State police witnesses urge restoration of Quinn-era education incentive to improve recruitment and pay equity

Members of the Massachusetts State Police Association and several troopers told the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security on Wednesday that legislation to restore an education incentive for troopers hired after February 2009 would address a widening pay disparity and help recruit and retain more qualified, diverse applicants. "Please support our goal of recruiting and retaining a well educated, well qualified, diverse force by reporting these bills favorably," said Luke Bonin, vice president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts. The bills under consideration — House Bill 2651 and Senate Bills 1759 and 1783 — would create an education incentive comparable to the Quinn Bill that existed before a 2009 budget change removed the benefit for newly hired state troopers, witnesses said. Advocates called the current arrangement a two‑tier system that gives troopers hired before the cutoff higher base pay tied to degrees, while later hires…