Bill
S 1859
The act ensures Walter L. Guertin’s retirement allowance is calculated based on 32 years of creditable service as of his 2017 retirement, retroactively ordering payment of any owed
Important note — metadata mismatch
- The file you provided contains conflicting information. The short title at the top (“Requires issuers of credit cards to give the cardholder at least 45 days notice…”) and the listed sponsors (Richard Blumenthal, Zellnor Myrie) do not match the bill text and docket information. The actual bill text and docket (Senate No. 1859 / SD 2103) are a Massachusetts local/private act that amends M.G.L. c.32 solely to affect the retirement allowance of one individual, Walter L. Guertin. This summary describes the enacted text in the bill packet you supplied (the pension amendment). Please verify which measure you want summarized if you intended the consumer-credit-card proposal.
Summary — An Act relative to the amendment of M.G.L. c.32, section 4(2)(b) and 4(2)(c) (Walter L. Guertin)
- Purpose / intent
- To ensure that Walter L. Guertin receives a retirement allowance calculated on 32 years of creditable service as determined by the Attleboro Retirement Board as of his retirement date (November 17, 2017), notwithstanding the general provisions of chapter 32 that might yield a different calculation.
- Key provisions
- Section 1: States explicitly that, notwithstanding sections 4(2)(b) and 4(2)(c) of chapter 32 (or any other law to the contrary), Walter Guertin shall receive a retirement allowance based on 32 years of creditable service as calculated by the Attleboro Retirement Board as of his retirement date (November 17, 2017).
- Section 2: Makes the act retroactive to November 17, 2017, directs the Attleboro Retirement Board to pay any amounts owed to Guertin between his retirement date and the date the act becomes law, and specifies that the retirement allowance shall be subject to the provisions of section 103 of chapter 32.
- Who is affected
- Directly affected: Walter L. Guertin — the bill changes how his pension is calculated and requires retroactive payment if amounts are owed.
- Administrative body: Attleboro Retirement Board — responsible for applying the calculation, making payments, and administering the change.
- Indirectly: Pension accounting/administration processes for the Attleboro retirement system (limited fiscal impact confined to payments to Guertin).
- Fiscal/practical impact
- The text requires the local retirement board to pay any retroactive sums due. The bill does not state a dollar amount; fiscal impact depends on the difference between benefits previously paid and benefits recalculated using 32 years of creditable service.
- The allowance remains governed by chapter 32 §103 (which governs provisions such as commutation, optional allowances, or survivorship language), so other statutory retirement rules continue to apply.
- Effective date and timeline / procedural status (as reflected in provided actions)
- The act applies retroactively to November 17, 2017.
- Docket filed: January 17, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 2103 / Senate Bill No. 1859).
- Committee referrals and actions noted in the record include referral to Public Service, favorable reporting, passage in the Senate (May 14, 2025), delivery to the House/Assembly and referral to Consumer Affairs and Protection; later entries indicate committee reporting and readings through October 27, 2025. (The record lists numerous procedural steps; confirm current status with the legislative clerk for up-to-date disposition.)
- Legal/administrative notes
- The bill is a private/local relief bill (affecting a single named individual) that overrides certain provisions of the general public pension statute only as they apply to this person.
- Because the measure expressly operates “notwithstanding” specified statutory provisions, it creates a narrow statutory exception limited to Guertin’s pension computation.
If you intended the consumer credit-card bill (45-day notice before account closure) instead of this Massachusetts private pension act, please provide the correct text or confirm which measure you want summarized and I will prepare a summary for that bill.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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