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H 4315

Laurence Manning Bowling Champs

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terry Alexander and 122 co-sponsors

Westfield may set a max age under 40 for original firefighter appointment, disqualifying applicants who are 40 or older on the entrance exam date.

Introduced and adopted
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Bill Summary · H 4315

Summary — H 4315 (Laurence Manning Bowling Champs / City of Westfield firefighter age limit)

Note: The legislative file contains two distinct items. The primary Massachusetts bill H 4315 is a local-authority special act concerning firefighter hiring in the City of Westfield. The file also contains a separate South Carolina House resolution honoring the Laurence Manning Academy coed bowling team (a ceremonial resolution unrelated to the Massachusetts measure). This summary focuses on the Massachusetts bill text (H 4315) and summarizes the unrelated South Carolina resolution at the end.

Main purpose

To authorize the City of Westfield to impose a maximum age for original appointment to the position of firefighter, notwithstanding the state civil service age provisions.

Key provision (exact statutory change)

  • Section 1 (sole substantive provision):
    "Notwithstanding section 58A of Chapter 31 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, no person shall be eligible to have their name certified for original appointment to the position of firefighter in the City of Westfield if such person has reached their fortieth birthday on the date of the entrance examination."

In short: applicants who are 40 years old or older on the entrance-exam date are ineligible to have their name certified for original appointment as a Westfield firefighter.

What this changes / legal effect

  • Creates a local exception to state law (Chapter 31, Section 58A) for Westfield only, allowing the city to set a maximum age of under 40 for certification for original appointment to firefighter.
  • Alters the civil-service certification process for Westfield firefighter hires by precluding older applicants from appearing on certification lists based on age at the time of the entrance exam.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: prospective firefighter applicants for the City of Westfield who are age 40 or older on the entrance-exam date — they would be disqualified from certification for original appointment.
  • Also affected: Westfield Fire Department hiring processes, City of Westfield human resources/civil service administration, and persons responsible for administering candidate lists and entrance examinations.
  • Indirectly affected: municipal workforce composition and applicants planning careers in firefighting who might have been eligible under general law.

Procedural / timeline details

  • Filed as House Docket No. 4922; House Bill No. 4315 (presented by Rep. Kelly W. Pease; petition includes Rep. Michael J. Finn).
  • Local approval noted (bill filed “with the approval of the mayor and city council” of Westfield).
  • Key actions listed:
    • 2025-07-15: Filed (House docketed)
    • 2025-07-23: Referred to committee on Public Service
    • 2025-07-24: Senate concurred
    • Hearings scheduled/rescheduled for 09/17/2025 (committee hearing listing updated)
  • As a special/local act, final enactment would require passage by the General Court and either concurrence by both chambers and signature (or no veto) as required under Massachusetts procedure for bills; the file shows committee activity and inter-chamber action.

Considerations / observations

  • The measure is narrowly targeted (City of Westfield only) and explicitly overrides the cited state civil service provision for that city.
  • It reduces the pool of eligible original-appointment candidates by excluding individuals who have reached age 40 on the exam date; practical impacts include potential effects on recruiting, diversity of experience, and workforce planning (not legal analysis or policy judgment).

Separate item in the file — South Carolina House resolution (ceremonial)

The file also contains a South Carolina House Resolution (dated 04/09/2025) recognizing and honoring the Laurence Manning Academy coed bowling team, coaches, and officials for winning the 2025 SCISA State Championship (team went 17–0; individual honors noted). This is a ceremonial recognition and is unrelated to the Massachusetts statutory provision described above.

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

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