Led by Senator Brian Joyce (D-Milton) and Representative Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill), the Public Service Committee took action on over a thousand separate pieces of legislation during the first six months of the session. While the majority of the bills will require further study, the Committee did take action to release several key Association bills.

As has been the case in previous years, the Association’s marquee bill is H335, which raises the COLA base to $20,000. H335, along with a handful of other bills being actively worked on by the Committee, was held within the Committee until December 31. This will allow time to tackle the cost analysis and devise a funding mechanism to pay for the enhanced COLA benefit.

“At no time did we ever anticipate increasing the COLA base in 2001. As we have explained to our members, this is a complicated and expensive issue to address,” explains Association Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. “Brian Dempsey and Brian Joyce understand the importance of this issue and are working closely with us to find a solution.

“As Ralph White has pointed out, it would make no sense to rush a bill out of the Committee that is financially unstable. Regardless of how much this is needed, the Legislative leadership will not pass a COLA bill that is not fiscally sound. We also have to keep in mind that this bill will have to go before city councils and town meetings at the local level. It must be balanced or it will never be adopted locally.”

Under H335, the Association has proposed a new COLA base for retirees of the State and Teachers’ Retirement Systems of $20,000. At the local level, each retirement system would be allowed to set its own base, using $12,000 as the starting point. This way, each local retirement system could determine what base best fits the funding condition of the retirement system.

Beyond the COLA legislation, thirteen other bills were filed directly by the Association. In addition, a handful of other issues, originally filed by others, are now supported by the Association.

Most importantly, none of the Association sponsored bills received the dreaded “ought not to pass” from the Committee, which spells an instant death for the proposal. Out of the Association’s legislative package, five bills were reported out of the Committee favorably.

While a significant step in the process to become a law, these bills still have a long way to go before the job is complete. In most cases, the bills must now be examined by both the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means to determine the potential fiscal impact. Under House rules, legislation that impacts counties must also be reviewed by the House Committee on Counties.

“The two year legislative session allows ample time for most bills to be reviewed by the appropriate committees. It is a long process to get to the finish line, but so far we are off to good start,” said Association Legislative Liaison Shawn Duhamel. “We are pleased with the progress that has been made so far. Bills are moving that will have a very positive impact on a number of our members.”

In addition to the COLA bill (H335), six other bills are being held by extension in the Public Service Committee through the end of the year. Each of these bills is of particular interest to the committee members, but require further research by the staff prior to action being taken.

The remaining two bills in the Association’s package (H338, H380) have been placed into study orders until later in the session. Both of these bills also require additional cost analysis.

“H380 [the tax exemption bill for noncontributory retirees] is being studied by the Taxation Committee. We have been working on this bill for a number of years and hope to pass it this session,” added Duhamel. “Right now, with the economy faltering and the impact of last year’s voter-passed tax cut just taking effect, the Legislature is holding off on all further tax relief. That does not mean we are giving up on this issue, just that it will take a lot of hard work.”

“Our legislative team will be working closely with the Committee and the staff in the coming months as they address our bills that are being held in the Committee,” said Association Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. “Taking the time to address these bills is the right way to go. It will make it better for everyone in the long-run.”