of an effort to secure the department’s rights regarding the delinquency, and provided further that the disclosure is not precluded by federal law.  The director may promulgate regulations to implement this subsection.

SECTION 5.  Section 62A of chapter 151A of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following sub-section: --

(h) Any other general or special law or other provision of chapter 151A notwithstanding, any written communication required or permitted by this chapter or by regulations promulgated thereunder shall be made and transmitted in the manner and form prescribed by the director, which may include by means of electronic communication.  The director shall establish procedures for allowing the use of electronic communications for such purposes, provided that such procedures shall require that all written communications to and from persons lacking reasonable access to, or the ability to use or receive, electronic communications shall be made by means of the United States Postal Service.  For the purpose of this sub-section, a “communication” shall include, without limitation, any written notice or questionnaire from the department and any written response or other submission from a claimant, a claimant’s representative, an employer, or an employer’s representative.

An electronic communication sent to the department and made in the name of a claimant or employer and using the Social Security Account Number, Federal Employer Identification Number, or unique identification number or code assigned to the claimant or employer by the director shall be presumed to have been made by that individual or employer unless the director is satisfied on the available evidence that the electronic communication was not made by or on behalf of that individual or employer.