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Legislation proposed in Massachusetts could provide eligible residents with another $2,000 stimulus check.
The Boston Globe reports House leaders are considering a plan for spending $3.65 billion, which is comprised of $2.5 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and another $1.15 billion from a state surplus, to help numerous programs affected and priorities brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill includes committing $40 million for bonuses ranging between $500 and $2,000 for "front-line state employees" who were required to work in-person during the winter seasons of 2020 and 2021, replicating a proposal previously filled by Governor Charlie Baker.
House officials said there are up to 800,000 front-line workers in the state of Massachusetts, according to studies, but didn't specify how many would qualify for the bonuses.
An individual with an annual income of $38,640 -- which is 300% above federal poverty levels -- or a family of four with an income of $79,500 would be eligible in adherence with the proposed legislation.
“We didn’t want to make it overly generous,” said House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) via the Boston Globe. “We wanted to benefit the folks who stayed at their post through the whole pandemic — the folks who worked in the nursing homes, that drove the buses, that worked in the supermarkets.”
House leaders are expected to vote on the proposed legislation later this week before it is sent to the Senate for a separate vote.