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HB 6953

AN ACT REQUIRING MUNICIPALITIES TO PROVIDE A PENSION TO POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM OR ANOTHER COMPARABLE PENSION SYSTEM.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brandon Chafee and 18 co-sponsors

Requires CT towns to provide police and firefighter pensions via MERS or a comparable system, increasing municipal pension liabilities and costs, with oversight.

FILE NO. 555
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Bill Summary · HB 6953

Summary — HB 6953 (File No. 555)

Title: AN ACT REQUIRING MUNICIPALITIES TO PROVIDE A PENSION TO POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN THE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM OR ANOTHER COMPARABLE PENSION SYSTEM
Introduced: February 13, 2025
Status (most recent): Reported out of LCO with a Joint Favorable Substitute; placed on House calendar (House Calendar No. 344 / File No. 555) — April 7, 2025

Purpose

The bill would require Connecticut municipalities to provide defined pension benefits to municipal police officers and firefighters by either:
- participating in the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (MERS), or
- enrolling those employees in another pension system that is deemed “comparable.”

The stated intent is to ensure police and firefighters employed by municipalities have access to standardized pension coverage.

Key provisions (based on title and available metadata)

  • Mandatory pension coverage: Municipalities would be required to provide pension benefits for police officers and firefighters rather than relying solely on other retirement arrangements (e.g., solely Social Security or hybrid plans), by joining MERS or an alternative pension program.
  • Comparability requirement: If a municipality does not participate in MERS, the alternative system must meet comparability criteria (the bill text would define standards for “comparable” coverage — e.g., benefit formula, vesting, employer contribution levels, survivor/disability protections).
  • Administrative roles and reporting: The bill’s subject indexing includes the Comptroller and “Reports, studies,” indicating it likely includes provisions for oversight, implementation guidance, certification of comparability, or required reports/studies (specific duties would be in bill text).
  • Implementation details (vesting, contribution rates, transition for existing employees) would be specified in the bill language; those details are not provided in the metadata.

Who is affected

  • Directly affected: Municipal governments (cities, towns), municipal police officers and firefighters (both current and future hires).
  • Indirectly affected: Municipal budgets (employer pension contributions), municipal employees’ collective bargaining, state retirement system administration (MERS) and possibly the State Comptroller if oversight or certification duties are assigned.

Potential fiscal and operational impacts

  • Increased municipal pension liabilities and employer contribution obligations where municipalities must newly join a pension system or upgrade benefits.
  • Administrative workload for municipalities and MERS (or alternate systems) to enroll members and manage benefit administration.
  • Fiscal impact details (cost estimates, timing) would be developed by the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA) and are pending; the bill was referred to OLR and OFA on March 31, 2025.

Legislative history and next steps

  • Feb 13, 2025: Referred to the Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employees; public hearing held Feb 14, 2025.
  • Mar 20, 2025: Joint Favorable Substitute filed and reported out of committee.
  • Mar 31, 2025: Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis for review.
  • Apr 7, 2025: Reported out of LCO, favorable report, tabled for House calendar (House Calendar No. 344 / File No. 555).

What to watch for: the full bill text for definitions of “comparable” pension, transition rules for current employees, employer/employee contribution formulas, any state funding assistance, and the OFA fiscal note quantifying municipal cost impacts.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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