HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4949        FILED ON: 3/17/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4749

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Christopher Hendricks

_________________

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 providing worker compensation protection to emergency response and medical personnel related to COVID-19 infection.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Christopher Hendricks

11th Bristol

3/17/2020

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

3/17/2020

Tram T. Nguyen

18th Essex

3/17/2020

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

3/17/2020

Claire D. Cronin

11th Plymouth

3/17/2020

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

3/17/2020

William L. Crocker, Jr.

2nd Barnstable

3/18/2020

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

3/18/2020

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

3/18/2020

Gerard J. Cassidy

9th Plymouth

3/18/2020

Alyson M. Sullivan

7th Plymouth

3/18/2020

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

3/18/2020

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

3/18/2020

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

3/18/2020

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

3/18/2020

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

3/18/2020

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

3/18/2020

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

3/18/2020

Antonio F. D. Cabral

13th Bristol

3/18/2020

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

3/18/2020

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

3/18/2020

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

3/18/2020

Maria Duaime Robinson

6th Middlesex

3/18/2020

Peter Capano

11th Essex

3/18/2020

John Barrett, III

1st Berkshire

3/18/2020

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

3/18/2020

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

3/18/2020

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

3/19/2020

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

3/19/2020

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

3/19/2020

Tami L. Gouveia

14th Middlesex

3/20/2020

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

3/20/2020

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

3/20/2020

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

3/20/2020

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

3/20/2020

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

3/23/2020

Natalie M. Blais

1st Franklin

3/24/2020

Alan Silvia

7th Bristol

3/25/2020


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4949        FILED ON: 3/17/2020

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4749

By Mr. Hendricks of New Bedford, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Christopher Hendricks and others relative to workers' compensation benefits for certain emergency response and medical personnel related to COVID-19 infection.  Labor and Workforce Development.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

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

_______________

 

An Act providing worker compensation protection to emergency response and medical personnel related to COVID-19 infection.

 

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to provide forthwith extended workers' compensation benefits for certain emergency personnel in response to the public health emergency presented by the spread of COVID-19, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.
 

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

Chapter 152 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 7G the following section:

Section 7H:  In any claim for compensation where the employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19, it shall be prima facie evidence that (i) the employee was performing his or her regular duties at the time of contracting COVID-19; (ii) the claim comes within the provisions of this chapter; and (iii) sufficient notice of the injury has been given.  This section shall apply to persons employed as emergency medical technicians, emergency room and urgent care medical personnel, and emergency room and urgent care non-medical staff.