MA Senate Approves Pension Changes

A news report in the Springfield Republican said the bill establishes an optional early retirement incentive plan for municipal employees and allows communities to further spread out annual payments for costs of pensions, among other provisions.

Approved 37-0, the bill also blocks state administrators from moving into a job with a higher-risk classification for a short period to dramatically hike their pensions. The measure seeks to pro-rate pensions according to the number of years an employee works in a particular group classification.

The House has already approved a bill giving local governments certain financial relief, but did not include the pension changes.

House and Senate representatives now have to work out a compromise on the issues in their respective bills and both will need to vote on the resulting bill before it is sent to Governor Deval L. Patrick, the newspaper said.