Articles about Politics that may be useful to Massachusetts retirees.
Founded in the fall of 1968, Mass Retirees has served as the lead advocates for all Massachusetts retired public employees for the past 50 years.
From the Association’s humble beginnings, our mission has been to represent the interests of all public retirees at the state, local and federal levels of government. Our focus is public pension, Social Security, Medicare and retiree healthcare policy, for which Mass Retirees has become widely recognized for our expertise.
Expands Pension Funding & Proposes 3% COLA
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023: Governor Maura Healey has filed her first state budget proposal, formally kicking off the FY24 budget process.
The $55.5 billion “spending blueprint” focuses on taming the high cost of living in Massachusetts, while investing heavily in the state’s future. This includes a new three-year appropriation schedule for the Commonwealth’s Pension Liability Fund, which funds both the State and Teachers’ Retirement Systems.
This week, we said goodbye to our friend and colleague Chris Condon. In addition to his work with SEIU Local 509, Chris previously served as a member of the State Retirement Board. He was not only dedicated to public service, but worked tirelessly and selflessly to better the lives of others. The positive impact his work had on others, including public retirees, is immeasurable.
We would like to share the following tribute to Chris, by Globe Columnist Yvonne Abraham.
Supports Moves by Treasurer Goldberg & Legislature to Act
March 2, 2022: In the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Mass Retirees Association has joined those calling for full divestment of public pension funds from Russian companies or investments tied to Russia.
By Matt Stout, Globe Staff
Massachusetts legislators in recent weeks have loosened 40-year-old limits on how many hours government retirees can work for a public agency each year while still collecting their taxpayer-funded pension, realizing a change long sought by former employees but derided by critics as too generous.
Friday, February 19, 2021: Today marks the completion of the bill filing process for the 2021-22 Legislative Session here in Massachusetts. A complete list of our Association’s legislative proposals, as well as the lead legislative sponsors of our bills, is contained within our March newsletter. You should receive your copy of The Voice this week.
3% State / Teacher COLA Remains Delayed With FY21 Budget
October 7, 2020: State officials held a special Economic Roundtable meeting today focused on the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Massachusetts economy and tax revenues.
Secretary, Locals Aim for Safe In-Person Voting
Matt Murphy, State House News Service
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 5, 2020.....With less than a month until the election, Secretary of State William Galvin on Monday urged voters to make a plan and not wait if they anticipate casting their ballot by mail to ensure that their vote gets counted.
Ranked Choice Voting = Confusingly Bad Idea
OCTOBER 2, 2020: As increased partisanship has led to further polarization and voter apathy, it is natural for people to seek ways to improve our system of democracy and find new ways to encourage election participation. While we believe that Question 2, so-called Ranked Choice Voting, is well intentioned, the change to our voting process that a Yes vote would bring about is both highly confusing and truly a bad idea.
Local officials are slashing funding for everything from education and health care to orchestra subsidies.
Alaska chopped resources for public broadcasting. New York City gutted a nascent composting program that could have kept tons of food waste out of landfills. New Jersey postponed property-tax relief payments.
Prisoners in Florida will continue to swelter in their cells, because plans to air-condition its prisons are on hold. Many states have already cut planned raises for teachers.
And that’s just the start.
Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. Join with our 52,000 members as we continue the fight.
