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Mass. lawmaker files bill to create commission on unemployment fraud
Summary
Representative Marcus S. Vaughn filed House Bill No. 2186 on Jan. 3, 2025, proposing an eight-member commission to study policies and procedures of the Department of Unemployment Assistance aimed at preventing and addressing unemployment fraud, with a final report due Dec. 31, 2027.
Representative Marcus S. Vaughn filed House Bill No. 2186 on Jan. 3, 2025, proposing the establishment of an eight-member commission to study and recommend ways to prevent and address unemployment fraud in Massachusetts.
The bill would direct the commission to identify and review current policies, compile and review data on the frequency and extent of unemployment fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluate the effectiveness of existing anti-fraud measures and recommend evidence-based strategies to prevent future fraudulent unemployment claims. The commission would be required to submit a final report to the clerks of the House and Senate and to the joint committee on labor and workforce development by Dec. 31, 2027.
House Bill No. 2186 names the secretary of labor and workforce development (or a designee) as chair and specifies eight members in total: the speaker of the House (or a designee); the president of the Senate (or a designee); the House minority leader (or a designee); the Senate minority leader (or a designee); the director of the Department of Unemployment Assistance (or a designee); the state auditor (or a designee); and the attorney general (or a designee). The bill text states the study will include a review of policies in place during the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic.
The filing notes similar matter was introduced in the prior session (House No. 1960 of 2023–2024). The bill lists the subject area as Labor and Workforce Development and carries the title "An Act relative to the prevention of unemployment fraud." The text does not show any committee votes or enactment; it is a legislative petition filed with the House on Jan. 3, 2025.
If enacted, the commission would have until Dec. 31, 2027, to deliver findings and recommendations to the clerks of the House and Senate and to the joint committee on labor and workforce development. The bill does not specify funding, staffing details, or penalties; those items are not included in the filed text.
The bill was presented by Representative Marcus S. Vaughn of Wrentham and is designated House No. 2186 for the 2025–2026 General Court.
