Freshman state Rep. Jim Arciero has only been in office for a month, but he seems to know an antiquated taxpayer-funded boondoggle when he sees it. The Westford Democrat has filed legislation to strip state law of a provision that allows public employees with 20 years of service who are fired or have their positions eliminated to begin collecting a pension before age 55.

CommonWealth has reported extensively on the controversial pension perk, here in 2002 and here in 2004. A bill filed by Rep. Linda Forry, the House vice chair of the Legislature’s Public Service Committee, would get rid of the pension benefit for state lawmakers. But as we noted here last month, it doesn’t touch the broader swath of public employees who benefit from the questionable pension policy. Arciero’s bill provides the sort of wholesale fix that should be on the table as the state tackles sorely needed pension reforms.

The freshman lawmaker’s move may not endear him to some colleagues or to public-sector unions. But he got a big attaboy in an editorial in Friday’s Lowell Sun.