AN ACT to provide for a legislative management study relating to providing uniform group insurance program health insurance benefits coverage for retired peace officers.

69th Legislative Assembly (2025-26) Introduced by Jason Dockter and 5 co-sponsors

The bill directs a 2025–26 interim study to assess feasibility, costs, and design options for extending uniform group health insurance to retired peace officers.

Filed with Secretary Of State 04/03

Summary — HB 1371

Title: AN ACT to provide for a legislative management study relating to providing uniform group insurance program health insurance benefits coverage for retired peace officers

Overview / Purpose
- HB 1371 directs the legislative management (the legislature’s interim study body) to conduct a focused study during the 2025–26 interim on the impact and feasibility of providing health insurance benefits for retired peace officers through the state’s uniform group insurance program. The study is intended to inform whether and how the state (and political subdivisions) might extend or modify retiree health coverage for this workforce.

Key provisions / study scope
- Requires the legislative management to consider and report back on:
- Existing benefits provided to peace officers and possible health insurance benefit options for retired peace officers.
- Premium cost estimates and funding options.
- Eligibility rules for retirement and any years-of-service or other service‑based limitations.
- How Medicare eligibility of retirees would affect coverage design and costs.
- Potential costs to the State and to political subdivisions (counties, cities, etc.).
- Effects on recruitment and retention of peace officers if retiree health benefits are offered or changed.
- Any impact on the State’s financial reporting (notably post‑employment benefit (OPEB)‑related unfunded liabilities).
- The feasibility and design considerations for establishing a separate retired‑peace‑officer health insurance pool.
- Requires the legislative management to deliver findings, recommendations, and any draft legislation necessary to implement recommendations to the Seventieth Legislative Assembly.

Who is affected
- Retired peace officers (and prospective recruits/active officers) would be the primary beneficiaries/subjects of any future policy changes based on the study.
- The State and political subdivisions that participate in the uniform group insurance program could face fiscal effects if benefits are extended or changed.
- The Public Employees Retirement System / uniform group insurance board and insurance carriers would be engaged for data and implementation considerations.

Timeline / procedural aspects
- Study to be conducted during the 2025–26 interim.
- Report (with recommendations and any needed legislation) to be submitted to the Seventieth Legislative Assembly.
- HB 1371, as presented, is a study/analysis bill; it does not itself change benefit eligibility or require benefit payments. Any substantive changes would require subsequent legislation following the study.

Other notes
- Some draft/alternate versions included statutory language that would add a retired‑peace‑officer subgroup to the uniform group insurance statute and require the board to pay full premiums for certain retired peace officers not eligible for Medicare. The principal effect of the introduced/engrossed bill described here is the directed interim study; implementation of coverage or premium payment requirements would need separate statutory action after the study.