Assigned to FIN AS PASSED BY COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1287
PSPRS; part-time employment
Purpose
Allows, beginning July 1, 2026, part-time municipal police officers, state highway patrol
officers and county sheriffs and deputies who are engaged to work as patrol officers and who meet
other specified requirements to participate in the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System
(PSPRS) and receive credited service for the part time service, if the employer has chosen to allow
part-time employees to participate and the part-time work is for a maximum period of six years
due to specified qualifying events.
Background
PSPRS provides a uniform, consistent and equitable statewide retirement program for
Arizona’s municipal firefighters and police, highway patrol and other public safety personnel.
Municipal police officers, state highway patrol officers and county sheriffs and deputies who are
certified peace officers are eligible to participate in PSPRS if the employee’s customary
employment is at least 40 hours per week for more than six months in a calendar year and the
employee is regularly assigned to hazardous duties.
Retirement benefits are determined by member salaries and credited service during
employment. Credited service means the member's total period of service before the member's
effective date of participation, plus those compensated periods of service thereafter for which the
member made contributions to the PSPRS Fund (A.R.S. §§ 38-841 and 38-842).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this
legislation.
Provisions
1. Includes, in the definition of a PSPRS member beginning July 1, 2026, any part-time employee
whose employer has chosen to allow part-time employees to participate in PSPRS and to whom
all the following apply:
a) the member is hired as a municipal police officer, state highway patrol officer or county
sheriff or deputy and is also a certified peace officer;
b) the member has at least three years of credited service in PSPRS or the PSPRS Defined
Contribution Plan before being hired as a part-time employee; and
c) the member is engaged to work as a patrol officer between 20 hours and 30 hours per week,
as determined by the employer. FACT SHEET
S.B. 1287
Page 2
2. Requires a part-time employee, in order to qualify as a part-time PSPRS member, to:
a) have entered into a written agreement with the employer before July 1, 2031, to work part
time for a period of up to three years due to the birth or adoption of a child or to provide
care for a serious health condition of an immediate family member; and
b) have not worked as a part-time employee due to the outlined circumstances for more than
six years.
3. Prohibits a part-time employee from performing off-duty work.
4. Includes, in the definition of credited service, those compensated periods of a member's part
time service, calculated on a pro rata basis, during which the member made contributions to
the PSPRS Fund.
5. Defines off-duty work as being employed as a police officer, state highway patrol officer or
county sheriff or deputy by an employer other than the part-time employee's PSPRS employer.
6. Defines terms.
7. Makes conforming changes.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Delays, from January 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026, the part-time employment authorization.
2. Modifies the definition of a PSPRS member:
a) by requiring a part-time employee to have had at least three years, rather than five years,
of credited service before being hired as a part-time employee; and
b) by narrowing eligibility for part-time service to members engaged to work as patrol
officers.
3. Requires a part-time employee, in order to qualify as a part-time PSPRS member, to enter into
a part-time work agreement with the employer before July 1, 2031, due to a specified
qualifying event for a maximum period of six years.
4. Prohibits a part-time employee from performing off-duty work.
Senate Action
FIN 2/17/25 DPA 6-1-0
Prepared by Senate Research
February 18, 2025
MG/ci