Bill summary — S.1863 (Massachusetts)
An Act further regulating the retirement rights of certain employees of Plymouth County
Bill at a glance
- Bill number: S 1863 (printed as 1863A)
- Jurisdiction: Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Short title (from text): Amend Section 2A, chapter 124 of the Acts of 1953 to extend certain retirement rights to Plymouth County employees.
- Primary petitioners listed in the bill text: Dylan A. Fernandes (presenting), Norman J. Orrall, David F. DeCoste, Kathleen R. LaNatra, Steven G. Xiarhos, John F. Keenan, Michael D. Brady, Patrick M. O'Connor, William J. Driscoll, Jr.
- Status (per record provided): Substituted by A4315A (5/27/2025); printed as 1863A; committee and chamber actions noted below.
Note on data inconsistencies: the materials provided include references (titles, sponsors, committees, and dates) from multiple sources and jurisdictions. This summary focuses on the substantive bill text included in the docket, which addresses retirement classification for certain Plymouth County employees.
Purpose and intent
The bill’s stated intent is to extend a specific retirement classification (already provided to certain Barnstable County employees) to similarly situated officers employed by the county of Plymouth. In practice, it provides parity in retirement status for specified criminal identification / investigative employees of Plymouth County with those in Barnstable County.
Key provision (single substantive change)
- Amend Section 2A of chapter 124 of the Acts of 1953 by inserting, after the phrase “assistant criminal identification officer employed by the county of Barnstable,” the words “or the county of Plymouth.”
Effectively, any retirement-rights, classifications or benefits that apply under that statutory subsection to an “assistant criminal identification officer employed by the county of Barnstable” would also apply to the equivalent position in Plymouth County. The bill as drafted is narrowly targeted and makes a textual insertion rather than a broader re-write.
Who is affected
- Directly affected: officers (including assistant criminal identification officers) who retire from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department — they would receive the same retirement classification/benefits as their counterparts in Barnstable County under the specified statutory provision.
- Employers/administrators: Plymouth County and its retirement system administrators; potential effect on pension calculations, benefit levels, and employer contribution obligations for the county.
- Fiscal/actuarial impact: likely modest but depends on the number of eligible employees and the difference between current and newly applicable retirement group parameters (e.g., benefit formulas, retirement age, and contribution requirements). The bill text does not include an explicit fiscal note.
Legislative and procedural status (records provided)
- Filed/printed: Senate docket no. 848, filed 1/14/2025; printed as 1863A.
- Read twice and referred: 5/22/2025 (record shows referral to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — this appears inconsistent with MA committee names).
- Referred to Investigations and Government Operations: 1/14/2025 (per docket).
- Advanced to third reading: 5/01/2025.
- House concurred: 2/27/2025 (per record).
- Reported favorably and referred to Senate Ways & Means: 11/26/2025.
- Substituted by companion A4315A: 5/27/2025.
- Hearing scheduled/rescheduled: various entries indicate hearings on 10/06/2025.
Because several dates and committee names conflict in the provided record, the key actionable points are (a) the bill was filed/printed as S.1863/1863A and (b) it was later substituted by A4315A.
Practical impact
- Provides statutory parity in retirement classification for certain investigative officers in Plymouth County, potentially increasing retirement benefits for eligible retirees and creating a corresponding employer cost change for Plymouth County.
- The bill is narrowly targeted; its fiscal consequences depend on how many employees qualify and differences between retirement groups.
If you want, I can:
- Draft a short plain-language briefing for Plymouth County officials (estimated fiscal impacts/questions to ask an actuary), or
- Prepare suggested fiscal-impact questions for the committee report.
