This bill (HD 3040) authorizes the Plymouth County Retirement System to count David Osborne's past service with the Town of Norwell (July 1, 2008, to present) toward his retirement benefits. It requires Osborne to pay back the retirement contributions he would have made during that period, plus interest, before his retirement allowance becomes effective. The bill directly affects only David Osborne and is a specific procedural adjustment for his individual retirement eligibility.
This bill amends pension provisions to provide financial support for families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. It guarantees surviving spouses an annual pension equal to the officer's salary (at maximum rate), and children receive $312 per year plus 72% of the spouse's pension until age 18 (or 22 if full-time students). If no spouse survives, children receive the full pension amount directly. The law applies to firefighters, police officers, and corrections officers who die from duty-related accidents, assaults, or while operating department vehicles, with payments administered through existing retirement systems or government funds.
This bill (HD 4197) provides financial support for disabled first responders in Massachusetts. It allows firefighters, police officers, EMTs, correction officers, and other public safety workers who can no longer perform essential job duties due to accidental disability to earn up to half their retirement allowance while working part-time. Crucially, recipients cannot work for government entities (state, county, city, or town) while receiving these benefits, but they may work in the private sector without penalty. The law also clarifies that recipients can still receive other retirement benefits not covered by this provision.
This bill amends Section 94B of Chapter 32 in the General Laws to add "explosive device canine handlers and bomb technicians" to the list of eligible individuals for disability and death benefits. It directly affects these specific public safety professionals who work with explosive devices. The key mechanism is a simple statutory update expanding the current eligibility criteria within an existing benefits program. The change does not create new benefits but extends existing ones to cover these roles.
This bill creates a pension benefit for surviving spouses of Department of Children and Families (DCF) social workers who die while performing their duties. It directly affects DCF social workers who are killed in the line of duty and their surviving spouses. The law requires the Massachusetts State Board of Retirement to establish specific eligibility rules for this pension, effective January 1, 2023. The policy change expands pension eligibility to cover these specific public safety workers who lose their lives on duty.
This bill expands eligibility for line-of-duty death benefits to include Unit 8 employees within the Public Safety Secretariat of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. It amends Chapter 32, Section 100A of the Massachusetts General Laws to add "or Unit 8 employees within the Public Safety Secretariat" to the list of covered personnel. Currently, only corrections officers and similar roles received these benefits; this change specifically extends them to Unit 8 employees who serve in public safety roles. The policy change directly affects eligible Unit 8 employees and their families by providing financial support if they die while performing official duties.
This bill amends pension rules to ensure families of fallen public safety officers receive a minimum death benefit. It guarantees that for officers (police or firefighters) who died on or after December 1, 2010, the pension amount cannot be less than the salary they would have earned in the next pay grade step at the time of death. This applies to both regular officers and those in supervisory roles (e.g., police superior officers or fire officers). The change directly affects the dependents of qualifying public safety officers who died while on duty.
This bill creates a new disability pension for public safety workers injured by violent attacks while performing their duties. It defines "violent act injury" as serious permanent harm from attacks using weapons like firearms or knives, and directly affects firefighters (including volunteers/reserves), police officers (part-time/reserve), and emergency medical personnel. Key provisions include a monthly pension equal to 100% of the worker's pre-injury salary, a lump-sum payment for accumulated retirement deductions, and survivor benefits (75% of the pension) for spouses or children if the injury caused death. The pension applies only to injuries sustained during job duties, with specific eligibility requirements for application and medical certification.
This bill updates compensation rules for court officers injured while performing their duties. It specifies that payments to injured officers under existing law must be treated as regular pay, paid at standard times and methods. Additionally, it creates a new provision holding individuals who intentionally or negligently injure court officers liable for costs exceeding the compensation paid - such as expenses for temporary replacements. The bill directly affects injured court officers and those who cause their injuries, clarifying both compensation treatment and potential financial liability for the injuring party.
This bill (HD 325) extends existing state fire department retirement and physical examination rules to three specific fire departments: crash crews at Logan International Airport, the Massachusetts military reservation fire department, and the 104th Fighter Wing fire department. It amends laws to explicitly include these departments under the definition of "fire districts" for retirement benefits and medical standards. The changes apply to current and retired members of these departments who were previously covered under separate military or airport-specific retirement laws. The bill ensures these firefighters now receive the same state-level retirement benefits and physical exam requirements as other municipal fire departments.
This bill increases the lump-sum death benefit for police and firefighters killed in the line of duty from $300,000 to $350,000. It also establishes new minimum pension amounts for survivors, ensuring payments are at least equivalent to the next grade-step salary the officer would have earned (e.g., a police officer's next step or a supervisory position) as of their death date, effective January 1, 2023. These changes directly affect the families of deceased police officers, firefighters, and fire officers who died while performing their duties. The bill modifies existing provisions in Chapter 32 of the General Laws to raise financial support for survivors.
This bill (HD 4125) creates a standardized sick leave bank system for state employees in Massachusetts. It requires state agencies to establish rules allowing employees to donate unused sick leave, which can then be accessed by colleagues facing non-work-related illness. Key rules include verifying no prior sick leave abuse, requiring proof of the employee’s own illness (not family), and mandating employees use all other accrued leave first. Unused leave in the bank reverts to the donor by December 31, with a maximum cap of 25 days per employee, without overriding existing union agreements.
