The House wisely rejected a plan to extend Quinn Bill benefits to firefighters, but lawmakers missed an opportunity to scale back the education raises for police officers to reasonable levels. The House Ways and Means Committee recommended a new program that would have sharply limited the amount of extra money officers could earn for college degrees, and force them to take only accredited courses. Officers currently receiving benefits would not have been affected. It's a good program that will put the handcuffs on some of the abuses to the original Quinn Bill. Lawmakers should reconsider it.
Law enforcement can be dangerous work, as Western Massachusetts has learned far too often.
We're certainly in favor of education, and we support any police officer who wants to further his or her education. But the current incentive pay program is simply too generous. The Quinn Bill has been an education, and lawmakers should have learned something from it by now. Used with permission.