THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 Page 15 BHRC | FROM PAGE 14 paid by employers; create a mechanism ensuring all employees will be able to access 40 hours of paid sick time for any COVID-related issues, including testing positive, needing to quarantine or caring for a loved one; and extend the state’s tax filing deadline from April 15, 2021 to May 17, The day after this vote, the Department of Revenue (DOR), citing powers it says it can use when the U.S. president declares a disaster, unilaterally moved the Massachusetts tax filing deadline to conform with the postponed federal deadline of May 17. DOR said Massachusetts individual personal income tax returns and payments for the 2020 tax year that would have been due April 15 are now due May 17 under this automatic extension. Businesses would also face a new surcharge, in the form of an excise tax on employee wages, through December 2022 to help repay interest due in September on the federal loans. “In January, I declared that we must act quickly to provide our workers with COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave, and today the Senate has delivered on that promise,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “I am proud of the collaboration that brought about this agreement, which will provide needed relief for both businesses and workers … As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 emergency, these measures will provide stability to our economy, and keep workers safe.” “No worker should have to choose between staying home if they risk spreading COVID-19 and earning a paycheck to support their family, but unfortunately this impossible choice faces many workers who do not have adequate job-protected paid sick leave during this pandemic, especially low-income essential workers,” said Sen. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester). “As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, I am proud of the collective action taken by the Senate and House to pass this comprehensive bill that strikes a balance to help businesses, workers, and jumpstart an equitable recovery for our commonwealth,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “With more people getting vaccinated by the day, and our economy re-opening, this bill will bring much needed relief to small businesses, keep our essential front-line workers safe, and target tax relief to lift up low-income families who lost jobs during this pandemic.” The House has approved a different version of the measure and the Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes TAKE-OUT AND DELIVERY OF ALCOHOL BEVERAGES (S 35) Senate 9-30, rejected an amendment that would extend the life of a current law that allows restaurants during the pandemic state of emergency to sell sealed containers of mixed drinks, beer and wine with takeout and delivery orders. Under the current law, restaurants would be able to continue doing this only until the governor lifts the ban. The amendment would extend the law for another two years after the governor lifts the ban. “A year into the state of emergency we are seeing glimmers of hope for economic recovery,” said Sen. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), the amendment’s sponsor. “But businesses, particularly in the food and beverage sector and other segments of the hospitality industry, are still in survival mode. If we have any intention of helping them actually recover, we will continue to need programs like beverages to-go that provide our restaurants with much needed revenue streams now and in the future.” Amendment opponents said they support the alcohol take-out and delivery options for restaurants but noted that the emergency ban is still in effect and will likely be in effect for a long time. They argued there is no pressing need to extend the take-out and delivery options and noted the extension can be revisited sometime in the future. (A “Yes” vote is for extending the take-out and delivery of alcoholic beverages for two years following the end of the emergency. A “No” vote is against extending it). Sen. Sal DiDomenico No PERMANENT CAP ON DELIVERY CHARGES (S 35) Senate 8-31, rejected an amendment that would permanently cap delivery fees by third parties like Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats at 15 percent of the order price. The amendment would replace the current law which lifts the cap on the day the governor lifts the pandemic emergency. “We finally addressed the issue of capping third-party delivery fees to prevent price-gouging and pandemic-related windfalls in January of this year, ten months into the state of emergency as our restaurant industry was hanging on for dear life,” said sponsor Sen. DiZoglio. “We know that even when the state of emergency comes to an end and businesses are allowed to fully reopen that recovering from the losses incurred during this strange chapter of our history will take a very long time. We need to make permanent the cap on the amount that third-party delivery services are able to charge local restaurants at 15 percent of the purchase price of the online order. The need to regulate these fees will persist as delivery services conBHRC | SEE PAGE 22
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