Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1313 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 415 of the Regular Session
3	2		ANS126 01/29/2025 12:57:34 PM ANS126
4	3		State of Arkansas 1
5	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
6	5		Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1313 3
7	6		4
8	7		By: Representative C. Cooper 5
9	8		By: Senator M. Johnson 6
10	9		7
11	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
12	11		AN ACT TO EXPAND HEALTH BENEFIT COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN 9
13	12		FIREFIGHTER RETIREES OF MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES; 10
14	13		AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
15	14		12
16	15		13
17	16		Subtitle 14
18	17		TO EXPAND HEALTH BENEFIT COVERAGE FOR 15
19	18		CERTAIN FIREFIGHTER RETIREES OF 16
20	19		MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES. 17
21	20		18
22	21		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
23	22		20
24	23		SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 14 -1-110 is amended to read as follows: 21
25	24		14-1-110. Coverage for eligible police officer and firefighter 22
26	25		retirees — Definitions. 23
27	26		(a) As used in this section: 24
28	27		(1) "County" means any county in this state; 25
29	28		(2) "Dependent" means a participant or an eligible police 26
30	29		officer retiree's eligible retiree's: 27
31	30		(A) Natural child, stepchild, or adopted child who is 28
32	31		eligible for coverage under a plan of an eligible police officer retiree; and 29
33	32		(B) Spouse who is eligible for coverage under a plan of an 30
34	33		eligible police officer retiree; 31
35	34		(3) "Eligible firefighter retiree" means a firefighter who is: 32
36	35		(A) Employed as a firefighter; 33
37	36		(B)(i) Eligible to retire with full retirement benefits 34
38	37		under: 35
39	38		(a) The Arkansas Local Police and Fire 36 HB1313
40	39
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42	41		Retirement System under § 24 -10-101 et seq.; 1
43	42		(b) A municipal or county retirement benefit 2
44	43		system or plan for employees; 3
45	44		(c) A local firemen's relief and pension fund 4
46	45		under § 24-11-801 et seq.; or 5
47	46		(d) The Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement 6
48	47		System under § 24-4-101 et seq. 7
49	48		(ii) As used in this subdivision (a)(3)(B), 8
50	49		“eligible to retire with full retirement benefits” means a firefighter who 9
51	50		is: 10
52	51		(a) Any age with twenty -eight (28) years of 11
53	52		credited service; 12
54	53		(b) At least fifty-five (55) years of age and 13
55	54		has at least twenty (20) years of credited service; 14
56	55		(c) At least sixty (60) years of age and has 15
57	56		at least five (5) years of credited service; or 16
58	57		(d) At least sixty (60) years of age and has 17
59	58		at least ten (10) years of actual Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement 18
60	59		System service credit; and 19
61	60		(C) Not eligible for Medicare enrollment; 20
62	61		(4) "Eligible retiree" means an eligible police officer retiree 21
63	62		or an eligible firefighter retiree; 22
64	63		(5) "Eligible police officer retiree" means a police officer who 23
65	64		is: 24
66	65		(A) Employed as a police officer; 25
67	66		(B)(i) Eligible to retire with full retirement benefits 26
68	67		under: 27
69	68		(a) The Arkansas Local Police and Fire 28
70	69		Retirement System under § 24 -10-101 et seq.; 29
71	70		(b) Any municipal or county retirement benefit 30
72	71		system or plan for employees; 31
73	72		(c) Any local policemen's pension and relief 32
74	73		fund under § 24-11-101 et seq.; or 33
75	74		(d) The Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement 34
76	75		System under § 24-4-101 et seq. 35
77	76		(ii) As used in this subdivision (a)(3)(B) 36 HB1313
78	77
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80	79		subdivision (a)(5)(B) , "eligible to retire with full retirement benefits" 1
81	80		means a police officer who is: 2
82	81		(a) Any age with twenty -eight (28) years of 3
83	82		credited service; 4
84	83		(b) At least fifty-five (55) years of age and 5
85	84		has at least twenty (20) years of credited service; 6
86	85		(c) At least sixty (60) years of age and has 7
87	86		at least five (5) years of credited service; or 8
88	87		(d) At least sixty (60) years of age and has 9
89	88		at least ten (10) years of actual Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement 10
90	89		System service credit; and 11
91	90		(C) Not eligible for Medicare enrollment; 12
92	91		(6) "Firefighter" means a full -time or part-time paid member of 13
93	92		a fire department or firefighting unit who: 14
94	93		(A) Actively engages in fire suppression, rescue, pump 15
95	94		operation, or other firefighting activity; and 16
96	95		(B) Receives more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) in 17
97	96		total compensation during the taxable year from the fire department or 18
98	97		firefighting unit that the firefighter serves; 19
99	98		(4)(7) "Health benefit plan" means a plan for health benefits 20
100	99		offered by a municipality or county; 21
101	100		(5)(8) "Municipality" means: 22
102	101		(A) A city of the first class; 23
103	102		(B) A city of the second class; or 24
104	103		(C) An incorporated town; and 25
105	104		(6)(9) "Police officer" means: 26
106	105		(A) Any law enforcement officer engaged in official duty 27
107	106		who is a member of any regular or auxiliary police force of a municipality or 28
108	107		county on a full-time or part-time basis; 29
109	108		(B) A sheriff or deputy sheriff of a county who is engaged 30
110	109		in official duty; or 31
111	110		(C) A constable or night marshal of a municipality engaged 32
112	111		in official duty. 33
113	112		(b)(1)(A) An eligible police officer retiree may elect to participate 34
114	113		in a health benefit plan after retirement. 35
115	114		(B) The eligible police officer retiree is eligible under 36 HB1313
116	115
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118	117		subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section until the eligible police officer 1
119	118		retiree is a Medicare -eligible person. 2
120	119		(C)(i) An eligible police officer retiree shall have a 3
121	120		guaranteed issue period of sixty (60) calendar days from the date of 4
122	121		retirement to enroll in the health benefit plan. 5
123	122		(ii) If the eligible police officer retiree does not 6
124	123		elect to participate or declines to participate in the health benefit plan 7
125	124		upon the expiration of sixty (60) calendar days under subdivision 8
126	125		(b)(1)(C)(i) of this section, the eligible police officer retiree has no 9
127	126		further privileges under the health benefit plan. 10
128	127		(2) An eligible police officer retiree who elects to participate 11
129	128		in the health benefit plan shall pay a premium as determined by the 12
130	129		municipality or county or the cost of the policy issued to the eligible 13
131	130		police officer retiree. 14
132	131		(3) The eligible police officer retiree portion of the premium 15
133	132		shall be deducted from a bank account of the eligible police officer retiree 16
134	133		participant, to be paid by a monthly bank draft on the date designated by the 17
135	134		municipality or county. 18
136	135		(c) A dependent of an eligible police officer retiree is eligible to 19
137	136		participate in the health benefit plan. 20
138	137		(d) An eligible police officer retiree shall not be charged a 21
139	138		surcharge or assessment to enroll in the health benefit plan. 22
140	139		(e)(1) If an eligible police officer retiree dies and has covered 23
141	140		dependents at the time of death, the dependents have the right to continue to 24
142	141		participate in the health benefit plan through the municipality or county. 25
143	142		(2) Dependent children of a deceased eligible police officer 26
144	143		retiree may continue to participate in the health benefit plan until marriage 27
145	144		or until the maximum age limit for a dependent child has been reached. 28
146	145		(3) A surviving spouse of a deceased eligible police officer 29
147	146		retiree or eligible firefighter retiree may continue to participate in the 30
148	147		health benefit plan. 31
149	148		(4) If a surviving spouse or dependent of a deceased eligible 32
150	149		police officer retiree declines to participate in the health benefit plan or 33
151	150		cancels existing participation, then the surviving spouse or dependent has no 34
152		-	further privileges under the health benefit plan. ~~APPROVED: 3/25/25~~ 35
	151	+	further privileges under the health benefit plan. 35
153	152		36