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Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts bill guarantees 10 days of paid bereavement leave for employees losing a child
Last action · March 26, 2026: Accompanied a new draft, see H5302Sponsors: Jim Arciero and 29 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Employers in Massachusetts are required to provide up to 10 days of paid to employees following the death of a child under age 18. The measure mandates that employees receive their regular rate of pay and continue accruing employment benefits during the leave.
Workers dealing with the death of a child gain a statutory right to paid time off without losing benefits, while businesses must adjust leave policies and compensate qualifying employees.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Employees
Employees gain the legal right to up to 10 days of paid bereavement leave and continued benefit accrual following the death of a child.
Employers
Employers must provide paid leave, maintain benefit accrual, notify workers of their rights, and comply with enforcement regulations.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days of bereavement leave can an employee take under this bill?
Is the bereavement leave paid?
What documentation can an employer require for the leave?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
7 actions- Mar 26, 2026HouseAccompanied a new draft, see H5302
- Nov 26, 2025HouseReporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- Oct 20, 2025HouseReporting date extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025
- Aug 14, 2025HouseReporting date extended to Wednesday, December 3, 2025
- Jul 10, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 07/22/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in B-2
- Feb 27, 2025SenateSenate concurred
Show 1 earlier action
- Feb 27, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the committee on Labor and Workforce Development
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 25 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Statutory Paid Bereavement Leave
The bill shifts bereavement leave from a matter of employer discretion or private contract to a statutory employment right with mandatory pay and benefit accrual.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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