Bill > S1874

This bill amends the Massachusetts General Laws to clarify and expand provisions for out-of-state service credit for education professionals in the state's teachers' retirement system. The legislation allows teachers, principals, supervisors, and other educational professionals who have worked in public schools or educational institutions outside of Massachusetts to purchase retirement system credit for their previous out-of-state service. Specifically, members can pay into the retirement system an amount equivalent to what would have been deducted from their salary had they been working in Massachusetts public schools during that time. The bill caps out-of-state service credit at ten years, with additional restrictions that the credit cannot exceed the member's total Massachusetts service and cannot be for periods already covered by another state's retirement system. The bill also introduces a provision allowing members with vested pension plans in other states to transfer the full present value of those plans into the Massachusetts teachers' retirement system, subject to potential assessment fees. Importantly, members who transfer their pension cannot subsequently receive distributions if they are already receiving a public pension from another state. This legislation aims to provide more flexibility for educators who have worked in multiple states while maintaining the financial integrity of the retirement system.

Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1874