An Act authorizing Freddy Castaneda to take the civil service examination for the position of police officer in the city of Haverhill notwithstanding the maximum age requirement

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Barry Finegold and 1 co-sponsor

Exempts Freddy Castaneda from police officer age limits in Haverhill, allowing him to take the civil service exam and be certified/appointed if all other requirements are met.

Read third (title changed) and passed to be engrossed

Overview

H 2988 proposes a targeted exemption to the police officer maximum age requirements for Freddy Castaneda in the city of Haverhill. If enacted, Castaneda would be eligible to take the civil service examination and, if he meets all other requirements, be eligible for certification and appointment to the Haverhill Police Department despite age restrictions that would normally apply.

Bill number: House Bill 2988 (H 2988)

Title: An Act authorizing Freddy Castaneda to take the civil service examination for the position of police officer in the city of Haverhill notwithstanding the maximum age requirement

Introduced: February 27, 2025

Status: Read second and ordered to a third reading

Sponsor(s): Rep. Andres X. Vargas (Haverhill) and Rep. Barry R. Finegold

Local approval: Received (with the mayor and city council’s approval noted)

Purpose and intent

The bill creates an exemption to the general or special laws regulating the maximum age for appointment as a police officer, but limited to Freddy Castaneda in the City of Haverhill. The intent is to allow Castaneda to participate in the civil service process and be considered for certification and appointment if he satisfies all other standard requirements.

Key provisions

Section 1: Notwithstanding any law or regulation concerning the police officer age limit, Freddy Castaneda shall be eligible for appointment to the position of police officer in Haverhill if he meets all other requirements. If eligible, he may be certified and appointed to the Haverhill Police Department.

Section 2: The act takes effect upon passage.

The bill is a local, targeted exemption rather than a broad policy change.

Affected parties and impact

Primary beneficiary: Freddy Castaneda (subject of the exemption).

City of Haverhill: The city’s civil service and police hiring processes would apply to Castaneda as if he were within the standard age requirements, contingent on meeting other criteria.

Other applicants: The exemption does not change statewide or general rules for other applicants; it creates a one-person exception.

Civil service rules: The bill operates as a special act, bypassing the conventional age limitation for this specific individual.

Procedural and timeline details

Committee pathway: Referred to the Committee on Public Service (Feb. 27, 2025).

Subsequent actions: The bill progressed through readings and committee reporting steps, with multiple actions in 2025, including placement on the Orders of the Day and scheduling activities.

Current status: As of the latest update, the bill has been read in second and ordered to a third reading (Nov. 13, 2025).

Related actions: A similar matter appeared in a previous session (HD 5144 of 2023-2024), indicating an ongoing local interest in the issue.

Effective date: Immediate upon enactment (Section 2).

Notes

The measure reflects a localized, targeted exception rather than a statewide reform of age requirements for police employment.

Local approval has been reported as part of the bill’s introduction and framing.

This summary covers the substantive provisions, the intended effect, and the procedural status of H 2988 as introduced and advanced in the 2025-2026 Massachusetts General Court.

Bill