Public safety and health workers press committee for COVID-era retirement credit

Representatives of law enforcement, fire service and public safety unions asked the Joint Committee on Public Service to report favorably on bills creating a study and a retirement credit for essential workers who served in-person during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

Michael Pereira of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police said House Bill 3003 would create “a commission to study the feasibility of awarding a retirement credit to public employees who served in person during the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic.” He said the relevant period ran from March 2020 through June 2021 while the state of emergency was in effect.

Jamie Keneally, legislative director for the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, framed Senate Bill 1802 as both recognition and reward: “One thing to recognize it, it’s another thing to reward the service and the sacrifice,” he said, and asked that the committee vote the bill favorably in memory of a fallen officer, Jose Fontanez, who died April 14, 2020.

Christopher Johnson and Luke Bonin of the State Police Association described frontline work that could not be done remotely and said the proposal is “not a monetary bonus but a bonus of time.” Bonin said the credit would return time lost during the pandemic to workers who repeatedly reported to duty while others sheltered at home.

Paul Jakes of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts said his department had about 63 members diagnosed with COVID and three hospitalized, and urged passage of Senate Bill 1802 and a favorable report on the study bill. Testimony from public safety unions emphasized long‑term health impacts, staffing pressures from vaccine mandates, and the emotional toll on families.

Witnesses asked the committee to report the study and credit bills favorably; no formal committee action was taken during the hearing.