The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Walsh, Marian (SEN)

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
                Court assembled:

                The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:

An Act to establish a self sufficiency standard in the Commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. S01113 OF 2007-2008.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand and Nine

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An Act to establish a self sufficiency standard in the Commonwealth.

                Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

            SECTION 1. Whereas, In today’s economy, employers face a shortage of skilled labor;

Whereas, Lower-wage workers do not earn enough to support their families;

Whereas, Lack of an adequately prepared workforce can cause employers to turn to workers outside of the Commonwealth;

Whereas, A skilled labor shortage can have an impact on the economic strength of the Commonwealth; and

Whereas, The poverty guidelines as measured by the federal government do not adequately reflect the costs of living in Massachusetts;

Therefore, It shall be the responsibility of the Commonwealth to define a self-sufficiency standard in order to provide a measure of the extent to which the incomes of households in Massachusetts are sufficient to support the costs of living, working, raising a family, and paying taxes in Massachusetts.