An Act establishing credible service for eligible police officers and firefighters

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Pavel Payano

The bill grants credible service credits to police and firefighters bypassed on Civil Service lists, boosting retirement benefits if they later take a permanent appointment and pay

Discharged from committee and recommitted to the committee on Public Service

Summary of S.2907 (194th Massachusetts General Court)

Purpose and intent

S.2907, titled “An Act establishing credible service for eligible police officers and firefighters,” seeks to recognize and credit time spent by certain police officers and firefighters who were bypassed on an eligible Civil Service hiring list. The bill would allow such individuals to receive “credible service” for the period they would have served if not bypassed, under the state’s contributory retirement system.

Key provisions

Credible service eligibility (Section 1):

Applies to members of the police and fire departments who participate in a municipality’s contributory retirement system.
These members would be eligible for credible service for the period they would have served had they not been bypassed on an eligible Civil Service hiring list before their initial appointment as a police officer or firefighter.

Eligibility criteria for bypassed members (Section 2):

The member was on an eligible hiring list.
The member was bypassed or skipped in favor of another candidate with a lower ranking on the list.
The member received relief via Civil Service Commission order or agreement after a bypass appeal, placing them back on the eligible list.
The member accepts the first available permanent appointment offered by the municipality.

Credit for active service (Section 3):

The bypassed member would be credited with active full-time service from the bypass date to the date of permanent appointment.
The member must pay into the annuity savings fund an amount equal to the regular deductions that would have been paid, plus regular interest, calculated at the rate of compensation the member would have earned during the credible service period.

Effective date (Section 4):

The act would take effect 90 days after enactment.

Who would be affected

Police officers and firefighters in Massachusetts who were bypassed on an eligible Civil Service hiring list but later reinstated and offered a permanent position.

Municipalities' contributory retirement systems that administer credible service credits.

The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission and related agencies overseeing hiring lists and bypass decisions.

Procedural and timeline notes

The bill was introduced in 2025 and has been moving through committee processes, with ongoing activity in 2025–2026.

Actual implementation would require enactment and then a 90-day delay to take effect.

After enactment, affected individuals would need to contribute into the annuity savings fund to establish the credible service credit.

Impact considerations

Provides a pathway for recognition of service time that would have been worked if not bypassed, potentially increasing retirement benefits for affected officers and firefighters.

Creates a funding mechanism for the credited period through employee contributions, ensuring the retirement system accounts for the credited service.

Could affect municipal retirement liabilities and administrative processing related to credible service determinations.

This summary covers the bill’s core purpose, provisions, affected groups, and key timelines. For stakeholders, the primary questions relate to eligibility verification, funding requirements, and the administrative steps needed to establish credible service credits if enacted.