Bill
S 1870
Adds victim witness advocates with 10+ years to Group 2 retirement in MA, shifting their pension classification under PERS and affecting future benefits.
Status snapshot
- Title (per provided text): "An Act relative to victim witness advocate retirement classification."
- Filed: Senate Docket No. 1389 — filed 01/16/2025; Presented by Senator Adam Gómez.
- Current status (per provided metadata): Referred to Elections. (Several committee referrals and hearing dates are listed in the provided record — see Procedural Notes below.)
- Note: The bill text and some provided metadata (sponsor list, alternate title) contain inconsistencies. This summary is based on the bill text included in the packet (Senate No. 1870 / S.1870).
Purpose and intent
- The bill would amend Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 32 (public employee retirement law), to add certain victim witness advocates to the Group 2 retirement classification. The intent is to make employees holding the title of “victim witness advocate” (as defined in chapter 258B, section 1) who have at least ten years’ employment in that capacity eligible for Group 2 retirement classification.
Key provision
- Amendment: Insert, after the phrase “or court officer,” the following language into Group 2 of paragraph (g) of subdivision (2) of section 3 of chapter 32:
- “employees holding the title of victim witness advocate as defined by section 1 of chapter 258B who have been employed in such capacity for ten years or more;”
- Effect: Victim witness advocates with 10+ years in that role would be treated as Group 2 members for purposes of the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) classification.
Who would be affected
- Primary: Employees titled “victim witness advocate” (per chapter 258B, §1) who have been employed in that role for at least ten years.
- Secondary: Municipalities, district attorneys’ offices, courts, and other public employers that employ such advocates; public retirement boards and the Massachusetts State Retirement System (actuarial and administrative impacts).
- Retirees and near-retirees among that cohort could see changes to contribution rates, benefit calculations, retirement eligibility, and other Group 2-specific rules (the bill changes classification only; exact benefit impacts depend on existing Group 2 rules in chapter 32).
Procedural and timeline notes
- Docket shows filing 01/16/2025; presented by Senator Adam Gómez.
- Provided legislative-action entries include multiple referrals (Elections; Public Service; Energy and Natural Resources), hearing scheduling entries (hearing(s) listed for 10/06/2025), and other dates. These entries appear inconsistent in places.
- Recommendation: Verify current committee referral, hearing status, and any amendments on the official Massachusetts Legislature site (malegislature.gov) for up-to-date procedural status and the authoritative bill text.
Potential fiscal and policy implications
- Classification changes typically produce actuarial effects on employer and employee pension contributions and long-term pension liabilities. A fiscal note from the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) or from the affected retirement systems would be needed to quantify budgetary impact.
- Administrative work for local retirement boards to reclassify eligible members and to calculate retroactivity (if any) may be required.
Caveat about metadata
- Some sponsor and related-bill information supplied with the request (e.g., names of U.S. Senators, alternate titles) do not match the Massachusetts bill text and likely reflect data errors or cross‑jurisdictional conflation. Use the Commonwealth’s legislative website for authoritative sponsorship and status information.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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