Mass. bill aims to reform unemployment insurance

BOSTON (AP) -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has filed a bill aimed at overhauling municipal unemployment insurance.

The legislation filed Wednesday would limit access to unemployment for a worker who retires and begins collecting a pension, then later returns to work for a municipality. Other provisions include preventing municipalities from being charged for wages earned by election workers who make less than $1,000 a year.

The legislation grew out of a task force Patrick convened last year to review unemployment insurance issues raised by municipalities.

The legislation comes a day after Patrick said he would push to freeze unemployment insurance rates for Massachusetts businesses for the fourth year in row. He said that would save employers about $500 million.