“It can be pretty frustrating when we are trying to quickly move a bill forward and, despite our best efforts, we run short on time,” explained Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel. “Even though I understand why the system is setup this way, it is still hard to justify to a member who is depending on us getting a problem resolved or increasing their retirement benefit.

“Having a hostile governor in the corner office does not help matters. Mitt Romney and Kerry Healey have created an overly negative climate in regard to our retirement systems and health benefits. A new governor, who does not scapegoat retirees, would be a big step in the right direction for all of us.”

December Refiling

Association legislative officers are currently formulating a comprehensive Legislative Package for the 2007-2008 session, which begins on Wednesday January 3, 2007. All bills, which have not been acted upon by that date, must be refiled and the process started over.

For the current term, the Association filed twenty-four separate bills. While several bills advanced forward, many remain before the Joint Committee on Public Service and House Committee on Ways and Means.

“One added difficulty during this session was that we had new leadership in the House, which meant brand new committee chairs, all of whom needed time to be brought up to speed on the complexities of our issues,” said Association Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. “In the Senate, we’ve had two different chairs for Public Service in the past two years. We have publicly called on Jay Kaufman and Pat Jehlen to stay on as chairmen.”

Currently, Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) and Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) serve as the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Service. A generation ago, it was standard practice for chairmen to stay at the helm of one committee for several years, thus becoming an expert on the issue area. Over the past fifteen years, eight Representatives and seven Senators have chaired the Committee.

With the deadline for bill refiling set for early December, Association officials will finalize the legislative package shortly after the November election. It’s anticipated that most bills, filed for the current session and not passed, will be refiled.