Massachusetts Senate Approves $250 Stimulus Checks and More – Massachusetts residents are one step closer to receiving another round of stimulus checks after the state Senate approved legislation that would distribute $250 tax rebate checks to residents across the state. The legislation also included other forms of relief for seniors, families, and low-income residents, as well as other communities being hit hard by rising inflation.
Why More Stimulus Checks Now?
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr and Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues both described the legislation as a “meaningful” and “substantial” form of support for taxpayers across Massachusetts struggling to pay for food, fuel, and shelter.
“It all goes into effect this calendar year ensuring real, immediate relief for the citizens of the commonwealth,” Rodrigues told the Senate floor on Thursday morning.
“Additionally, the Legislature created a premium pay program earlier this year, which has thus far provided $500 checks to over 770,000 low-income workers, and those checks are still going out. To that end, the tax package before us — coupled with the premium pay program — is a way of well-balanced, affordable (relief) in the long-term and targeted for mostly low- and moderate-income individuals and families.”
When Will the Stimulus Checks Hit Doorsteps?
It may be a little while yet before people start receiving the checks.
While the legislation was technically designed to take effect immediately, it will still need to be passed by the state House of Representatives. At present, the House and the Senate have different views on what form the stimulus should take.
And then, when their differences are reconciled, the legislation will also need to be sent to the desk of Governor Charlie Baker who has been pushing the legislature to pass his $700 million tax relief package since the beginning of the year.
Stimulus Checks and More: What’s In the Bill?
The $250 tax rebate is unlikely to change when the two chambers of the state legislature reconcile their differences, as both top Senate and House Democrats unveiled the plan earlier in the month. Under the proposal, single filers earning between $38,000 and $100,000 will receive their checks by the end of September. Married taxpayers who file their taxes together and earn less than $150,000 will receive checks worth $500.
Under the tax relief bill passed by the Senate, however, the child and dependent credit will be raised from $180 to $310 per child, and the earned income tax credit will increase the current 30% match of federal credits to 40%.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
