SENATE DOCKET, NO. 574        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1741

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Walter F. Timilty

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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 the retirement options of certain educational personnel.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 574        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1741

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1788 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 the retirement options of certain educational personnel.

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. Paragraph (i) of subsection (4) of section 5 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the sixth sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

A member of a contributory retirement system other than the teachers’ retirement system or a teacher in the State-Boston retirement system, who transfers into the teachers’ retirement system or transfers into the State-Boston retirement system as a teacher may elect to participate in the alternative superannuation retirement benefit program but that election shall occur within 180 days after establishing membership in the teachers’ retirement system or the State-Boston retirement system.

SECTION 2. Paragraph (ii) of said subsection (4) of said section 5 of said chapter 32, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out the second sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

Such member shall have served for not less than 20 years as a teacher in order to be eligible to receive the benefit provided under this subdivision but years of membership service in a contributory retirement system while employed in a public day school in the commonwealth or an education collaborative under section 4E of chapter 40, as a school nurse, school social worker, early childhood teacher, speech, occupational or physical therapist or school business administrator shall be considered years as a teacher for the purposes of this section.

SECTION 3. A school nurse, school social worker, early childhood, speech, occupational or physical therapist, or school business administrator, who on or before July 1, 2005 was eligible to elect to participate in the alternative superannuation retirement benefit program or who transferred from a contributory retirement system to the teachers’ retirement system or the State-Boston retirement system as a teacher under paragraph (i) of subdivision (4) of section 5 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, may elect to do so within 180 days of the effective date of this act on such form as the state teachers’ retirement board or the State-Boston retirement board shall prescribe; provided that said member shall make retirement contributions to the system, prior to retirement, as if said member had elected into said program on or before July 1, 2005, plus interest. The interest shall be calculated by using one half of the actuarially assumed investment rate of return of the teachers' retirement system or the State-Boston retirement system. The election to participate in the alternative superannuation retirement benefit program shall be irrevocable and shall be subject to said subdivision (4) of section 5 of said chapter 32.

The election provided in this section shall also apply to any retired or other inactive member of the teachers' retirement system or of the State-Boston retirement system who (a) was a member in service on or before July 1, 2005 or transferred from a contributory retirement system to the teachers' retirement system or the State-Boston retirement system after that date, (b) was eligible to elect to participate in the alternative superannuation retirement benefit program, and (c) notified, in writing, the school district payroll, business, or other administrative officer of an intention to elect to participate in the alternative superannuation retirement benefit program established pursuant to paragraph (i) of subdivision (4) of section 5 of chapter 32. The new benefit provided through such election shall be actuarially reduced, if necessary, to meet the plan qualification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), as provided in paragraph (i) of subdivision (4) of section 5 of Chapter 32.