Bill
S 3044
The bill credits 7.92 years of Rhode Island teaching to Massachusetts TRS and requires a buyback payment to adjust retirement benefits accordingly.
Status and Context
- Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Introduced by: Senators Kelly A. Dooner and Steven S. Howitt; co-sponsor Adam J. Scanlon
- Docket/Date: Filed October 7, 2025; referred to Public Service; Rules suspended; hearings scheduled in 2026
- Emergency: The bill declares itself an emergency law to preserve public convenience, indicating the change should take effect immediately upon enactment.
Purpose
- The bill seeks to grant creditable service in the Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) for time Alec Ciminello taught in Rhode Island, with the aim of calculating his Massachusetts superannuation retirement allowance.
Key Provisions
- Creditable Service Award:
- The TRS shall credit Alec Ciminello with 7.92 years of creditable service.
- This credit is for the teaching service he rendered in Rhode Island during August 1, 2014, through June 30, 2022 (inclusive).
- Determination of Retirement Benefit:
- This 7.92 years of Rhode Island service will be used for determining his superannuation retirement allowance under the Massachusetts TRS, specifically pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision (2) of section 5 of Chapter 32.
- Employee Contribution Buyback:
- Before any retirement allowance becomes effective, Ciminello must pay into the TRS Annuity Savings Fund an amount equal to what would have been withheld as regular deductions from his compensation during the Rhode Island service period.
- Payment can be made in a single lump sum or in installments, under terms and conditions set by the TRS Retirement Board.
- The payment must also include “buyback interest,” presumably to reflect the interest that would have accrued if those service years had been earned in Massachusetts public school service.
Affected Parties
- Alec Ciminello: The individual whose service time is being credited from Rhode Island to Massachusetts TRS to determine retirement benefits.
- Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): Required to recognize 7.92 years of Rhode Island teaching service as creditable service and to adjust the retirement benefit calculation accordingly; also responsible for administering the buyback payment and associated terms.
- Public schools employees in Massachusetts: Indirectly affected insofar as the provision expands cross-state service credit rules for retirement calculations.
Procedural and Timeline Aspects
- Effective Date: The bill states it is an emergency measure, indicating immediate effect upon enactment (no separate ordinary effective date).
- Compensation and Buyback: The employee must complete the buyback payment before the retirement allowance becomes effective; terms are determined by the TRS Retirement Board.
- Legislative Path: Referred to the Committee on Public Service after Rules suspension; hearings scheduled in 2026 (as reflected in the action history).
Notes
- The bill does not alter overall eligibility for retirement; it adjusts the creditable service total by adding Rhode Island teaching years and requires a corresponding employee contribution to the TRS Annuity Savings Fund.
- The “buyback” mechanism ensures that Massachusetts public school employees receive credit for out-of-state service only if compensated to reflect Massachusetts’ pension funding terms.
Overall Impact
- Purpose: Facilitate additional creditable service years to potentially increase Ciminello’s Massachusetts retirement allowance.
- Financial Implication: Requires a payer contribution by Ciminello equivalent to Massachusetts deductions that would have been withheld for the Rhode Island service period, plus applicable interest, funded into the TRS Annuity Savings Fund.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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