WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

S 1897

Designates certain portions of the state highway system as the "Between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes Wine Trail"

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pam Helming and 1 co-sponsor

Allows certain veterans who served on the State Staff to make up 10% of housing or subsistence allowances that were excluded from pension calculations.

SIGNED CHAP.387
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 1897

Summary — S.1897 (Chapter 387 of 2025)

Note on source materials
- The materials provided included multiple, conflicting texts (a highway “Between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes Wine Trail” designation, a federal amendment on adverse childhood experiences grants, and a Massachusetts bill text about state staff/veteran retirement). The legislative actions, bill text, sponsor (Jacob R. Oliveira), and chapter number (SIGNED CHAP.387) correspond to the Massachusetts measure. This summary treats the enacted Massachusetts bill (Chapter 387 of 2025) as the primary subject.

Purpose

To amend Massachusetts retirement law to allow certain veterans who also served as members of the State Staff to “make up” contributions for housing or subsistence allowances that were previously excluded from their regular annual compensation for retirement calculation — thereby permitting those allowances (or a portion) to be included in the pension computation.

Key provisions

  • Amends Chapter 32, Section 4 (Title IV, Massachusetts retirement statutes) by adding language to the end of the 14th paragraph.
  • Entitles a veteran who has also served as a member of the State Staff for the previous three years (as defined in Chapter 33, Section 15) to make “makeup payments.”
  • Makeup payments are for amounts of wages that had been characterized as a housing or subsistence allowance and were not previously included in the veteran’s regular annual compensation contribution.
  • The makeup payment amount permitted is equal to 10% of such housing or subsistence allowance that had not been included in the veteran’s compensation calculation.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: veterans who also served as members of the Massachusetts State Staff and meet the three-year service condition.
  • Secondary impacts: the Massachusetts State Retirement System (may see adjustments in member contributions and future pension calculations); state payroll/HR offices (to accept and process makeup payments); and actuarial/cost analyses for the pension system (potentially slight increases in future benefit liabilities depending on uptake).
  • The bill does not provide new direct state expenditures beyond administrative handling of makeup payments nor specify a retroactive date beyond the language quoted.

Procedural and timeline highlights

  • Filed/Introduced (MA): 01/16/2025 by Sen. Jacob R. Oliveira.
  • Committee referrals and floor actions in spring/early summer 2025; passed both chambers (June 12–16, 2025).
  • Delivered to Governor: 09/05/2025.
  • Signed into law: 09/10/2025 — recorded as Chapter 387 of 2025.

Notes and caveats

  • The act specifies the makeup-payment amount as “an amount equal to the ten percent” of the previously excluded allowance; administrative rules and exact payment mechanics will likely be developed by the retirement system.
  • No dollar estimates or appropriation paragraphs are included in the text provided; actuarial impact will depend on how many veterans qualify and choose to make payments.
  • Other texts in the provided materials (wine-trail highway designation; federal grant language on adverse childhood experiences) appear unrelated to the enacted Massachusetts chapter and were not part of the final Chapter 387 enactment.

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

Sign in to ask a question.