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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1022 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2698
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Alan Silvia
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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 public safety retention in gateway municipalities.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Alan Silvia7th Bristol1/14/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1022 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2698
By Representative Silvia of Fall River, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2698) of
Alan Silvia relative to public safety retention in gateway municipalities. Public Safety and
Homeland Security.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2401 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to public safety retention in gateway municipalities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 41 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 108P the
2following section:-
3 108Q. (a) For the purposes of this section the following words shall, unless the context
4requires otherwise, have the following meaning:
5 “Gateway municipality”, a municipality with a population greater than 35,000 and less
6than 250,000 with a median household income below the commonwealth's average and a rate of
7educational attainment of a bachelor's degree or above that is below the commonwealth's
8average. 2 of 3
9 “Public safety department”, a functional division of a gateway municipality that provides
10fire fighting, law enforcement, ambulance, medical or other emergency services.
11 “Secretary”, the secretary of public safety.
12 (b) There is hereby established a public safety employee retention program offering
13grants for improvements to public safety departments in gateway municipalities that offer
14retention incentives to their employees.
15 (c) A public safety department in a gateway municipality shall be eligible for a grant
16pursuant to this section if it offers any of the following incentives to its employees:
17 (1) competitive wages;
18 (2) regular cost-of-living adjustments to wages;
19 (3) retention bonuses;
20 (4) lateral hiring incentives;
21 (5) optional training in addition to trainings required by law; and
22 (6) any other retention incentive approved by the secretary.
23 (d) The amount of any grant awarded pursuant to this section shall be proportional to the
24number of qualifying retention incentives listed in subsection (c).
25 (e) Grant monies awarded to public safety departments in gateway municipalities
26pursuant to this section may be used for:
27 (1) the employment of additional public safety department employees; or 3 of 3
28 (2) any other purpose approved by the secretary.