BOSTON– Senator Sal DiDomenico recently announced that the Massachusetts Senate passed legislation to support those experiencing homelessness and provide testing and budgetary flexibility to school districts. The bill, which is the latest action by the Legislature to address the COVID-19 public health crisis and its effects on Massachusetts, has now been signed into law by Governor Baker.

 “This legislation is the latest step from my colleagues and I in the Legislature to provide much needed relief to our Commonwealth’s families and most vulnerable residents,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “I am particularly pleased to report that this bill includes a MCAS waiver for the current academic year. Our students and educators are facing enough stress and educational disruptions due to COVID-19 without the added pressure of having to prepare for the MCAS. This was absolutely the right course of action during this unprecedented time, and I was proud to support this change for our students.”

This latest relief package known as An Act to Further Address Challenges Faced by Municipalities, School Districts and State authorities Resulting from COVID-19, includes the following components.

Student Requirements and District Operations. To address disruptions caused by the closure of K-12 schools due to COVID-19, the legislation waives the MCAS requirements for the 2019-2020 academic year and allows DESE to modify or waive competency determination requirements related to high school graduation.

In order to comply with measures under the newly implemented Student Opportunity Act, the legislation would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner to extend the deadlines for school districts to submit their three-year plans to address educational disparities in student subgroups.  This deadline shall be extended to May 15, 2020, or later, as determined by the Commissioner.

The legislation also provides budgetary flexibility for regional schools as a result of COVID-19.

Helping Vulnerable Populations. In keeping with the Legislature’s commitment to protecting vulnerable populations, the legislation repurposes existing homelessness funds that currently support services that can’t be provided due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The legislation redirects funding to address immediate and critical homelessness needs resulting from the public health emergency.

MBTA Budget Flexibility. The legislation also provides the MBTA additional budgetary flexibility amid the COVID-19 emergency.

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BOSTON-- Today, Senator Sal DiDomenico and his colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate passed An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 emergency to provide a critical safety net for renters, homeowners and small businesses grappling with the immediate economic fallout of the current public health pandemic.

“I am proud of the action the Senate has taken with this legislation to place a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 emergency,” said Senator DiDomenico. “Many people are facing financial hardship right now, and we simply cannot have people, especially our most vulnerable residents, vacating their residences during this public health emergency. I have heard from many constituents regarding this legislation, and I am confident this bill strikes the right balance between protecting struggling tenants and landlords during these difficult times.”

To address the COVID-19 public health crisis and its adverse impacts on renters, homeowners and small businesses, the bill includes the following components:

A moratorium on all stages of the eviction and foreclosure processes.  The bill extends eviction protections to renters and small businesses during the state’s COVID-19 state of emergency and places a moratorium on all stages of the eviction process for non-essential evictions for a period of 120 days after the bill becomes law. The bill authorizes the governor to extend the moratorium beyond 120 days, if the crisis continues.  The moratorium on evictions prohibits, for non-essential evictions, a landlord or property owner from terminating a tenancy or sending a notice to quit, prohibits a court from entering a default judgement, prevents the scheduling of  court hearings, and prohibits the enforcement of an execution to forcibly remove a tenant.

In addition to a moratorium on the eviction process, the bill extends protections to homeowners and halts the foreclosure process for a period of 120 days after the bill becomes law to ensure homeowners and residential property owners are protected throughout this public health crisis.

Mortgage forbearance for homeowners experiencing financial hardship from COVID-19.  The Senate bill protects homeowners by requiring mortgage lenders to grant a forbearance of up to 180-days on required mortgage payments, if a homeowner submits a forbearance request demonstrating a financial impact from COVID-19. In addition, the bill protects homeowners by prohibiting mortgage lenders from furnishing negative mortgage payment information to a consumer reporting agency and prohibits the accrual of fees, penalties or interest during the life of the forbearance granted.

A prohibition on late fees and negative credit reporting.  The Senate bill also provides renters and homeowners struggling financially with additional protections during this uncertain time and prohibits landlords from imposing late fees for non-payment of rent for a residential dwelling or small business. Similarly, the bill prohibits landlords from sending payment data to credit reporting agencies related to the non-payment of rent.  These protections are available to a tenant if the tenant provides notice and documentation to the landlord within 30 days of the missed rent payment that the non-payment was related to a financial impact from COVID-19.

The use of video conferencing or phone for reverse mortgage real-time counseling.  To promote strict adherence to social distance measures during this public health crisis, the bill allows a person applying for a reverse mortgage to receive counseling conducted virtually through real-time video conference or by phone in lieu of in-person counseling until the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted by the Governor.

An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 emergency now moves to conference committee to be reconciled with a similar version drafted by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

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BOSTON-  Last week, Senator Sal DiDomenico announced that the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill to provide necessary relief to municipalities, taxpayers, restaurants, and state authorities impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and State of Emergency declaration. 

The bipartisan legislation extends the state income tax filing deadline for residents; addresses disruptions in municipal tax collections and permitting; and allows licensed restaurants to sell certain alcoholic beverages with food take-out and delivery orders, among other provisions.

“Now more than ever, our communities, taxpayers, and small businesses need extra support during these difficult times, said Senator DiDomenico. “I am proud of the action we have taken to provide relief for the hardworking people of our Commonwealth, and I am grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature for ensuring that our residents and business community remain a top priority during this unprecedented crisis.”

The major provisions of the bill are as follows: 

Tax Deadline Extension.  The bill provides immediate relief to taxpayers and extends the 2019 state individual income tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to July 15 due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The extension of the tax filing and payment deadline to July 15 is consistent with the federal government and provides additional flexibility to filers during this crisis.

Restaurant Service.  The bill includes immediate economic relief to restaurants and other establishments that are licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption to sell wine and beer with food takeout and delivery. This change would restore a crucial source of revenue to restaurants and other food establishments.

Municipal Governance.  This legislation also immediately addresses several challenges affecting municipal functions and operations during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. The bill:

• Allows extensions for property tax exemption and deferrals from April 1 to June 1, 2020;

• Modifies the permitting process to ensure flexibility for applicants and status hearing processes;

• Allows annual town meeting to be delayed beyond June 30, 2020;

• Enables a town moderator or person designated as such to reschedule town meetings for up to 30 days, and to do so multiple times if needed;

• Permits municipalities to utilize retired employees and lifts pension-related hour restrictions for employees who return to work as it relates to COVID-19 response; and

• Prohibits essential services provided by the city or town from being terminated as a result of a missed or late payment.

The bill also makes several adjustments to the municipal budgeting process so that cities and towns can continue to meet their fiduciary responsibility and provide resources for their residents.

This legislation, which is the latest action by the Legislature to address the COVID-19 public health crisis and its effects on Massachusetts, was signed into law by Governor Baker on Friday.

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