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Bill

H 2808

An Act providing for a fair and equitable Group 4 retirement benefit for POST-certified police officers working on Massachusetts public higher education campuses

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Carol Doherty and 4 co-sponsors

Bill elevates pension benefits for campus police officers at Massachusetts public universities to Group 4 status to match municipal police retirement protections and compensation equity.

Accompanied H3002
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · H 2808

Legislative bill overview

H.2808 would provide Group 4 retirement benefits to POST-certified police officers employed by Massachusetts public higher education institutions (universities and colleges). Currently, these campus police officers receive lower retirement benefits than municipal police officers with comparable training and certification. The bill seeks to equalize their pension benefits to match Group 4 status, which offers enhanced retirement protections.

Why is this important

Campus police officers perform identical law enforcement duties as municipal police but have historically received inferior pension benefits, creating compensation inequity for the same dangerous work and training requirements. This disparity affects recruitment and retention of qualified officers at public universities and impacts officers' financial security in retirement. The bill directly addresses workplace fairness for a specific public safety workforce.

Potential points of contention

  • Fiscal impact on universities: Equalizing Group 4 benefits increases long-term pension liabilities for public higher education institutions, potentially redirecting funds from academic or student services to pension obligations
  • Precedent concerns: The change may prompt similar equity demands from other public employees in lower-benefit groups, potentially creating cascading pension cost increases across state government
  • Funding mechanism unclear: The bill text does not specify whether universities absorb increased costs, the state provides additional funding, or contributions from current officers increase

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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