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Legislation On Temporary Hold

JANUARY 2002 - When the House and Senate adjourned on Thanksgiving eve, it signaled the cessation of all formal legislative activity for the remainder of the year. Most legislation came to a standstill during the lengthy budget process and will be taken up when the Legislature returns in January for the second half of the 2001-2002 session.
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Tax Break For Pensions Now In Congress

NOVEMBER 2001 - While the recently enacted federal tax cut law (the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001) reduces the tax on at least the first $6,000 of the pension for a retiree ($10,000 for a couple), the fact remains that one's public pension is subject to federal income tax. In contrast, a taxpayer may be able to exclude all of his Social Security if one-half of his SS benefits plus his other income does not exceed $25,000 ($32,000 for a couple).

Legislative Status Report

SEPTEMBER 2001 - As we have previously mentioned, the Joint Committee on Public Service has completed the first round of public hearings and has discharged a number of bills. The following is the Association’s 2001-2002 legislative package. In all, some eighteen separate bills are being actively supported by the Association.
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Public Service Committee Acts On Association Bills

SEPTEMBER 2001 - Joyce & Dempsey Key To Retirees - It took months of public hearings, countless hours of testimony from advocates, and many long days of work by the staff, but on June 26 the Joint Committee on Public Service completed the first leg of the 2001-2002 Legislative Session.
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Boston Teachers May Enter State System

JULY 2001 - House Budget Seeks Change For New Hires - In November, we reported on a bill that would have transferred Boston teachers into the Commonwealth’s Teachers’ Retirement System. The late filed bill, sponsored by the House Republican Leader Francis Marini, died when the last session ended.As we predicted, the issue re-emerged during the current session, when an amendment was added to the House version of the FY’02 state budget. Instead of being championed by the GOP, this time the issue is being promoted by a member of the Democratic leadership team, Representative Paul Casey (D-Winchester).