SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2217        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1998

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Ryan C. Fattman

_________________

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 to SAVE tax dollars in the Commonwealth.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2217        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1998

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2054 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

An Act to SAVE tax dollars in the Commonwealth.

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

Chapter 7 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 63. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of administration and finance shall direct all state agencies under the control of the governor or a secretary that are responsible for the issuance of public benefits or licensure to register for the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program, hereinafter referred to as SAVE. The secretary shall further instruct said agencies and departments to use SAVE to verify whether applicants for a public benefit or license, whose documentation is not available or is questionable, are qualified for benefit eligibility purposes. The registration for SAVE pursuant to this section shall be incorporated into a uniform system for said state agencies to determine common eligibility standards for applicants.

(b) The secretary of administration and finance shall, on or before June 30, 2025, provide a written report to the senate and house committees on ways and means and the clerks of the senate and house of representatives detailing the steps taken to enroll in and implement SAVE. If a state agency that is required to register for SAVE pursuant to subsection (a) has failed to do so prior to June 30, 2025, the secretary shall include in the report the specific reasons that the agency has been unable to register for SAVE and a 6 month action plan with any legislative recommendations or requests for appropriations to effectuate its registration for SAVE.