The purpose of the Massachusetts Pay Equity Act is to close the gender gap and make it unlawful for employers to pay men and women different rates of pay for comparable work.

The law will also prohibit employers from screening job candidates based on their previous compensation  or asking salary related questions until after an offer is made.

Employers won't be able to contact an applicant's former company to confirm the rate of pay or  how much compensation  the applicant received until after an offer is made and the employer will need written permission from the applicant.