HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4975        FILED ON: 3/24/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4747

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Smitty Pignatelli and John Barrett, III

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a COVID-19 food service and hospitality worker relief fund.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4975        FILED ON: 3/24/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4747

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

An Act establishing a COVID-19 food service and hospitality worker relief fund.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide forthwith for relief to food service and hospitality workers during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Commonwealth, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) There shall be established and set upon the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the COVID-19 Food Service and Hospitality Worker Relief Emergency Fund to be administered by the executive office of labor and workforce development.

(b) The purpose of the Fund shall be for financial assistance in the form of grants to individuals employed in the food service and hospitality industry within the commonwealth that have been laid off or are otherwise experiencing financial distress as a result of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, also known as COVID-19, or executive order 591 and any subsequent orders pursuant to said executive order.

(c) There shall be credited to the Fund all amounts that are, by law, transferred or authorized to be transferred thereto or directed to be deposited therein, and all amounts received as gifts, grants, or contributions for the purposes of the Fund. Amounts credited to the Fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the Fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.

SECTION 2. On the effective date of this act, the comptroller shall transfer $75,000,000 from the Commonwealth Stabilization Fund to the COVID-19 Food Service and Hospitality Worker Relief Fund established in section 1 for the purposes of carrying out this act.