Bill > S1462

This bill aims to promote jobs, workforce development, and fairness for local businesses by establishing new definitions and reporting requirements for state contracts, as well as introducing a workforce development contribution. It defines "low income community" as a municipality with a median household income at or below 65% of the state median, or a specific neighborhood within larger cities, and clarifies definitions for "minority business enterprise" and "women business enterprise" by referencing existing law. The bill mandates that entities awarded state contracts must provide verification with invoices detailing payments to minority and women-owned businesses and report the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of their Massachusetts workforce, with the state providing a template for this reporting and establishing a system (MMARS) to collect this data. It also sets official goals for the Commonwealth to achieve contracting and workforce inclusion diversity reflective of the state's population in state procurement and construction contracts, with specific provisions for job creation in low-income communities. Furthermore, the bill expands the definition of "engaged in business in the commonwealth" for tax purposes, creating a presumption for vendors to be considered doing business in the state if certain related entities have a substantial nexus there, and requires vendors to pay excise taxes at the time of filing their returns. Additionally, it establishes a commission to study the feasibility of vocational-technical high schools awarding post-secondary associate degrees and introduces a workforce development contribution for employers, with proceeds going to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund.