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S 1837

Requires a study on the height of overhead utility lines and communication lines as such relate to the height of agricultural equipment and other heavy duty equipment

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Michelle Hinchey and 1 co-sponsor

Requires Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School to remit actuarially determined MERS normal costs monthly, with a 10% late penalty and Board collection.

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Bill Summary · S 1837

Summary — S.1837 (Massachusetts) — An Act relative to the Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School

Note: The bill text provided is a Massachusetts state-law measure amending Chapter 32 (the state retirement law). Some metadata in the provided materials (titles about utility-line height, U.S. Senate sponsors, and federal bill names) appear inconsistent with the Massachusetts docket and text. The summary below reflects the actual bill language on file in the Massachusetts Senate (Senate Docket No. 632 / S.1837).

Purpose

To clarify and modify employer contribution obligations to the Massachusetts State Employees’ Retirement System (MERS) for the Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (the “district”), to establish penalties for late remittance, and to resolve (forgive or require) certain outstanding reimbursement obligations for specific calendar years.

Key provisions

  • Amends subsection 4 of Section 28 of Chapter 32 (state retirement law) by adding paragraphs (c) and (d).

  • Paragraph (c): Employer normal-cost remittance

    • Requires Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, when its employees are members of MERS, to remit to the State Board of Retirement the employer’s “normal cost” (as determined by the system’s actuary) of benefits earned each year by such employees.
    • The actuary will determine the normal cost as a percentage of the district’s payroll for those employees based on the most recent actuarial valuation. The actuary may consider unit type, employee demographics, and group classification.
    • Payments are to be made monthly and deposited into the pension reserve fund.
    • The actuary must review the percentage at least every three years.

  • Paragraph (d): Late-payment penalty and collection authority

    • The State Retirement Board may, on terms it sets, require a participating employer who fails to remit either its normal-cost amount (per (c)) or employee/employer contributions required by Section 22 to pay an additional amount equal to 10% of the total delinquent contributions.
    • The Board may commence contract actions to recover outstanding amounts.

  • Reimbursement treatment for specified years

    • Section 3: Outstanding reimbursements to the State Retirement Board under prior paragraph (b) for calendar years 2013–2015 shall not be required (forgiven).
    • Section 4: Outstanding reimbursements under prior paragraph (c) for calendar years 2016–2018 shall be required and must be remitted under terms and conditions prescribed by the Board.

  • Effective date

    • Sections 1 and 2 (the ongoing normal-cost remittance and late-payment provisions) take effect July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School as a participating employer in MERS.
  • Employees of that district who are MERS members (their retirement benefits are funded in part by employer payments).
  • Massachusetts State Retirement Board and the pension reserve fund (administration, actuarial determinations, and collections).
  • Potentially local taxpayers and the district’s budget, depending on the fiscal impact of increased or newly structured employer payments.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Budgetary: Requiring the district to remit actuarially determined normal costs monthly may increase recurring district expenditures and affect local budgeting and cash flow.
  • Compliance incentives: A 10% penalty on delinquent contributions plus Board collection authority strengthens incentives for timely payment.
  • Liability resolution: Forgiving 2013–2015 reimbursements reduces historical liabilities for the district; requiring 2016–2018 reimbursements reasserts liability for those years but allows the Board to set collection terms.
  • Actuarial variability: Since the normal-cost percentage is based on periodic actuarial valuation (reviewed at least every three years), the district’s required payments may change over time.

Procedural status (from provided docket)

  • Filed in Massachusetts Senate: January 14, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 632 / S.1837).
  • Passed the Senate and delivered to the House/Assembly (multiple docket entries indicate Senate passage and referral/transmittal to the Assembly/House committees).
  • Sections 1 and 2 slated to take effect July 1, 2025 if enacted.

If you want, I can: (1) extract the exact statutory text changes for insertion into Chapter 32, (2) produce a short fiscal note estimating likely annual employer-cost changes using sample actuarial percentages, or (3) verify the inconsistencies in the provided metadata by cross-checking legislative databases.

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

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