By Bob Katzen

A payment that provides $1,000 to Massachusetts residents with a 1- or 2-person household earning up to $84,000 annually; 3-person household earning up to $105,000 annually; and 4 or more-person households earning up to $131,000 annually. Each household with a dependent would receive an additional $500 per dependent.

Supporters said the measure is aimed at helping poor, low-income and middle-class households.

“The goal of this bill is to provide immediate economic relief to our residents and families hardest hit by the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Acton). “This legislation is especially important for workers in the gig economy, independent contractors, part-time workers and others who had to wait weeks and sometimes months to collect unemployment benefits, potentially falling behind on rent, mortgage or credit card payments. Direct cash assistance cannot be our sole solution to the widespread and ongoing economic consequences of this pandemic, but it will be a critical lifeline for our residents who may not have access to savings or family resources to support them in this difficult time. On the national level, such cash assistance schemes have garnered bi-partisan support and I hope we can build on that spirit of cooperation here in the Massachusetts Legislature.”