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April 16, 2026 Clouds | 76°F
The 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Bill S.1287 194th (Current)

An Act relative to bereavement leave

By Mr. Barrett, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1287) of Michael J. Barrett for legislation to ensure bereavement leave. Labor and Workforce Development.

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Bill Information

Presenter:
Michael J. Barrett
Status:
Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means

Bereavement leave

This legislation expands family leave to cover employees coping with the death of a family member. This includes attending a funeral, making arrangements, and taking time to grieve. An employee is entitled to eight weeks of bereavement leave for each family member death in a given year and is entitled to a weekly benefit for two of those weeks. Employees also have the option to take leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule. An employer cannot require an employee to take multiple periods of bereavement leave at the same time if more than one family member dies in the same year. An employee may provide any of the following to certify their bereavement leave: (a) the name, date of death, and city of death of the deceased and the employee’s relationship to them; (b) a copy of the obituary or funeral program and the employee’s relationship to the deceased; (c) a copy of the death certificate; or (d) a document issued by the employee’s mental health care provider.
* The bill summary was created by the Primary Sponsor of the bill; no committee of the General Court certifies the accuracy of its contents.

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