New Mass. Laws for 2015: Minimum Wage Hike, Wine Deliveries, Hold-Open Gas Clips

A host of new Massachusetts laws will go into effect Thursday to kick off the new year. Among them:

• The minimum wage will increase from $8an hour to $9
• Wineries will be able to ship bottles directly to consumers
• “Hold-open” clips will be allowed at gas stations, making it unnecessary for drivers to manually hold open pumps
  

Minimum wage increase

Attorney General Martha Coakley on Wednesday issued a reminder to employers about the minimum wage hike and warned her office has the authority to prosecute those who don’t abide by the new law.

“This increase is an important step in helping to bridge the gap in income equality in the Commonwealth,” Coakley said in a statement.

The Legislature approved a plan that will further increase the minimum wage to $10 in 2016 and then $11 in 2017.

Winery shipments

You can thank former New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe for this one.

Bledsoe, who operates Doubleback Winery in Washington, lobbied the Legislature to allow out-of-state bottle shipments directly to consumers.

More than 90 wineries—mostly from the West Coast—have applied for a license to ship bottles to Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe.

Gas Clips

Hate standing outside your vehicle in subzero weather to pump gas? Worry no more.

Hold-open clips will now be allowed, allowing drivers to set the pump and scramble back inside their vehicle for warmth.

Massachusetts in 2014 was the last state to still have a ban on the clips, according to WGBH.

Photos: File