SECTION 1. There shall be a special commission to study and make recommendations to address concerns about wages of restaurant workers. The commission shall examine the impact of the state minimum wage replacing the tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers. The commission’s review shall include, but shall not be limited to: (i) the impact of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry; (ii) how the restaurant industry has been affected in states that do not have a separate wage for tipped employees; (iii) how tipped employees have been affected in states that do not have a separate wage for tipped employees ; (iv) the impact on consumers; (v) the potential regional impact of eliminating the tipped minimum wage in the Commonwealth; (vi) policy options that could alleviate the impact of increased labor cost on restaurants; and (vii) policy changes the legislature could enact to increase the profitability of restaurants

The commission shall consist of the following: the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, or their designees, who shall serve as co-chairs; the secretary of administration and finance, or a designee; 3 representatives of unions or community-based organizations that represent or serve workers in the restaurant industry, one each to be appointed by the speaker of the house, the senate president, and the secretary of labor and workforce development, to be selected from a list of 5 nominees submitted by One Fair Wage, Inc.; and 3 representatives of industry groups that represent restaurants and restaurant owners, one each to be appointed by the speaker of the house, the senate president, and the secretary of labor and workforce development, to be selected from a list of 5 nominees submitted by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, provided that at least one of the nominees be a representative of a restaurant that currently pays all employees the full minimum wage.

The commission shall hold its first meeting no later than 30 days after the effective date of this act and may hold additional public meetings, fact-finding hearings and other public forums as it considers necessary.

The commission shall report the results and recommendations of its study, together with drafts of legislation, if necessary, to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing a report with the joint committee on labor and workforce development not later than January 1, 2022.