HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 972        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2623

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Steven Owens

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to creditable service for certain state contract employees.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 972        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2623

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2747 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to creditable service for certain state contract employees.

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

Subdivision (1) of section 4 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraphs:-

(t) Any member in service of the state employees' retirement system who, immediately preceding the establishment of membership in that system or re-entry into active service in that system, was compensated for service to the commonwealth as a contract employee for any department, agency, board or commission of the commonwealth may establish as creditable service up to 10 years of that service if the member has 10 years of creditable service with the state employees' retirement system, if the member served continuously and full-time as a contract employee for at least 10 years prior to establishment of membership in the state employees’ retirement system or re-entry into active service in that system, and if the job description of the member in the position which the member holds upon entry into service or re-entry into active service is substantially similar to the job description of the position for which the member was compensated as a contract employee.  Creditable service allowable under this paragraph shall be reduced by any creditable service the member has established under paragraph (s) of subdivision (1) of this section.

No credit shall be allowed until the member has paid into the Annuity Savings Fund of the state employees' retirement system before any retirement allowance becomes effective for the member, in a lump sum or in installments, upon the terms and conditions that the state board of retirement prescribes, makeup payments of an amount equal to that which would have been withheld as regular deductions for the service as a contract employee if the service had been rendered as a state employee and the member had been a member of the state employees' retirement system during the period the service was rendered, plus buyback interest on that amount.

Upon completion of the payments, the member shall receive the same credit for the period of previous service as a contract employee as would have been allowed if the service had been rendered by the member as a state employee. Members in service of the state retirement system who make application for this creditable service shall, subject to the rules and regulations of the state board of retirement, be notified by the state board of retirement of their eligibility for creditable service and, if they are eligible, shall also be notified by the state board of retirement that they have the following options: (1) to purchase the service in a lump sum within 180 days after the date of the notice; or (2) to enter into an installment agreement within 180 days after the date of the notice to pay for the service. No creditable service shall be allowed under this section unless the member provides documentation of the member's service as a contract employee satisfying the state board of retirement's requirements.