- Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Media Contact for MCAD Issues New Rules of Procedure, Effective January 24, 2020
H Harrison, Assistant to the Commissioners
Mass. — Boston – With the publication of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) Rules of Procedure (804 CMR 1.00 (2020)) in the January 24th issue of the Massachusetts Register, the MCAD’s new procedural regulations take immediate effect. You can view the new Rules of Procedure online at mass.gov/regulations/804-CMR-100-rules-of-procedure or on the MCAD’s website: https://www.mass.gov/lists/mcad-statutes-and-regulations
This is the first complete overhaul of the MCAD Rules of Procedure since their enactment in 1999. The overarching goal of the revisions was to develop clearer procedural regulations that accurately reflect the agency’s internal practices and procedures. The MCAD revised all 25 sections of 804 CMR 1.00 to improve readability and reordered the sections to follow the complaint chronologically as it moves through the MCAD process. The agency added a definitions section at the beginning of the regulations to clarify frequent terminology used at the agency, and made substantive changes to the rules with respect to motion practice, rebuttals, the timeline for HUD housing complaints, mediations, attorney representation, and more.
In an effort to provide the public with numerous opportunities to share their feedback on the proposed changes in advance of formal public hearings, the MCAD initiated a ‘soft launch’ of draft procedural regulations in January of 2019. Then, in September of 2019, the MCAD published a new draft of the procedural regulations which reflected consideration of the comments received during the soft launch, and provided another opportunity for the public to submit written comments. In October 2019, the MCAD held five formal public hearings across the Commonwealth to solicit additional input from the public. The final version of the regulations, which the MCAD Commissioners approved unanimously on December 18, 2019.
In anticipation of the release of the new regulations, the MCAD has audited its documents and webpages to begin revisions to comport with the new rules, and has trained all of its employees on the new regulations and procedures.
The MCAD is happy to provide training on the agency’s new Rules of Procedure for interested parties. Please call the MCAD training unit if you are interested in hosting such a training or desire joining an upcoming New MCAD Procedural Regulations training session.
The rollout of the new Procedural Regulations is one of many initiatives that the MCAD is implementing in an effort to improve the agency’s delivery of its vital services to the People of the Commonwealth, property owners, and the business community.
###