An Act authorizing and directing the retirement board of the city of Lawrence to grant credible service to Lawrence police officer Abel Cano Jr

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Frank Moran

The bill directs Lawrence’s Retirement Board to grant credible service to police officer Abel Cano Jr., affecting his retirement eligibility and pension.

Referred to the committee on Public Service

Overview

H 5565 is a Massachusetts bill from the 194th Session titled: "An Act authorizing and directing the retirement board of the city of Lawrence to grant credible service to Lawrence police officer Abel Cano Jr." The bill intends to modify retirement eligibility or credit by recognizing additional service for a specific police officer, Abel Cano Jr. The measure has a sponsor with a co-sponsor: Frank Moran. As of the action history, the bill was referred to the Committee on Public Service on July 6, 2026.

Main purpose and intent

The bill seeks to authorize and direct the City of Lawrence’s Retirement Board to grant credible or creditable service to a named police officer, Abel Cano Jr.

The underlying aim is to adjust the officer’s retirement eligibility or credited service time, potentially affecting retirement benefits, pension calculation, and retirement date.

Key provisions and changes proposed

Direct authorization to the Lawrence Retirement Board to grant credible service specifically to Abel Cano Jr., a sworn law enforcement officer for the City of Lawrence.

The bill would establish that the retirement board must recognize additional service time as credible for Cano Jr., which can influence:

Total years of credited service
Eligibility for retirement benefits
Calculation of pension benefits (e.g., years of service, final average salary, multiplier, or other benefit formulas used by the city’s retirement system)

The measure is targeted and does not propose broad changes to general retirement law; rather, it specifies a singular individual and grants discretionary authority to adjust his credited service.

Who/what would be affected

Abel Cano Jr.: The named Lawrence police officer whose credited service would be adjusted under the bill.

City of Lawrence Retirement Board: Would be required to grant credible service to Cano Jr. per the bill.

Lawrence police pension/retirement system: Potentially altered benefit timing and amount for Cano Jr., with downstream fiscal implications for the city’s retirement fund related to the adjusted benefits.

City of Lawrence and its taxpayers: Depending on the pension impact, there could be cost implications for the municipal retirement system.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Status: Referred to the Committee on Public Service on July 6, 2026.

Next steps: The committee would review, hold hearings, and potentially amend or report the bill with a recommendation. If reported favorably, it would proceed through the usual legislative process (debate and votes by both chambers) before becoming law.

Targeted nature: Because the bill focuses on a single individual, it is a discretionary local adjustment rather than a broad statutory reform.

Notes

The bill’s impact depends on how the creditable service adjustment is administered within the City of Lawrence’s retirement framework and any related actuarial implications.

Additional details (such as the amount of credited service, effective date, or prospective vs. retrospective credit) are not provided in the summary and would appear in the full text or committee reports if released.