Locke Lord QuickStudy: UPDATE: Massachusetts Gets Closer To Law Limiting Non-Competes

We reported in May that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, a new bill regulating non-compete agreements in Massachusetts, had made its way out of committee and onto the floor of the House. On June 29, 2016, the House passed an amended version of the bill, improving the odds that non-compete legislation will reach the Governor’s desk before the legislative session ends on July 31, 2016. Below, we highlight the significant changes that were made in the amended House bill.

The House amendments primarily targeted the proposed Act’s “garden leave” provision, which had been especially unpopular in the Massachusetts business community. Under the prior version of the bill, every non-compete agreement was required to include a “garden leave clause” providing for continuation of the employee’s salary at 50 percent or higher while the post-employment restriction remained in effect. The proposed Act now provides that a non-compete must be supported by either a garden leave clause or “other mutually-agreed upon consideration.” It is not clear from the text of the proposed Act whether this consideration would need to be paid upon termination of employment, and therefore in addition to any consideration given at the time the non-compete is signed, but it appears that may have been the drafters’ intent.