SB2436
Health Care Plan Design

·         City and Town Managers can unilaterally implement “Plan Design”

·         Allows them to set Co- Pays and deductibles’

·         ¼ of savings to go back to cities and towns

·         ¼ to employees in premium and co pay relief

·         50% subject to negotiations

NEPBA   JLMC

·         Allows New England Police Benevolent Association to be put into the pool to be on the Joint Labor Management Commit

Eliminate Suffolk Holidays

·         Eliminates Bunker Hill Day

·         Evacuation Day

                                                              Early Retirement

·        Early retirement The Senate’s version was the same as the House. The Chief Executive officer of the municipality shall limit the total number of participating employees, with preference to those with greater years of creditable service and shall determine which eligible employees may participate. 

·        In order to participate you need twenty years of service and be paid from the operating budget.

·        The employee must request, in an application for retirement, that the retirement board credit them with additional retirement benefit up to three years in full year increments to years of age or years of creditable service.

·        Must turn over accrued Vacation and Sick time to Pension Fund

     The employee cant receive over 80% of their annual rate of compensation

·        All municipal Pensions capped at $125,000 and tied to federal law  26 U.S.C. 401(a). You are not required to pay into the retirement system over the cap.

·        Pensions will be based on highest 5 years instead of highest 3 years.

·        Anti spike provision: Regular compensation in any year shall not include compensation that exceeds the compensation earned in the last two years by 7%. This will not affect promotions to a higher grade.

HB 4619

Casino Bill

·         State Police have exclusive jurisdiction at all Casino sites

 HB 4631

·         Mutual Aid to Cities and Towns

·         Early retirement

·         Both bills follow closely to the Senate version

Who is my representative?
http://www.mass.gov/legis/city_town.htm

House email list:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenuh.htm

Senate email list:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm
 

Reprinted from:         

STATE HOUSE NEWS Report of House Hearing Tuesday April 14, 2009

PENSION BILL: Question came on engrossing  4054 making certain changes in the retirement system of the commonwealth.  Rep. Spellane of Worcester said this bill can be a complicated bill.  I hope to discuss a bit of this phase of pension reform and tell you why we are addressing this now and talk to you about issues we will address later this session, perhaps later this year, and tell you about regular compensation and wages, which many of you have questions about. 

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

On May 20, 2008, NEPBA Legislative Director Paul Larkham and Lobyist Russ Taylor, attended the 1^st public hearing held at the Executive Office of Transportation in regards to establishing regulations for using police details for public works projects.