Relates to providing county correction officers with a special optional twenty year retirement plan

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Chris Ryan and 2 co-sponsors

Creates a special optional 20-year retirement plan for county correction officers, enabling early pension eligibility for participants; funding and terms to be defined.

PRINT NUMBER 6688A

Overview

Bill S 6688 proposes a special optional retirement option for county correction officers, described in the title as a “special optional twenty year retirement plan.” The measure is currently in the committee stage, having been introduced on March 19, 2025 and referred to the Civil Service and Pensions committee.

Purpose and Intent

Create an optional early-retirement pathway specifically for county correction officers.

Provide an alternative retirement option that could allow eligibility for a pension after 20 years of service, subject to the bill’s terms.

Establish a framework to evaluate how such an option would interact with existing county and state retirement systems, and how it would be funded and administered.

Key Provisions (Based on Public Title and Status)

The bill establishes a special, optional retirement plan for county correction officers with a 20-year service requirement as the basis for eligibility.

Details on eligibility (e.g., eligibility windows, service credit, eligibility age), benefit calculation (monthly benefit, formula, cost-of-living adjustments), vesting, employee and employer contributions, survivorship options, and portability are not provided in the information available here.

Administration, funding mechanisms, actuarial assumptions, and interaction with existing retirement systems would be defined in the text of the bill and any amendments.

Note: The specific substantive provisions (eligibility criteria, benefit formula, funding structure, caps or limits, sunset or sunset-like provisions) are not included in the information provided. The summary below reflects the intent as stated in the title and the procedural status.

Affected Parties

Primary beneficiaries: county correction officers who opt into the proposed 20-year retirement plan.

Employers: counties employing correction officers (responsible for implementing, funding, and administering the plan, subject to statutory requirements).

Governmental/administrative: Civil Service and Pensions agencies or committees responsible for oversight, administration, and compliance.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Introduced: March 19, 2025.

Status: Referred to the Civil Service and Pensions committee (listed twice in the legislative actions, indicating formal referral and consideration in that committee).

Related legislation in prior sessions (S 4001, S 1850, S 8030, S 1879, S 5883) suggests ongoing prior efforts to create or modify similar retirement options for law enforcement or county correction officers.

Next Steps / Questions for Consideration

What are the exact eligibility rules, benefit formula, funding requirements, and protections for enrolled workers?

How would the plan be funded (employer contributions, employee contributions, state subsidies, or other funding mechanisms)?

How would the 20-year option interact with existing county and state pension plans (coordination of benefits, vesting, portability)?

What are the projected costs and fiscal impact on counties and the retirement system, based on actuarial analyses?

This summary reflects the information publicly available about S 6688. The full bill text will provide precise details on provisions, eligibility, funding, and implementation.

Bill