The Massachusetts Blue Laws control hours of operation for certain businesses and require some businesses to pay extra compensation (known as “premium pay”) on Sundays and some legal holidays. These laws are enforced by the Attorney General’s Office.
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Do blue laws still exist in Massachusetts in 2020?
Although the infamous Blue Laws are more than 340 years old, many still remain on the books. Luckily for us, most have been ruled unconstitutional and are no longer enforced. These days, Massachusetts’ “Blue Laws” basically refer to the restrictions businesses must impose on Sundays and holidays.
When did Massachusetts repeal blue laws?
In 1977, Massachusetts voters approved a referendum designed to repeal Sunday closing laws. Still, the legislature, responding to pressure from unions, retail associations, and religious groups, relaxed the laws only to allow shopping on Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Is it illegal to scare a pigeon in Massachusetts?
It is illegal in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts to scare a pigeon.
Is a 2 hour shift legal in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts’ minimum wage law requires employers to pay employees for a minimum of three hours of work at the minimum wage when the employees: are scheduled to work a shift that is three hours or longer; report to work at their scheduled time; and. do not end up working at least three hours.
Why is it called a blue law?
blue law, in U.S. history, a law forbidding certain secular activities on Sunday. The name may derive from Samuel A. Peters’s General History of Connecticut (1781), which purported to list the stiff Sabbath regulations at New Haven, Connecticut; the work was printed on blue paper.
What crazy laws are still on the books?
46 Weird Laws Still on the Books
- Vermont banned banning clotheslines.
- You can’t throw rocks at trains in Wisconsin.
- You can’t make fake drugs in Arizona.
- Blasphemy is still illegal in Michigan.
- Dogs can’t hunt big game mammals in California.
- Don’t bite while boxing in Utah.
What do blue laws prohibit?
Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, are laws designed to restrict or ban some or all Sunday activities for religious or secular reasons, particularly to promote the observance of a day of worship or rest.Both labour unions and trade associations have historically supported the legislation of blue laws.
Do blue laws still exist?
Blue laws are enforced in parts of the United States and Canada as well as some European countries, particularly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway, keeping most stores closed on Sundays.Most blue laws have been repealed in the United States, although many states ban selling cars on Sundays.
What states can you not buy alcohol in grocery stores?
What states do not sell alcohol in grocery stores? Alcohol is prohibited from being sold in grocery stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Alaska. Alaska and Delaware have no Sunday restrictions, but you can only buy alcohol at liquor stores.
Is it illegal for a woman to be on top in Massachusetts?
A woman may not be on top during sexual activities. She might topple off and hurt herself.
Is it illegal to sleep in your car in MA?
Yes, you can sleep in your car. There are no laws or regulations in Massachusetts prohibiting anyone from sleeping in their vehicle while parked at a rest area. The state expects drowsy drivers to use rest areas for sleeping.
Is it illegal to eat and drive in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts does not ban eating and driving, per se.Don’t be distracted while driving. Talking to passengers, adjusting a car stereo, or eating can all be dangerous.”
Can I waive my lunch break in Massachusetts?
Under Massachusetts law, employees who work more than six hours a day must be allowed at least thirty minutes unpaid time for a meal break.The decision to waive a meal break must be voluntary and only the employee has the power to waive a meal period.
Is a lunch break mandatory in Massachusetts?
MGL c. 149 § 100 requires a 30 minute lunch period during shifts longer than six hours, but does not require breaks. From Boston.com: “Massachusetts does not require employers to offer rest breaks other than the 30-minute lunch break…Some bargaining agreements may require breaks during the work day.”
Can you get fired for refusing to work overtime in Massachusetts?
Some employers require that an employee report for overtime work when required and refusal to do may cause an employee to get fired for refusing to work overtime.The FLSA does not require an employer to pay overtime pay on weekends, holidays, and/or regular days of rest unless the employee has already worked 40 hours.
What is the Blue Sunday Law?
The term blue law commonly refers to the prohibition of alcohol sales on Sunday, but it historically defined a body of regulations designed to preserve the Sabbath by proscribing most labor on that day.Some such restrictions date to as early as the thirteenth century in England.
Who made blue laws?
Reverend Samuel Peters
In 1781, the Reverend Samuel Peters published A General History of Connecticut, in which he used the term blue laws to refer to a set of laws that the Puritans had enacted in the 1600s to control morality.
What is the meaning of blue law?
Legal Definition of blue law
: a statute regulating work, commerce, and amusements on Sunday. Note: Existing blue laws derive from the numerous extremely rigorous laws designed to regulate morals and conduct that were enacted in colonial New England.
What are the stupidest laws in America?
Weirdest laws passed in every state
- No intoxicated skiing.
- Cheese standards are regulated.
- No ‘lewd and lascivious’ behavior before marriage.
- It’s illegal to kill Bigfoot.
- No hunting on Sundays, unless you’re killing raccoons.
- No forbidding people from putting up clotheslines.
- It’s illegal to ’cause a catastrophe’
What states allow cannibalism?
In the United States, there are no laws against cannibalism per se, but most, if not all, states have enacted laws that indirectly make it impossible to legally obtain and consume the body matter. Murder, for instance, is a likely criminal charge, regardless of any consent.
