FEBRUARY 13, 2007: Association members, who have fallen victim to either the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or the Government Pension Offset (GPO), will be pleased that legislation which would repeal both laws is nearing majority support before the US House of Representatives.

H.R. 82, filed by California Congressmen, Democrat Howard Berman and Republican Howard “Buck” McKeon, now has 199 co-sponsors. Only 218 sponsors are needed to have a majority in the House. While majorities have been reached during the last two congressional sessions, it was not achieved so early in the term.

Eight of the ten Bay State Congressmen have now signed onto the bill. Reps. Edward Markey and Richard Neal are expected to sign on in the near future.

January 31, 2007: Senate President Robert Travaglini has named freshman-Senator Benjamin Downing to chair the Joint Committee on Public Service. The twenty-five year old Downing hails from Pittsfield and represents the Berkshire Hampshire and Franklin District, which encompasses 48 communities in Western Massachusetts.

Downing replaces Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville), who had been appointed to chair Public Service after having won a special election to the Senate in 2005. Jehlen, who worked closely with Association lobbyists to pass the minimum pension bill in the Senate last year, has been promoted to chair the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs.

In the House, Speaker Sal DiMasi has reappointed Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) to a second term as Public Service Committee chairman. Kaufman, who has been a close ally of public retirees, is the lead sponsor of our COLA base and healthcare trust fund bills.

State House observers expect the public hearing process to begin by mid-March. While final numbers are not yet available, some 900 bills, affecting public retirement, have been filed and will be heard by the Joint Committee on Public Service.   

JANUARY 18, 2006: Federal legislation that would repeal the Social Security offset laws is off to a fast start in the 110th Congress. The bill, H.R. 82, filed by California Congressmen Howard Berman (D-CA) and Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) on the first day of the Congressional Session already has 140 co-sponsors. To date, Bay State Congressmen Capuano, Frank, McGovern, and Tierney have signed onto the bill.

H.R. 82 is pending before the House Subcommittee on Social Security, which is now chaired by Michael McNulty (D-NY). MA Congressman Richard Neal no longer serves on the Social Security Subcommittee, having been promoted to chair the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures.

In the US Senate, Diane Feinstein (D-CA) has reintroduced her bill that would also repeal the WEP/GPO. S 206 now has five Senate cosponsors, including Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine. MA Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are expected to sign onto the bill in the near future.

December 26, 2006: In a surprise veto, Governor Mitt Romney rejected H263 and returned it to the Legislature on December 22. Romney's veto message said: "This legislation allows an individual under section 91 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, to earn $15,000 more than the salary of the position from which the person was retired or was terminated. While I support the goal to increase reliance on part-time employees (thus avoiding the need to hire full-time employees with costly benefit packages), I do not believe that this is the best method to accompish it."

On December 18, House Bill 263 was enacted by the House and Senate during an informal session. H263 amends Section 91 of Chapter 32, increasing the amount of annual allowable earnings of retirees working in the public sector by $15,000. There is no change in the 960 hour limit. H263 was filed by Rep. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, on behalf of the Mass. Police Association. It will benefit retired police officers, among others, who frequently reach their maximum allowable earnings on road details well within the 960 hours. It was expected that Governor Romney would sign H263 into law. The Mass. Police Association endorsed Governor Romney and most recently the candidacy of Lt.  Governor Healey for governor. The following is the language of House 263:

Section 91. (b) of Chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word "exceed" in line 87, the following words: - ; by more than $15,000.