HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2266        FILED ON: 2/17/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 490

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Carlos González

_________________

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 the COVID-19 essential worker burial assistance fund.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Carlos González

10th Hampden

1/28/2021

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

2/24/2021

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

2/24/2021

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

2/25/2021

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

2/25/2021

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

2/25/2021

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

2/25/2021

Kate Lipper-Garabedian

32nd Middlesex

2/26/2021

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

2/26/2021

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

2/26/2021

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

2/26/2021

Bud L. Williams

11th Hampden

2/26/2021

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

2/26/2021

Mathew J. Muratore

1st Plymouth

2/26/2021

Gerard J. Cassidy

9th Plymouth

2/26/2021

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

2/26/2021

Danillo A. Sena

37th Middlesex

3/15/2021


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2266        FILED ON: 2/17/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 490

By Mr. González of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 490) of Carlos González and others for legislation to establish a special fund to be known as the COVID-19 essential worker burial assistance fund to be administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.  Covid-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

_______________

 

An Act establishing the COVID-19 essential worker burial assistance fund.

 

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. For the purposes of this act, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“Fund”, the COVID-19 Essential Worker Burial Assistance Fund established in section 2.

“Gateway municipalities”, as defined by section 3A of chapter 23A of the General Laws.

“Low-income families”, households whose income does not exceed 200 per cent of the federal poverty level.

“Low-wage essential workforce member”, an individual who is employed in a COVID-19 essential workforce earning an hourly wage of not more than $15 per hour for their employment in said essential workforces.

SECTION 2. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the COVID-19 Essential Worker Burial Assistance Fund to be administered by the executive office of health and human services.

(b) The purpose of the fund shall be to provide financial assistance in the form of grants to low-income families, low-wage essential workforce members and residents of gateway municipalities to defray postmortem expenses related to deaths due to COVID-19. Each grant provided to an individual shall be in an amount that is not less than $1,500; provided, that the funds shall be used to mitigate or offset funeral, burial, cremation or other postmortem expenses resulting from death due to COVID-19.

(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.

(d) The executive office of health and human services shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this act, including, but not limited to, regulations pertaining to grant application and disbursement procedures.

SECTION 3. On the effective date of this act, the comptroller shall transfer $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the COVID-19 Essential Worker Burial Assistance Fund for the purposes of carrying out this act.