The day before Thanksgiving, the Mass. State Senate approved a bill to direct the Haverhill retirement board to grant credit of 2 years and 6 months of service as a town employee to John Farrell, an employee of the Haverhill Fire Department. The senate is allowing Farrell to apply the two years he “served in the United States Armed Forces” towards his pension eligibility. According the bill, to seal the special deal, Farrell will need to remit payments for those 2.5 years which he would have normally have placed into his retirement account (a tiny fraction of the boost the years will reportedly provide to his pension timing/benefits).
Senate Session Summary – Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022
State House News Service
The Senate made quick work of its final session before the long Thanksgiving weekend, plowing through local bills and adjourning in about seven minutes. Bills of local importance in Acton, Framingham, Worcester and Methuen were sent to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk while bills that local officials in Hanover, Plymouth, Haverhill and Milford are tracking were advanced in the legislative process. Local bills, like ones changing the name of a city board or authorizing charter amendments, are the kinds of non-controversial things that the House and Senate can pass back and forth during informal sessions with no real threat that any lawmaker might object and grind things to a halt. The Senate will return to action Monday. — Colin A. Young
To track a bill’s legislative history or view its text, click here and enter the bill number. The News Service features gavel-to-gavel summaries of all sessions and audio of formal sessions on our web page: http://www.statehousenews.com.
CONVENES: Sen. Brownsberger banged the gavel and called the Senate to order at 11:02 a.m. No other senators were visible on the livestream of the Senate Chamber.
PLEDGE: Members, staff and guests rose to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
RESOLUTIONS: The Senate adopted a Sen. Eldridge resolution.
FALLS PREVENTION: The Senate ordered to a third reading and engrossed S 1446 further regulating the Commission on Falls Prevention.
HANOVER SELECT BOARD: The Senate ordered to a third reading S 3119 changing the board of selectmen of the town of Hanover to a select board.
SICK LEAVE: The Senate ordered to a third reading and engrossed S 3134 establishing a sick leave bank for Philip Cloutier, an employee of the Department of Mental Health.
PLYMOUTH TOWN MEETING: The Senate ordered to a third reading and engrossed H 4988 relative to representative town meeting in the town of Plymouth.
HAVERHILL RETIREMENT: The Senate ordered to a third reading and then engrossed H 5014 authorizing the Haverhill Retirement Board to grant credible service to John Farrell.
MILFORD LIQUOR: The Senate ordered to a third reading and then engrossed H 5176 authorizing the town of Milford to grant an additional license for the sale of all alcoholic beverages not to be consumed on the premises.
METHUEN CHARTER: The Senate enacted H 4274 amendment of section 3-4 of the Home Rule Charter of the city of Methuen.
WORCESTER ASSESSMENTS: The Senate enacted H 4327 private street betterment assessments in the city of Worcester.
FRAMINGHAM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The Senate enacted H 4352 establishing the Framingham Economic Development Corporation.
ACTON AFFORDABLE HOUSING: The Senate enacted H 5010 relative to bidding requirements for a certain affordable housing project in the town of Acton.
ADJOURNMENT ORDER: The Senate adopted an order to meet next on Monday at 11 a.m.
ADJOURNS: The Senate adjourned at 11:09 a.m. to meet next on Monday at 11 a.m. without a calendar.
