SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2793        FILED ON: 3/27/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Pavel M. Payano

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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 establishing credible service for eligible police officers and firefighters.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2793        FILED ON: 3/27/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act establishing credible service for eligible police officers and firefighters.

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 4 (2) (c) of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof, the following:-

In the case of any member of the police and fire department who is part of the contributory retirement system in a municipality within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, shall be eligible for credible service for the time the member would have served but for being bypassed on an eligible Civil Service hiring list before being initially appointed as a police officer or firefighter.

SECTION 2. The bypassed member shall meet the following criteria. (a) the member was on an eligible list to be hired as a police officer or firefighter, (b) the member was skipped or bypassed for another person with a lower rank on the civil service hiring list for a municipality (c) the member was granted relief by an order or agreement approved by the Civil Service Commission, pursuant to MGL c. 534 of the Acts of 1976 as amended by c. 310 of the Acts of 1993, after a by-pass appeal, placing the member back on the eligible hiring list, and (d) member accepts the first available permanent appointment offered to the member by the municipality.

SECTION 3. The bypassed member shall be credited with active full-time service from the bypass date to the date of the member’s permanent appointment so as long as the member pays into the annuity savings fund of the retirement system an amount equal to the accumulated regular deductions that the member would have paid together with regular interest, at the rate of compensation the member would have received during the credible service period.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect 90 days after enactment.