Senator Eldridge and Representative Danillo Sena Propose Massachusetts WPA Jobs bill to Help Residents Economically Impacted by Covid-19 Pandemic

Eldridge-Sena bill, modeled on the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) program, would create jobs for unemployed and underemployed residents while stimulating the economy.

Boston, MA - The COVID-19 pandemic has created a catastrophic level of joblessness in Massachusetts. In order to address the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) and Representative Danillo Sena (D-Acton) have filed An Act to establish the Massachusetts Works Progress Administration Program (“Mass WPAP”). This legislation will prioritize communities that are disproportionately affected by unemployment. 

“Residents are seeking to get back to work and provide for their families, but the Covid-19 pandemic continues to put a strain on the economy with many folks still jobless. I believe it is the government’s responsibility to create jobs in an economic downturn, providing paychecks to residents who are able to re-join the job market,” said Senator Eldridge. “I’m proud to file this legislation with Rep. Sena, who is acutely aware of the struggle immigrants are undergoing during this pandemic especially since many immigrant families are still not eligible for unemployment benefits or the federal CARES Act stimulus checks.”

"I am pleased to partner with Senator Eldridge on this critical legislation. Covid-19 has been economically disastrous, especially in our immigrant communities and communities of color. We must step up to make sure that our neighbors across Massachusetts have the resources they need to provide for themselves and their families during the pandemic and beyond. The Mass WPAP will create jobs for those who need them and help us build a better future for Massachusetts,” said Representative Sena.

A record-breaking number of Massachusetts residents have applied for unemployment insurance and the state’s unemployment rate is one of the nation’s highest. In May, the unemployment rate in Massachusetts was 16.3 percent, the highest rate in the state since at least 1976. People who have been left unemployed as a result of the pandemic are asking if their jobs will ever return.

This bill would establish within the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, the Massachusetts Works Progress Administration Program that would receive project proposals submitted by various state departments and agencies. 

The bill allows the program to approve projects such as:

• contact tracing for COVID-19;

• climate change resiliency, environmental conservation and water quality projects;

• projects enhancing the creative economy;

• projects enhancing the agriculture, food and beverage sectors;  

• infrastructure projects;

• projects enhancing home care services;  

• projects enhancing online education and childcare; and

• projects enhancing the cannabis industry.

Like the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration created by President Roosevelt nearly a century ago, this program will alleviate the effects of profound economic suffering by putting unemployed individuals back to work right away. 

###