Minimum wage and the millionaires tax: Here are new Mass. laws starting in 2023
A slate of new laws passed over the last several years in Massachusetts are taking effect now that the New Year has begun.$15 minimum wage
This year sees the final step increase in Massachusetts minimum wage from a 2018 so-called grand bargain deal that promised a gradual increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
At the time, minimum wage was $11 per hour for workers that dont work for tips.
The $15 minimum wage applies to non-agricultural workers and workers that do not receive tips. The minimum wage for agricultural workers is $8, and the new minimum wage for tipped workers is $6.75, up from $6.15 in 2022.
Minimum wage for non-tipped workers in 2022 was $14.25.Millionaires tax
The so-called millionaires tax, also known as the Fair Share Amendment, places a 4% tax surcharge on all income earned above $1 million.
In some ways, millionaires tax is a misnomer as the tax is only applied to annual income above $1 million, and does not simply affect people with more than $1 million in the bank.
The law was passed by ballot measure in November with 52% of the vote.
It seeks to raise money for education and transportation with the new tax, which is estimated to bring in about $1.23 billion and as much as $2 billion, according to a report from the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University.Licenses for undocumented drivers
Another November ballot question preserved a law passed in May 2022 that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses in Massachusetts. The law had not yet taken effect, and needed to prevail on the ballot question or be repealed.
The ballot question passed with nearly 54% of the vote.
Beginning on July 1, undocumented immigrants in the state who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States will be allowed to get a regular drivers license or learners permit if they meet the other qualifications. Those qualifications include a road test and insurance, and proof of identity, date of birth and residency.Sports betting
Super Bowl fans look like they will be allowed to place bets in Massachusetts on the big game, as a soft launch for legal sports betting is scheduled to take place on Jan. 30 of this year, with a full launch to take place the following day.
That announcement came only a few days after the Gaming Commission finished approving the three casinos Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino for some form of sports betting licensure.
Those dates can still change, and are dependent upon whether Gaming Labs International, a wagering equipment testing company, can inspect and verify kiosks and points of sale at each of the casinos in time.
Meanwhile, mobile sports betting licenses will begin to be reviewed this month. Regulators have said they hope to have mobile sports betting operational in early March 2023.
Sports betting was passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in August.Premium pay ends
Another piece of the grand bargain legislation passed in 2018 that increased the minimum wage is that Sunday and holiday time-and-a-half pay is no longer mandated by the state.
Known at the state level as Blue Laws, companies in certain industries with more than seven workers were required in 2018 to pay 1.5 rate on Sundays and recognized holidays. That rate steadily decreased over the course of five years and is now entirely eliminated as of the beginning of 2023.