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S 1811

Designates May ninth as Opioid Awareness Day

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Nathalia Fernández and 2 co-sponsors

Allows public safety officers to buy up to 5 years of creditable service for prior out-of-state or MBTA employment, funded by their payments with interest.

REFERRED TO GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
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Bill Summary · S 1811

Summary — S.1811 (MA Senate Docket No. 1655, 2025)

Status note: The detailed bill text below is a Massachusetts bill titled “An Act relative to public safety officers and creditable service,” filed in the Senate (Senate Docket No. 1655 / Senate No. 1811) by Senator Brendan P. Crighton on 01/16/2025. Some accompanying metadata in your submission (a different title “Designates May ninth as Opioid Awareness Day” and a different set of sponsors) appears to conflict with the bill text; this summary treats the Senate Docket No. 1655/No. 1811 text submitted (public safety officers / creditable service).

Purpose / Intent

To permit certain city or town public safety officers who are members (active or inactive) of local retirement systems to purchase creditable service for prior periods of public safety employment rendered in other states or for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), subject to limits and conditions. The intent is to allow those officers to consolidate or augment their Massachusetts retirement service credit by buying up to a limited amount of out‑of‑state or MBTA service.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new subdivision to section 3 of chapter 32 (Massachusetts General Laws) allowing a public safety officer who is a member (active or inactive) of a city/town retirement system to purchase credit for prior service:
    • Purchase may be paid in one lump sum or installments, under board-prescribed terms.
    • Amount to be paid equals what regular retirement deductions would have been for the prior service period (or most recent portion elected) had it been rendered in Massachusetts (excluding MBTA service as Massachusetts service).
    • Purchasable service is limited to a maximum of five years.
    • No credit/payment is allowed for any service for which the member is already entitled to a retirement allowance from another state or the MBTA.
    • Purchaser must also pay sufficient interest so that the accumulated payments (with interest) equal the value that would have resulted from regular deductions at the time the service was rendered.
    • Member must supply necessary information for the board to calculate amounts and credit.
  • Refund and credit-limiting rules:
    • At retirement (or when member attains age 65), if the member’s Massachusetts service (excluding MBTA) is less than the out‑of‑state/MBTA service purchased, credit is allowed only for the most recent out‑of‑state/MBTA service equal to the Massachusetts service; excess payments are refunded with accumulated interest when the retirement allowance becomes due.
    • If payment was accepted for service for which the member is entitled to a retirement allowance from another state or the MBTA, the paid amount (with interest) must be refunded and no credit allowed.
  • Section 2 amends section 4, subdivision (1) to state that creditable service for out‑of‑state or MBTA periods (for members who acquired the right to such credit) shall be allowed as provided in the newly added subdivision.
  • The new subdivision becomes effective for a city, town, county or other retirement system upon that system’s acceptance.

Who is affected

  • Primary: city and town public safety officers (e.g., police, firefighters) who are members — active or inactive — of local county, city, or town retirement systems and who previously served in other states or for the MBTA.
  • Secondary: local retirement boards and systems, which must accept the subdivision for it to take effect for their membership; actuarial and administrative staff who will calculate purchase amounts, interest, and process payments/refunds.

Limits, timing, and administrative notes

  • Maximum purchasable creditable service: 5 years.
  • Purchases must be completed before the member’s retirement allowance becomes effective.
  • Refunds for excess purchased service are made only when the retirement allowance becomes due.
  • Implementation requires local retirement system acceptance.

Procedural status (as provided)

  • Filed/presented in MA Senate: 01/16/2025 (Senate Docket No. 1655 / Senate No. 1811) by Brendan P. Crighton.
  • Legislative actions listed include readings, committee referrals (Public Service; Finance; Governmental Operations), passage in the Senate (listed as PASSED SENATE 05/12/2025), delivery to the House/Assembly, and a hearing scheduled for 09/15/2025. (Some dates/actions in the provided list appear duplicated and may reflect clerical entries or updates.)

Fiscal / policy considerations

  • Potential actuarial/fiscal impact: purchasing service credits increases a member’s credited service and may increase pension liabilities to the extent purchased credits raise retirement benefits; however, purchases are funded by the member’s payments (with interest) intended to equal employee deductions and interest, which may mitigate direct unfunded liability if priced correctly.
  • Administrative burden on local systems to compute equivalencies, accept installment plans, track interest accruals, and process refunds at retirement.

Note on metadata conflicts: If you need a summary of the other S.1811 (the bill titled “Designates May ninth as Opioid Awareness Day” or the sponsors John Kennedy, Eric Schmitt, etc.), please provide the correct bill text or confirm which version you want summarized.

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

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