An Act relative to police officers and firefighters relative to Chapter 41, Section 111F

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Angelo Puppolo

Adds retroactive 111F leave for police/firefighters out on accidental disability retirement (not based on presumptions) and requires employers to handle back pay.

Read second and ordered to a third reading

Summary: H.2940 - An Act relative to police officers and firefighters relative to Chapter 41, Section 111F

Purpose and intent

This bill seeks to modify how certain absences tied to accidental disability retirement are treated under Massachusetts law. Specifically, it adds a new provision to the leave framework for police officers and firefighters, ensuring that time away from duty due to an accidental disability retirement (per Chapter 32, Section 7) is treated as leave under Section 111F of Chapter 41, and can be granted retroactively if not previously provided.

Key provisions

Amends Section 111F of Chapter 41 by adding a new paragraph at the end.

Applicability: Applies to police officers or firefighters who are granted an accidental disability retirement under Section 7 of Chapter 32.

Condition: The accidental disability retirement must not be based on presumptions under Sections 94, 94A, or 94B of Chapter 32.

Effect on leave: Any absence from duty caused by the condition that led to the accidental disability retirement shall be regarded as leave under Section 111F.

Retroactive leave: If the officer/ firefighter was not previously granted leave under Section 111F for this absence, they shall receive retroactive leave.

Employer responsibilities: The employer is responsible for any pay or other personnel actions related to the retroactive leave.

Who is affected

Police officers and firefighters who have an accidental disability retirement under Chapter 32, Section 7, and whose retirement is not based on the presumptions in Sections 94-94B.

Municipal or state employers and their human resources/payroll offices responsible for administering leave and payroll adjustments.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Bill number and sponsorship: H.2940, sponsored by Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. (12th Hampden).

Status: Read second and ordered to a third reading (as listed).

Original filing: Filed January 13, 2025; referred to the Committee on Public Service.

Legislative actions (progression):

Hearing scheduled May 28, 2025.
May 2025: Reported favorably by committee and referred to House Steering, Policy and Scheduling (H 2978 referenced in the same window).
September 2025: Committee reported the matter to the Orders of the Day; rules suspended; read second and ordered to a third reading.

Related/Replacement: HD 802 is listed as a related or replacing measure.

Fiscal and administrative impact

Potential retroactive pay commitments: If retroactive leave is granted, employers would administer back pay and any other personnel actions, which could have fiscal implications for municipalities or agencies.

Administrative workload: Schools and agencies may need to review records to identify affected employees and process retroactive leave and payroll adjustments.

Notes

The proposal focuses specifically on non-presumption-based accidental disability retirements and retroactive recognition of leave to align with Sections 111F leave provisions.

No new presumption-related disability criteria are introduced; the trigger remains the absence tied to an incident leading to accidental disability retirement not covered by presumptions.