Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H5499: An Act to include teachers from the Springfield Empowerment Zone in the Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System
Status: In committee, September 14, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, June 1, 2026:
Subsection (i) of section 1J of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following 2 sentences:- Teachers employed by the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, Inc. shall be members of the teachers’ retirement system pursuant to chapter 32 and a teacher’s service for the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, Inc. shall be creditable service pursuant to said chapter 32. For the purposes of this subsection, the word “teacher” shall mean a person who works on a basis of not less than half-time service in a position that would make them eligible to be a member of the teachers’ retirement system if their position were performed in a public school.
Sponsors
- Bud Williams (D, 11th Hampden) · primary sponsor
- Alice Peisch (D)
Latest actions
- : Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- : Hearing rescheduled to 07/14/2026 from 11:00 AM-11:20 AM in A-1 <br> <span style="color: blue; font-style: italic;">Hearing updated to New End Time</span>
- : Hearing scheduled for 07/14/2026 from 11:00 AM-04:00 PM in A-1
- : Senate concurred
- : Reported, referred to the committee on Joint Rules, reported, rules suspended and referred to the committee on Public Service
- : Referred to the committee on House Rules
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Public Service (September 11, 2026): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H5499?
- H5499 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act to include teachers from the Springfield Empowerment Zone in the Massachusetts Teachers' Retirement System.
- What is the status of H5499?
- In committee as of September 14, 2026. Latest action: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (September 14, 2026).
- Who sponsored H5499?
- Bud Williams (D, 11th Hampden), with 1 co-sponsor.
- Where is the official record for H5499?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5499
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.