Consumer Protection
An Act Relative to Commonwealth Automobile Re-Insurers (S.D.131)
The bill would remove the requirement that 2 of the 6 insurance producers on the Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers (CAR) Governing Committee be those who write automobile insurance exclusively through the MAIP. Since the changes to the insurance market in 2009, this requirement has become obsolete. Today, the number of agents who write automobile insurance exclusively through the MAIP is negligible, meaning that only a handful of agents are eligible for these two seats while thousands of agents compete for the remaining four seats.
An Act relative to emergency lighting in senior housing (S.D.145)
An Act to ensure a free and open internet in the commonwealth (S.D.2254)
An Act relative to fairness in debt collection (S.D.297)
This bill softens the impact of the tsunami of defaulted debts coming in the wake of the pandemic. Even before the pandemic, 20% of folks in Massachusetts had a debt in collections--rising to an outrageous 39% in communities of color. Current law protects only $35,100 annually from wage garnishment. This bill increases the protected amount to $49,140 annually. The bill also, among other things, (1) reduces the 12% interest rate on judgments on consumer debt, and (2) ensures that no one in the Commonwealth shall be imprisoned for the failure to pay a debt. Massachusetts currently has the highest post-judgment interest rate on consumer debts in the nation--12%, making it virtually impossible for many low-income people to get out of debt. This bill will help keep more money in the pockets of hard working constituents already struggling to put food on the table