Massachusetts State Laws

Additional State Laws
With some exceptions, Consumer Reporting Agencies may not report:
If an applicant is denied employment due to adverse credit information contained in a consumer report, then the standard federal adverse action process must occur. Massachusetts law further requires the employer to inform the applicant in writing within 10 days. This notice must be made in a clear, conspicuous format that is no smaller than 10-point type. It must also provide the name, address and toll-free phone number of the Consumer Reporting Agency that produced the report.
This notice must inform the applicant of their rights, using content that is substantially similar to the following:
“You have the right to obtain a free copy of your credit report within sixty days from the consumer credit reporting agency which has been identified on this notice. The consumer credit reporting agency must provide someone to help you interpret the information on your credit report. Each calendar year you are entitled to receive, upon request, one free consumer report.
You have the right to dispute inaccurate information by contacting the consumer credit reporting agency directly. If you have notified a consumer credit reporting agency in writing that you dispute the accuracy of information in your file, the agency must then, within thirty business days, reinvestigate and modify or remove inaccurate information. The consumer credit reporting agency may not charge a fee for this service.
If reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute to your satisfaction, you may send a statement to the consumer credit reporting agency, to be kept in your file, explaining why you think the record is inaccurate. The consumer credit reporting agency must include your statement about the disputed information in a report it issues about you'.”
Effective April 13, 2018
An Act Relative to Criminal Justice ReformOn April 13, 2018 Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill known as An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform. This bill, which goes into effect on October 13 2018, updates existing “Ban The Box” laws that were initially introduced in 2010. The bill:
Effective August 1, 2016
Employers Must Establish Pay Equity