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Bill

SD 1618

An Act relative to retirement equity for parenting teachers

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Mike Brady and 9 co-sponsors

Massachusetts bill allows teachers to credit parenting years toward pension calculations to address retirement equity gaps for educators with caregiving breaks.

House concurred
0
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Bill Summary · SD 1618

Legislative bill overview

SD 1618 proposes modifications to retirement benefits for teachers who take time out of the workforce for parenting responsibilities. The bill aims to address equity issues by allowing educators to count parenting years toward their pension calculations, potentially without reducing their overall retirement benefits. This would allow teachers to maintain retirement security while raising children.

Why is this important

Teaching is a female-dominated profession where parenting breaks disproportionately affect women's long-term financial security and pension eligibility. Current retirement systems typically penalize workers for time out of the workforce, creating economic hardship for teachers who take parenting leave. This bill could set a precedent for how public sector retirement systems account for caregiving work.

Potential points of contention

  • Fiscal impact: Crediting parenting years as service time increases pension liabilities for school districts and the state, raising costs that must be covered through budgets or contributions
  • Equity definitions: Questions about whether this benefit should apply equally to all caregiving situations (adoption, grandparent care, etc.) or remain parenting-specific
  • Implementation complexity: Determining which years count, how to verify parenting status, and whether this applies retroactively creates administrative and legal challenges
  • Fairness debates: Some argue this provides preferential treatment to teachers over private sector workers or those without parenting breaks, while others see it as correcting systemic bias

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

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