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Bill

S 1919

Eliminates sporting license fees for honorably discharged, disabled veterans

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pete Harckham and 8 co-sponsors

Directs Westfield Retirement Board to grant disability retirement to Greg Heath for Parkinson’s disease caused by employment, with medical-panel certification and retroactive effec

REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
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Bill Summary · S 1919

Summary — S 1919 (text provided)

Important note: the bill metadata you supplied (title, sponsors, and some legislative actions) appears inconsistent with the bill text. The text included in your packet is a Massachusetts “local”/special act concerning the retirement of a specific individual — Greg Heath, a former Westfield firefighter — not a general change to sporting license fees. This summary is based on the bill text provided (the Massachusetts special-act language).

Purpose

To direct the Westfield Retirement Board to grant disability retirement to Greg Heath under section 7 of chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws, on the basis that Parkinson’s Disease caused by his employment rendered him incapacitated for duty.

Key provisions

  • Directs the Westfield Retirement Board, notwithstanding chapter 32 or other law, to retire Greg Heath under chapter 32, section 7, if it determines his Parkinson’s Disease was incurred as a result of his employment.
  • Conditions the payments/retirement on a medical-panel certification:
    • A medical panel established under section 6 of chapter 32 must certify by majority that Heath is mentally or physically incapacitated from further duty, that the incapacity is likely permanent, and that the incapacity could be the natural and proximate result of Parkinson’s Disease.
  • Waiver option:
    • The Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) may waive the medical-panel examination requirement if Heath has already been examined by a medical panel and is receiving a disability benefit as of the effective date. PERAC must promptly notify the retirement system of such a waiver.
  • Retroactive effective date:
    • The act is to take effect on September 26, 2020.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiary: Greg Heath (former firefighter, City of Westfield).
  • Administering body: Westfield Retirement Board (responsible for implementing the retirement and payments).
  • Oversight: Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), which can waive the panel requirement under specified conditions.
  • Fiscal effect: Potential pension/disability payments from the Westfield retirement system (and indirectly impacts plan liabilities and local budgets). The bill does not specify dollar amounts.

Legal and procedural notes

  • This is a private/local special act that applies to a named individual; such acts are exceptions to general law.
  • The bill text states “Local Approval Received,” indicating municipal approval was obtained.
  • Effective retroactively to September 26, 2020, which may affect benefit start dates and retroactive payments if approved.

If you want, I can (1) draft a short fiscal-impact note estimating potential costs to the Westfield retirement system, or (2) reconcile the conflicting metadata/sponsor lists you provided.

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

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