HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4813        FILED ON: 5/25/2016

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4341

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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May 25, 2016

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,

I am filing for your consideration a bill entitled “An Act to Reform Sick Time.”

This bill will limit sick time accruals that have led to excessive payouts upon retirement from state government by capping the accrual of sick time for state employees in the Executive Department at no more than 1,000 hours. 

The bill grandfathers in approximately 5,800 state employees who have accrued more than 1,000 hours.  These employees will be capped at the number of hours they have accrued as of the date of enactment.   

The legislation ensures that the use of sick time is consistent with its intended purpose, which is to help employees deal with health and family issues and not to provide a retirement bonus.  It will also bring Massachusetts in line with other states and the private sector.  Accordingly, I urge you to enact this legislation promptly.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles D. Baker,

Governor

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4341

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act to reform sick time.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to reform the laws governing the accrual of sick leave for public employees, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
 

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. Section 31A of chapter 29 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:- (e) No employee of the commonwealth shall accrue more than 1,000 hours of unused sick leave credits.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any employee of the commonwealth who has accrued more than 1,000 hours of unused sick leave credits as of the effective date of this act shall not accrue credits in excess of those credits, but may accrue credits for any sick time that is used after the effective date of this act.

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, section 1 shall take effect for any employee of the commonwealth who has accrued not more than 1,000 hours of unused sick leave credits, on the effective date of this act.

SECTION 4. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the personnel administrator shall promulgate revised rules under the second paragraph of section 28 of chapter 7 of the General Laws to incorporate the changes enacted in section 1, which revisions shall take effect as soon as practicable after the effective date of this act.