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S 1449

Eliminates the maximum age for taking the civil service examination for appointment as a police officer or as an environmental conservation officer

2025 Regular Session Introduced by George Borrello and 3 co-sponsors

Requires certain municipal police/fire employees to live within 15 miles of their town, with bargaining to expand the radius if negotiated.

REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS
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Bill Summary · S 1449

Summary — S.1449 (Massachusetts) — "An Act relative to firefighter residency"

Note: the metadata supplied with this request included inconsistent items (a different bill title about civil service exam age limits and a list of federal sponsors). This summary is based on the bill text and docket information filed in the Massachusetts Senate (Senate Docket No. 955 / S.1449) presented by Senator John F. Keenan and titled “An Act relative to firefighter residency.”

Purpose / intent

To establish a uniform residency requirement for certain municipal police and fire personnel by replacing Section 99A of Chapter 41 of the Massachusetts General Laws with a provision that requires specified employees to live within a 15‑mile radius of the borders of the city or town that employs them, while allowing municipalities to negotiate a larger radius through collective bargaining.

Key provisions

  • Replaces Section 99A of Chapter 41 in its entirety with a new residency rule.
  • Requires any member of a city or town’s regular police department, fire department, or fire alarm division — who was appointed after August 1, 1978 and is not subject to Chapter 31 (state civil service) — to reside within fifteen (15) miles of the limits of the city or town that employs them.
  • Specifies how distance is measured: from the closest border of the employing city/town to the closest border of the city/town where the employee lives.
  • Permits a city or town to increase (but not decrease) the fifteen‑mile residency limit by agreement in collective bargaining conducted under Chapter 150E.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: municipal employees in regular police departments, fire departments, and fire alarm divisions who
    • were appointed after August 1, 1978, and
    • are not covered by Chapter 31 (state civil service rules).
  • Not affected: employees who remain subject to Chapter 31 (state civil service) and appointments prior to the August 1, 1978 date as specified.
  • Indirectly affected: municipalities (mayors, city/town managers), unions representing public safety employees (collective bargaining option), and prospective applicants who live beyond the specified radius.

Potential impacts

  • Recruitment and retention: may limit hiring pools to candidates within a 15‑mile border radius unless the municipality negotiates a larger area.
  • Operational readiness and response: intended to ensure personnel live reasonably close to their assigned municipality.
  • Collective bargaining: preserves local control to expand the residency radius through negotiated agreements.
  • Legal/administrative: replaces current statutory language for the specified class of employees; municipalities must apply the new measurement rule (border‑to‑border).

Procedural status / timeline (as provided)

  • Filed in Senate (Senate Docket No. 955) — 1/15/2025.
  • Presented by Sen. John F. Keenan.
  • Recorded actions include introduction/readings, committee referrals, a hearing scheduled for 06/24/2025, and a committee report (reported favorably and referred to Senate Rules on 07/31/2025). The record also shows referrals to Civil Service and Pensions and Municipalities & Regional Government at various points.

Notes / caveats

  • The supplied packet contained conflicting metadata (different title and out‑of‑jurisdiction federal sponsors). This summary strictly reflects the Massachusetts bill text that amends Section 99A concerning municipal police/fire residency.
  • Implementation details (e.g., enforcement, waivers, grandfathering) are not specified in the text beyond the appointment date and Chapter 31 exclusion; municipalities and unions would address further details in collective bargaining where allowed.

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

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