Massachusetts
These new laws take effect in Massachusetts in 2025
BOSTON – A new year brings change, and new laws will be going into effect in Massachusetts for 2025.
From salary transparency to affordable housing to new tax credits, we’ve rounded up a list of incoming policy changes that will be affecting Massachusetts residents at some point in the new year.
Salary transparency law
Toward the end of the new year, a salary transparency bill that was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in 2024 will take effect. As of Oct. 29, 2025, employers in Massachusetts that have 25 or more employees “will be required to disclose salary ranges and protect an employee’s right to ask for salary ranges,” the state says.
Massachusetts will become the 11th state to mandate pay transparency, advocates of the bill said.
“This new law is an important next step toward closing wage gaps, especially for People of Color and women,” Healey said in a statement. “It will also strengthen the ability of Massachusetts employers to build diverse, talented teams.”
Sealing eviction records
As part of the Affordable Homes Act that Healey signed in August, there are new provisions taking effect in 2025 to make it easier for some people to get a place to live. Starting on May 5, 2025, people can petition the court to seal past eviction records that might be preventing them from renting.
The new law does not mean old evictions will automatically be sealed, as courts will make decisions on a case-by-case basis. “No-fault” eviction cases will be sealed immediately after an appeal period ends.
Accessory dwelling units
Another aspect of the Affordable Homes Act, the Accessory Dwelling Units provision, goes into effect on Feb. 2, 2025.
Accessory Dwelling Units are defined by the state as a “secondary residential living space located on the same lot of a single-family home.” That could include a backyard cottage, a basement converted into an apartment or new construction addition to an existing house.
The new law allows for families to add a new rental apartment to their property by creating ADUs that are up to 900 square feet. The governor’s office estimates this could lead to the construction of 8,000 to 10,000 ADUs and help lower housing costs in Massachusetts.
Expanded child and family tax credit
Massachusetts families filing their taxes this spring will be able to take advantage of an expanded child and family tax from the tax cut package Healey signed into law in 2023. For tax year 2024 and going forward on a permanent basis, the credit per dependent child, disabled adult or senior will rise to $440.
The administration says this is the “most generous universal child and dependent tax credit in the country,” and estimates 565,000 Massachusetts families will benefit.
Veterans benefits
A bill signed in August called the HERO Act will provide new benefits for Massachusetts veterans in 2025.
The disabled veteran annuity will increase to $1,250 in February 2025 and then become an annual payment of $2,500 starting in August 2025. Also in 2025, veterans who quality for the disabled veterans license plate can use those Purple Heart specialty license plates for a sales tax exemption.
Ballot questions
Massachusetts will also see impacts in 2025 from two ballot questions approved by voters back in November.
Voters passed an initiative that gets rid of the MCAS graduation requirement for students in 2025 and beyond. As the State House News Service reports, that means school districts need to come up with new graduation standards by the end of the school year.
Another ballot question, which authorizes Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the state Legislature, will take effect Jan. 5. DiZoglio has been at odds with House and Senate leaders over the scope of the audit, and several groups are threatening a potential lawsuit early in the new year to force their cooperation with the auditor.
Massachusetts
How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?
With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.
So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?
An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.
Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.
While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.
Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.
“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.
GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.
Massachusetts
Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News
EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.
A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.
The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.
Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.
“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.
They then carried the driver to safety.
Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
No one else was injured in the crash.
Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”
After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”
She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.
“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.
She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.
“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”
Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.
“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”
Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.
“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”
Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.
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Massachusetts
Crews battle fire at Townsend home
A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.
The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.
People have been asked to avoid the area.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.
There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.
This developing story will be updated when we learn more
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