HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3153 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Steven C. Owens
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to creditable service for certain state contract employees.
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PETITION OF:
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Steven C. Owens 29th Middlesex 2/18/2021
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 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3153 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
[Pin Slip]
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2287 OF 2019-2020.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
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An Act relative to creditable service for certain state contract employees.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Subdivision (1) of section 4 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016
2 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following paragraphs:-
3 (t) Any member in service of the state employees' retirement system who, immediately
4 preceding the establishment of membership in that system or re-entry into active service in that
5 system, was compensated for service to the commonwealth as a contract employee for any
6 department, agency, board or commission of the commonwealth may establish as creditable
7 service up to 10 years of that service if the member has 10 years of creditable service with the
8 state employees' retirement system, if the member served continuously and full-time as a
9 contract employee for at least 10 years prior to establishment of membership in the state
10 employees’ retirement system or re-entry into active service in that system, and if the job
11 description of the member in the position which the member holds upon entry into service or re-
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12 entry into active service is substantially similar to the job description of the position for which
13 the member was compensated as a contract employee. Creditable service allowable under this
14 paragraph shall be reduced by any creditable service the member has established under
15 paragraph (s) of subdivision (1) of this section.
16 No credit shall be allowed until the member has paid into the Annuity Savings Fund of
17 the state employees' retirement system before any retirement allowance becomes effective for the
18 member, in a lump sum or in installments, upon the terms and conditions that the state board of
19 retirement prescribes, makeup payments of an amount equal to that which would have been
20 withheld as regular deductions for the service as a contract employee if the service had been
21 rendered as a state employee and the member had been a member of the state employees'
22 retirement system during the period the service was rendered, plus buyback interest on that
23 amount.
24 Upon completion of the payments, the member shall receive the same credit for the
25 period of previous service as a contract employee as would have been allowed if the service had
26 been rendered by the member as a state employee. Members in service of the state retirement
27 system who make application for this creditable service shall, subject to the rules and regulations
28 of the state board of retirement, be notified by the state board of retirement of their eligibility for
29 creditable service and, if they are eligible, shall also be notified by the state board of retirement
30 that they have the following options: (1) to purchase the service in a lump sum within 180 days
31 after the date of the notice; or (2) to enter into an installment agreement within 180 days after the
32 date of the notice to pay for the service. No creditable service shall be allowed under this section
33 unless the member provides documentation of the member's service as a contract employee
34 satisfying the state board of retirement's requirements.
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Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 32-4