Gov. Patrick in favor of pension-system reform

BOSTON – Mass. Gov. Deval L. Patrick testified before the Joint Committee on Public Service last week that he supports closing loopholes and ending abuses of public-employee pension benefits.
Continuing his push for pension changes, Patrick outlined steps officials can take to strengthen the rules governing public retirement systems. His suggestions included limiting the definition of “regular compensation” to wages and salary and ending the “one day, one-year” rule by which some public employees receive an entire year of pension credit for as little as one day of work.
Patrick also suggested:
• Aligning the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority pension system with the “best elements” of the state pension system. Specifically, Patrick suggested ending the “23 years and out” rule, where MBTA employees can start receiving a pension earlier than typical retirement ages.
• Eliminate provisions that allow employees to purchase pension credit at minimal cost for service as an unpaid local official.
• Eliminating pension boosts due to holding multiple jobs concurrently.
• Eliminating “double pensions” by changing provisions that allow some employees to qualify for two public pensions. •