H 4881

SECTION 1. Section 2 (e) of chapter 32A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended in line 117 by inserting after the word “hours” the following:- or faculty who teach the equivalent of at least two three or more- credit courses per semester or four three or more- credit courses per calendar year at one of more state higher education institutions, including a division of continuing education, regardless of funding source, including but not limited to subsidiary account CC, and regardless of the term of employment; SECTION 2. For those employees included in section 1, the commonwealth, not the public institutions of higher education, shall bear the cost of implementing coverage, using the schedule set forth: (a) In the fiscal year in which this act is signed into law, the commonwealth shall pay 25 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. (b) In the first fiscal year following this act becoming law, the commonwealth shall pay 35 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. (c) In the following fiscal year, the commonwealth shall pay 45 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. (d) In the following fiscal year, the commonwealth shall pay 55 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. (e) In the following fiscal year, the commonwealth shall pay 65 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. (f) In the following fiscal year and all fiscal years proceeding, the commonwealth shall pay 75 per cent of the premium costs for coverage of the faculty member. SECTION 3. There shall be established a working group to study and make recommendations regarding adjunct faculty employment at the University of Massachusetts, state universities, and community colleges. The working group shall consist of the following members: the commissioner of higher education, or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance, or a designee; the executive director of public employee retirement administration commission, or a designee; the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on higher education, or their designees; the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means committees, or their designees; the president of the University of Massachusetts, or a designee; one president of a state university, or a designee; one president of a community college, or a designee; and one representative of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The working group shall examine: (i) adjunct faculty eligibility and participation in the Massachusetts state retirement system; (ii) adjunct faculty rights, compensation, and employment conditions; and (iii) internal pathways for advancement to full-time positions. The working group shall file a report no later than December 31, 2026, with the clerks of the house and senate, the joint committee on higher education, and the house and senate committees on ways and means. The report shall include: (i) a summary of findings regarding current adjunct faculty rights, compensation, and employment conditions; (ii) an analysis of projected costs and financial impacts of extending retirement benefits to adjunct faculty; (iii) an assessment of the anticipated impact on faculty recruitment and retention; and (iv) an evaluation of operational feasibility for each recommendation.