By Ms. Kaprielian of Watertown, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2597) of Rachel Kaprielian and others relative to extending maternity benefits to retired teachers.  Public Service.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Rachel Kaprielian

Cleon H. Turner

Christine E. Canavan

Steven M. Walsh

Robert L. Rice, Jr.

Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.

Barbara A. L'Italien

Denise Provost

Douglas W. Petersen

Louis L. Kafka

Martha M. Walz

Jennifer M. Callahan

Robert A. Antonioni

Gloria L. Fox

Elizabeth A. Malia

Theodore C. Speliotis

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act to extend maternity benefits to retired teachers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1.  Subdivision 1 of section 4 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in chapter 114 of the acts of 2000, is hereby amended by inserting after paragraph (g 1/2) the following paragraph:—
(g 3/4). The period or periods before 1975 during which any retired member of the teachers retirement system or any retired member of the State-Boston retirement system resigned for the purposes of maternity leave or was on unpaid leave of absence for such purposes from the governmental unit in which the member was employed as a teacher and had established membership in a Massachusetts contributory retirement system shall be allowed as creditable service, on a proportionate basis which the board shall determine according to rules and regulations adopted by the board and approved by the commission. No credit shall be allowed under the paragraph unless the teacher had completed 10 years of service. The maximum creditable service allowable under this paragraph for any member shall not exceed four years. In the event that any such teacher’s pension is less than $10,000 annually then the base retirement figure shall be adjusted to a minimum of $10,000 effective upon passage of this act.