During the last days of the 2013-2014 legislative session, the
Legislature took up several bills of interest to the Massachusetts
Bar Association.
Juvenile parole: Last month the House passed
legislation, by a vote of 127 to 16, providing for the opportunity
for parole for juveniles convicted of first degree murder after
serving 20 to 25 years. Juveniles convicted in cases deemed to be
pre-meditated, committed with malice or extremely cruel would be
eligible for parole after serving 25 to 30 years. This bill also
increases the wait to 10 years before for a second parole hearing.
The MBA, at its May House of Delegates meeting, adopted a set of
parole principles for juveniles convicted of murder. The principles
oppose legislatively mandated parole eligibility dates and urge
courts be empowered to set a parole eligibility date in each case
based on an individual assessment of the factors regarding the
offender and the offense. At press time the bill was pending in the
Senate.
Burial benefits in workers' compensation
deaths: Gov. Deval L. Patrick last month signed into law
legislation increasing the minimum wage in Massachusetts to $11
incrementally over the next three years. Included in that bill was
an MBA-backed proposal to increase burial benefits for workers'
compensation deaths from $4,000 to eight times the average weekly
wage under the Workers' Compensation Statute. "Increasing the
burial benefit will do much to alleviate the financial burden for
families who are faced with the shocking and sudden death of a
loved one while on the job," said MBA President-Elect Marsha V.
Kazarosian before the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce
Development earlier this year.
Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights: Also last
month, Patrick signed into law MBA-backed legislation creating a
Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights that would establish labor
standards and protect the basic rights of domestic workers. The
House of Delegates voted at its March meeting to support the
bill.
FY15 budget: Earlier this month the Legislature
enacted the FY2015 state budget, which provided $15 million for the
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. At press time, the
budget was awaiting action by Patrick, who has 10 days to review
it.