Amendment #677 to H5500

Special Commission on Adjunct Faculty

Ms. Duffy of Holyoke moves to amend the bill, by adding the following section:-

SECTION X (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Adjunct faculty”, faculty employed at 1 or more public institutions of higher education, as defined in section 5 of chapter 15A of the General Laws, on a semester-by-semester basis.

“Impacted adjunct faculty”, adjunct faculty, as defined in this section, who cumulatively work half-time or more at 1 or more public institutions of higher education.

(a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a special commission is hereby established to develop a system and implementation plan that enables impacted adjunct faculty members to be eligible for and receive benefits including, but not limited to, health insurance and retirement benefits that are otherwise available to other benefited public employees.

(b) The special commission shall include, but not be limited to: the secretary of administration and finance or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the chair of the board of higher education or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of higher education or a designee; the comptroller or a designee; the executive director of the public employee retirement administration commission or a designee; the executive director of the group insurance commission or a designee; the chairs of the joint committee on higher education; a representative from the University of Massachusetts segment, appointed by the president of the University of Massachusetts; a representative from the state university segment, appointed by the State University Council of Presidents; a representative of the community college segment, appointed by the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges; a representative from the Massachusetts Teachers Association; a representative from the Massachusetts State College Association; a representative from the Massachusetts Community College Council; 3 members appointed by the commissioner of higher education who shall represent adjunct faculty from each of the 3 segments of the Massachusetts public higher education system; and a member of the student advisory committee to the board of higher education, appointed by the student advisory committee. The executive office of administration and finance and the department of higher education shall furnish reasonable staff and other support for the work of the special commission.

(c) The special commission shall collect, review and report on:

(i) current data, practices and strategies on adjunct faculty utilization across the public higher education system in the commonwealth, including the number and use cases of adjunct faculty and professional staff and impacted adjunct faculty employed by institution and by segment, as compared to the number of full-time faculty;

(ii) the compensation and benefits currently available to adjunct faculty members and professional staff across the public higher education system in the commonwealth, including how such costs are borne between institutional resources and state appropriations;

(iii) nationwide best practices in the employment and compensation of adjunct faculty; and

(iv) other relevant aspects including the impacts on campuses, students and student outcomes of adjunct faculty utilization.

(d) The special commission shall issue recommendations and an implementation plan for providing state benefits to impacted adjunct faculty including, but not limited to:

(i) steps necessary to develop a system that allows any impacted adjunct faculty, including those who work in a division of continuing education, regardless of funding source, including but not limited to subsidiary account CC, to be considered an employee eligible for membership in the state employees’ retirement system and able to earn creditable service for such time, or in the optional retirement program;

(ii) steps necessary to develop a system that allows any impacted adjunct faculty, including those who work in a division of continuing education, regardless of funding source, including but not limited to subsidiary account CC, to be considered an employee eligible for employee benefits outlined in chapter 32A of the General Laws which are made available to other benefitted half or full-time employees at the same institution;

(iii) estimates of annual costs for implementation of clauses (i) and (ii) and proposals for how the commonwealth could fund said costs;

(iv) solutions to barriers that currently prevent or limit public institutions of higher education from increasing the number of full-time faculty positions, including, but not limited to, an analysis of the funding mechanisms currently in place related to hiring additional full-time faculty and recommendations for potential incentives to encourage the hiring of full-time faculty; and

(v) additional recommendations for improving access to public benefits, professional development opportunities and other institutional resources for adjunct faculty.

(d) Not later than 6 months following the enactment of this act, the working group shall submit its report and recommendations, including the text of any proposed legislation and costs necessary to carry out its recommendations, to the governor, the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means and the chairs of the joint committee on higher education.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #677 to H5500

Special Commission on Adjunct Faculty