New statutes are going into effect as the new year begins. The following is a selection of the brand-new legislation that won’t be implemented until 2023.
This statute, which will hereafter be referred to as Article CXXI of the Articles of Amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution, will have the effect of levying a surtax of four percent on incomes in the state that are greater than one million dollars. During the election in November, the measure was presented as Question 1, and voters approved it. It received support from fifty-two percent of voters.
The law, which is often referred to as the driver’s license legislation, will make it possible for residents of Massachusetts who are unable to produce evidence of their legitimate status in the country to obtain a driver’s license or permit as long as they match all of the other standards.
After the House and the Senate decided earlier this year to overturn the Governor’s veto of the driver’s license law, the measure was subsequently placed as Question 4 on the ballot for the election in November. A majority of 53.7 percent of voters decided in favor of the proposition.
The date that the bill will become operational is 1 July 2023.
Plan for renewable energy sources and the climate
In March of 2021, Governor Baker approved new climate legislation that will assist in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and will strive toward achieving Net Zero emissions in the year 2050.
In 2023, a portion of the measure will begin to take effect. The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will be granted permission by this law to draft an energy code for newly constructed buildings, which local governments will then have the option to accept.
This new rule would need to be approved by a municipality before it could be implemented. It would restrict how much water is used and what kinds of appliances can be installed in newly constructed buildings.
Appliance energy-efficiency regulations, testing, and certificate program are available on the Massachusetts.gov website.
Guidelines for implementing the Appliance Efficiency Standards can be found on the Mass.gov website at 225 CMR 9.00.
Gambling on Sports
In August, Governor Charlie Baker approved the legalization of sports betting. The Gaming Commission in Massachusetts is working to approve the applications previously submitted by casinos seeking permission to offer in-person and online sports betting.
The date of a “soft launch” for in-person sports betting was set for January 31, 2023, by the Gaming Commission in December. This date was determined after a month-long process of elimination.
The launch would make it possible for bettors to place wagers before the Super Bowl (but not for the NFL’s conference championship games on January 29), but it is largely dependent on the commission’s equipment and software testing partner Gaming Labs International finishing the work it needs to do to ensure that the technology that the casinos will use meets the commission’s standards.
Up to now, only MGM Springfield has been granted a license to offer live, in-person sports betting.
The Blue Law in Massachusetts determines which types of companies can open on Sundays and which businesses cannot on various holidays. When it comes to some merchants in the state, the law mandates that they pay their employees a higher rate on Sundays if they have more than seven people working for the company.
On the other hand, beginning in 2018, this rate has been gradually falling, and by January 1, 2023, those premium payments will be made away with entirely.
The minimum wage in Massachusetts is currently set at $14.25 per hour. The minimum wage in the Commonwealth will grow to $15.00 per hour beginning on January 1, 2023, but the rate for service workers will remain the same at $6.75 per hour. Except for agricultural workers, members of religious orders, workers being trained in specific educational, nonprofit, or religious institutions, and outside salespeople, the raise will be given to all employees.
“It helps because, I mean, with inflation, we’re paying three times as much as we used to pay before for everything, so rent is going up, all the bills are going up, so maybe people will benefit from making a little bit more money,” Ronald Soto Springfield Restaurant Owner, Banderas told 22News. Banderas is the owner of Ronald Soto Springfield Restaurant. “It helps because, I mean, with inflation, we’re paying three times as much as we used to pay before for everything.”
Except for agricultural laborers, members of religious orders, and workers in specific educational and nonprofit organizations who are currently undergoing training, this raise is being implemented for all employees. At the beginning of the new year, the minimum wage in 27 states will be raised to a higher level. The majority of them will go into effect on January 1, while some won’t start until later in 2023 at the earliest. This one is not legislation but rather a new curriculum that the RMV will implement to educate youth about the dangers of operating a vehicle while under the influence of cannabis. This particular policy will initially only be implemented in the state of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts will begin implementing a cannabis-impaired driving education campaign in January. The name of the program is “Shifting Gears: The Blunt Truth About Marijuana and Driving.” The driver education curriculum that is now in place will be upgraded to incorporate more specific information on the effects of cannabis, such as how it affects perception, cognition, vision, and response time.
The newly revised curriculum will be taught to about 52,000 new student drivers in Massachusetts each year at one of the state’s 700 driving schools.
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