SJC Rules Quinn Bill Statute Only Requires Municipality To Pay One Half Of Benefit

In a disappointing decision, the Supreme Judicial Court today ruled that the Quinn Bill Statute, M.G.L. c. 41, §108L, only requires a municipality that adopts it pay one half of the benefits enumerated in the statute, and that the other half is contingent on state funding.

The Court ruled that the phrase “shall be granted” education benefits actually only means “shall be granted” half of the benefits when read in conjunction with the “shall be reimbursed” language later in the decision.  You can read the decision in Adams v. Boston by linking from the SJC website, http://www.massreports.com/slipops/default.aspx .

The decision just issued, and we are still digesting it fully.  We will post a thorough analysis of the Court’s decision soon.