Sen. Jehlen files bill to revise Department of Unemployment Assistance advisory council

Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen filed Senate Bill No. 1341 on Jan. 17, 2025, proposing changes to the Department of Unemployment Assistance advisory council that would set membership, appointment procedures, meeting frequency and pay limits and make the council subject to specified administrative procedure provisions. The bill also amends a cross-reference in chapter 151A to replace “commerce and labor” with “labor and workforce development.”

The measure would establish a seven-member advisory council in the Department of Unemployment Assistance, appointed by the governor and not subject to the director’s control. The bill requires at least one member to be chosen from each list of nominees submitted by the Massachusetts AFL–CIO, the Massachusetts Building Trades Council and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Two members must be persons who, because of their vocations, employments, occupations or affiliations, can be classed as employers. The governor would designate the chair from among members.

Under the bill, initial terms would be staggered (two members for four years, remainder for six years) and subsequent appointments for six-year terms. Vacancies would be filled by gubernatorial appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term; if the governor does not fill a vacancy within 60 days, the remaining council members may fill it by majority vote for the remainder of the term. Members would serve until their successors qualify.

The proposal sets meeting and compensation rules: the council must meet at least six times annually; members receive $100 compensation per day of attendance with a calendar-year cap of $3,000, plus travel and necessary expenses. The director of unemployment assistance would provide meeting space and clerical and other assistance the council deems necessary. The bill states that “said offices and the incumbents thereof shall not be subject to chapter 31 and the rules and regulations made thereunder.”

The bill adds a provision making the advisory council subject to sections 18 through 25, inclusive, of chapter 30A of the General Laws. Separately, it amends section 62 of chapter 151A by replacing the words “commerce and labor” with “labor and workforce development.” The filing notes similar matter in the previous session (House No. 1853 of 2023–2024).

Senate Bill No. 1341 was filed with the Senate docket (No. 1938) on Jan. 17, 2025, and is listed under the subject heading Labor and Workforce Development. No committee action or floor votes are recorded in the filing text; the next procedural step would be committee consideration in the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

Why it matters: the bill prescribes a specific appointment pathway for labor and legal aid organizations, requires regular meetings and sets compensation and vacancy-filling rules, and subjects the council to specified administrative-procedure sections of chapter 30A. The change in chapter 151A updates an agency reference from “commerce and labor” to “labor and workforce development,” aligning statutory language with the named executive department.