Requires insurance coverage for certain inhalers at no cost

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Addabbo and 3 co-sponsors

Designates MassDOT highway and street construction and maintenance workers to Group 2 of Massachusetts' contributory retirement, changing retirement rules for these workers.

SUBSTITUTED BY A128A

Quick summary

S.1804 would amend Section 3 of Chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws to add “highway and street construction and maintenance workers of the Massachusetts department of transportation” to Group 2 of the Commonwealth’s contributory retirement system. In short, the bill changes the retirement-system group classification for a specified category of MassDOT employees.

Key provision

Amends Section 3 of Chapter 32 (as in the 2022 Official Edition) by inserting, after “Cushing hospital,” the following language:

“; and highway and street construction and maintenance workers of the Massachusetts department of transportation”

No additional benefit formulas, ages, effective dates, or grandfathering language appear in the text provided; the change is limited to the statutory group designation.

What this means / likely impacts

Group assignment in Massachusetts’ public employee retirement system determines eligibility rules, normal retirement age, benefit calculation formulas, and vesting. Reclassifying employees into Group 2 will therefore change the retirement rules that apply to the affected MassDOT employees.

The direct effect depends on how Group 2 differs from the group the employees currently occupy (e.g., different normal retirement age, multiplier, or early retirement provisions). Those specific impacts are not detailed in the bill text and should be verified against current Chapter 32 provisions and PERAC guidance.

The affected population is narrowly defined: highway and street construction and maintenance workers employed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

Legislative status & timeline (as provided)

Filed/Filed in Senate docket No. 836 (filed 1/14/2025); presented by Sen. Joanne M. Comerford.

Introduced in the Senate (listed 5/19/2025) and referred through various committees (Insurance; Public Service); committee activity and printing noted.

On 2025-06-10 the measure was listed as “SUBSTITUTED BY A128A,” indicating the original Senate bill was replaced by House bill A128A for further action. Readers should review A128A for the controlling language going forward.

Notes, uncertainties, and recommended next steps

The packet contains inconsistent metadata (different titles, unrelated federal sponsors listed); the authoritative text provided above is the Section 3 insertion.

The bill text itself does not spell out implementation details (effective date, treatment of incumbent employees, or interactions with collective bargaining). Those details, or any amendments, may appear in A128A or subsequent committee reports.

For precise effects on retirement eligibility and benefit calculations, consult:

The current text of Chapter 32, Section 3 and related retirement provisions
Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) guidance
The substitute/companion bill A128A (current vehicle for the proposal)

If you’d like, I can locate and summarize A128A (the substitute) or compare existing Group 2 rules in Chapter 32 to the likely current classification for these MassDOT workers.

Bill