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H 2698

An Act relative to public safety retention in gateway municipalities

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Alan Silvia

Creates grants to fund retention incentives for public safety departments in gateway municipalities, boosting staffing with wages, COLAs, bonuses, and training.

Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
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Bill Summary · H 2698

Summary of H. 2698: An Act relative to public safety retention in gateway municipalities

Purpose

This bill creates a targeted program to improve recruitment and retention of public safety personnel in certain Massachusetts municipalities, by providing grants to fund retention incentives in gateway communities.

Key provisions

  • New law insertion: Adds a new Section 108Q to Chapter 41 of the General Laws after section 108P.
  • Gateway municipality definition: A municipality with:
    • population > 35,000 and < 250,000,
    • median household income below the Commonwealth average, and
    • a rate of educational attainment (bachelor’s degree or higher) below the Commonwealth average.
  • Public safety department: Any division within a gateway municipality that provides fire, police, ambulance, medical, or other emergency services.
  • Public Safety Secretary: The Secretary of Public Safety.
  • Public safety employee retention program: Establishes grants for improvements to public safety departments in gateway municipalities that offer retention incentives to employees.
  • Eligible incentives (c): A department must offer at least one of the following to qualify for a grant: 1) competitive wages; 2) regular cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs); 3) retention bonuses; 4) lateral hiring incentives; 5) optional training beyond legally required trainings; and 6) any other retention incentive approved by the secretary.
  • Grant calculation (d): The grant amount is proportional to the number of qualifying retention incentives listed in subsection (c).
  • Authorized uses (e): Grants may be used for: 1) employing additional public safety department personnel; or 2) any other purpose approved by the secretary.

Affected entities

  • Public safety departments within gateway municipalities (as defined by the bill).
  • Employees in those departments who would benefit from retention incentives.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025.
  • Current status: Referred to Public Safety and Homeland Security; subsequently reported favorably by committee and referred to House Ways and Means.
  • Hearing: Scheduled for June 11, 2025 (1:00 PM – 5:00 PM).
  • Related actions: Similar matter previously filed as House Bill 2401 (2023-2024). The bill appears in the 2025-2026 session as H. 2698; House docket number 1022.
  • Cross-chamber note: Senate concurrence indicated in the bill’s legislative actions, reflecting typical steps in the legislative process.

Potential impact

  • Aimed at stabilizing and expanding public safety staffing in targeted communities by tying funding to concrete retention incentives.
  • Grants scale with the breadth of incentives offered, encouraging comprehensive retention strategies.
  • Could influence budgets and workforce planning in gateway municipalities that meet the defined demographic criteria.

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

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