An Act relative to retired Quincy firefighter Kevin Bythrow

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Tackey Chan

The bill authorizes a retroactive municipal retirement for Kevin Bythrow due to duty-related injuries, with a pension, medical indemnification, and survivor benefits.

Overview

HD 662 is a private (local) bill filed in the Massachusetts General Court to retire Kevin Bythrow, a former Quincy firefighter, due to injuries or illnesses allegedly tied to toxic exposures incurred during duty. The bill would authorize a municipal retirement for Bythrow with related pension and survivor protections, retroactive to mid-2023, and provide for hospital/medical expense indemnification through state law. The measure is a local/private bill and has prior related filings in earlier sessions.

Bill number: HD 662 (House Docket No. 2775)

Introduced: January 10, 2025

Sponsored by: Representative Tackey Chan (Quincy)

Local approval: The bill notes local approval (and previously carried a similar matter in prior session as House 4534)

Key Provisions

Retirement and Pension

The Quincy Retirement Board would retire Kevin Bythrow, recognizing that toxic exposures sustained in the line of duty rendered him totally and permanently incapacitated.

The annual pension amount would be determined in accordance with Section 7 of Chapter 32 of the General Laws.

The retirement would be effective and retroactive as of July 31, 2023.

Indemnification for Medical Expenses

Under Section 100B of Chapter 41, Bythrow would be eligible for indemnification by the City of Quincy for hospital, medical, and related expenses not covered by private health insurance.

Survivor Benefits upon Death

If Kevin Bythrow dies from Parkinson’s disease, his surviving spouse would receive an accidental death benefit under Section 9 of Chapter 32.

If death results from some other cause, the surviving spouse would receive a death benefit consistent with Option (c) of Subdivision (2) of Section 12 of Chapter 32.

Affected Parties and Entities

Kevin Bythrow: The individual recipient of the retirement pension and related benefits.

City of Quincy: The employer and sponsor of the retirement board’s action; responsible for pension funding and indemnification commitments under the bill.

Quincy Retirement Board: Would implement the retirement under the specified General Laws.

Surviving spouse: Eligible for specified death benefits under Chapter 32, depending on cause of death.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Effective date: The act would take effect upon passage.

Retroactivity: Pension benefits would retroactively apply to July 31, 2023.

Status and context: Local/private bill; requested “relative to” a specific individual, with references to local approval and prior related filing (House 4534 in 2023-2024).

Notes and Context

The bill explicitly uses “Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary,” signaling an override to standard retirement rules for the targeted case.

As a private/local bill, it focuses on a single individual and would not create a broad, statewide policy change.

No explicit cost estimates are provided in the text; fiscal impact would depend on the calculated pension, indemnification obligations, and any additional survivor benefit costs under the General Laws.

Bill