Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1: Whereas, there currently exists a disparity between the first year base salary of a correctional officer employed by the various sheriff’s departments of the commonwealth and the first year base salary of a correctional officer employed by the Massachusetts Department of Correction;

Whereas, the work performed by correctional officers employed by the various sheriff’s departments of the Commonwealth is substantially similar to the work performed by correctional officers employed by the Massachusetts Department of Correction;

Whereas, correctional officers employed by the various sheriff’s departments of the commonwealth perform dangerous and important work critical to the public safety.

Whereas, it is a priority to attract and retain highly qualified and professional correctional officers to the various county sheriff’s departments of the commonwealth.

SECTION 2: Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the first year base salary of a correctional officer employed by a sheriff’s department shall not be less than ninety per cent of the first year base salary of a correctional officer employed by the Massachusetts Department of Correction.