SENATE DOCKET, NO. 262        FILED ON: 1/26/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1177

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Sal N. DiDomenico

_________________

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 relative to enhanced enforcement of civil penalties.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

 

Attorney General Maura Healey

One Ashburton PLace

2/8/2021

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

3/12/2021

Susan L. Moran

Plymouth and Barnstable

3/15/2021


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 262        FILED ON: 1/26/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1177

By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1177) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Attorney General Maura Healey, Eric P. Lesser and Susan L. Moran for legislation to enhance enforcement of civil penalties.  Labor and Workforce Development.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1064 OF 2019-2020.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

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

_______________

 

An Act relative to enhanced enforcement of civil penalties.

 

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

Section 27C of chapter 149, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(d) As a further alternative to initiating criminal proceedings pursuant to subsection (a), the attorney general may file a civil action for injunctive relief, for any damages incurred, and for any lost wages and other benefits on behalf of an employee or multiple, similarly situated employees. If the attorney general prevails in such an action, the employee on whose behalf the attorney general brought the civil action shall be awarded treble damages, as liquidated damages, for any lost wages and other benefits, and the attorney general shall also be awarded the costs of the litigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees.