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Massachusetts Question 1, Public Employee Pension Reporting and Refund Requirement Initiative (1958)
| Massachusetts Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Public employee retirement funds |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 1 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 4, 1958. It was approved.
A “yes” vote supported requiring former public employees, excluding judges, who receive a pension, to annually report outside earnings and refund any portion of their pension that, when combined with those earnings, exceeds the salary of their former position, excluding amounts the employee contributed. |
A “no” vote opposed requiring former public employees, excluding judges, who receive a pension, to annually report outside earnings and refund any portion of their pension that, when combined with those earnings, exceeds the salary of their former position, excluding amounts the employee contributed. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,011,028 | 71.47% | ||
| No | 403,519 | 28.53% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below which was disapproved In the House of Representatives by a vote of 73 in the affirmative and 132 in the negative and was approved in the Senate, by a vote of 21 in the affirmative and 17 in the negative? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed measure provides that every former public employee, other than a judge, who is pensioned or retired for disability, shall report to his retirement authority, annually, his earnings from gainful occupation during the preceding year; and that, if such earnings, plus the pension, exceed the regular compensation of the position formerly held the pensioner shall refund that portion of his pension equal to excess or the entire pension if such excess is greater than the pension. A refund, if required, shall not include any part of a pension represented by salary deductions from or special purchase by the former employe. The requirement of a refund is not applicable to Income received In or prior to 1958. | ” |
Path to the ballot
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 3% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Massachusetts also has a distribution requirement that requires no more than 25% of the certified signatures on any petition can come from a single county.
The state Legislature has until the first Wednesday of May in the election year to pass the statute. If the legislature does not pass the proposed statute, proponents must collect a second round of signatures equal to 0.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The Legislature also has the power to place an alternative measure alongside the proposed statute via a simple majority vote of the state legislature.
A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 30% of the votes cast in the election.
See also
External links
- William Francis Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Statewide Ballot Measures: 1919-Present"
- Greenfield Recorder-Gazette, October 27, 1958
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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