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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3487 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2914 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Paul McMurtry |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to veteran judges' pensions. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk1/17/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3487 FILED ON: 1/17/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2914 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative McMurtry of Dedham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2914) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Paul McMurtry relative to veteran judges' pensions. Public Service. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 2600 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act relative to veteran judges' pensions. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 Notwithstanding sections 65A, 65B and 65D of chapter 32 of the General Laws, or any |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2other general or special law to the contrary, a retired chief justice, justice, associate justice, |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3judge, associate judge, or special justice, hereinafter referred to as a judge, who: (i) is a veteran |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4who served in the armed forces of the United States, (ii) was called into duty in the armed forces |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5of the United States while seated as a judge, and served at least 90 days in active duty in the |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6armed forces of the United States while seated as a judge, (iii) retired at the age of 70 under |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7Article LVIII of the Amendments to the Constitution with at least 10 years of continuous judicial |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8service or resigned after serving in office for at least 15 years continuously and attaining the age |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9of 65 years, and (iv) currently receives a pension related to such service as a judge, shall be |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10eligible for an increase in their pension to receive a pension for life at an annual rate equal to |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11three fourths of the current annual rate of regular compensation of a judge currently serving in 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12the same or similar position as the retired judge held at the time of their retirement, calculated as |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13of the date of the application for pension increase, beginning on the date such application was |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14approved by the retirement board pursuant to the second paragraph. A judge who retired at age |
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| 44 | 44 | | 1570 under Article LVII of the Amendments to the Constitution with less than 10 years of |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16continuous judicial service who otherwise meets the requirements of this act shall be eligible to |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17receive an increase in their pension by calculating such pension based on the current annual rate |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18of regular compensation of a judge currently serving in the same or similar position as the retired |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19judge held at the time of their retirement, calculated as of the date of the application for pension |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20increase, beginning on the date such application was approved by the retirement board pursuant |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21to the second paragraph. |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22 Within 30 days after the effective date of this act, the state retirement board shall notify |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23all retired judges collecting a pension pursuant to chapter 32 of the General Laws, in writing by |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24certified mail, of the opportunity to apply for an increase in their pension pursuant to this act. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25Said judges shall have 30 days after receipt of said notice to make application for such pension |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26increase, which shall include information, as the retirement board deems necessary, to determine |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27eligibility pursuant to this act. The retirement board shall make a determination on any |
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| 57 | 57 | | 28application submitted pursuant to this act within 30 days after receipt of such application, and |
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| 58 | 58 | | 29shall notify the applicant of such determination in writing not later than 10 days after such |
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| 59 | 59 | | 30determination is made. |
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