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2022 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 140
BY SENATOR ABRAHAM
SHERIFFS. Provides for insurance benefits for retired sheriffs and deputies of the Acadia
Parish Sheriff's Office. (7/1/22)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 13:5554(G)(4)(c) and to enact R.S. 13:5554(G)(4)(d), (e), (f),
3 and (g), relative to insurance benefits for certain sheriffs and deputies; to provide for
4 eligibility requirements for the payment of insurance premium costs for retired
5 sheriffs and deputies of the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office; and to provide for related
6 matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 13:554(G)(4)(c) is amended and reenacted and R.S.
9 13:5554(G)(4)(d), (e), (f), and (g) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 ยง5554. Group insurance; kinds; amounts; subrogation
11 * * *
12 G. * * *
13 (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the
14 sheriff of Acadia Parish shall pay out of the sheriff's general fund the premium costs
15 of group insurance for any sheriff or deputy sheriff who is eligible to receive benefits
16 from the Sheriffs' Pension and Relief Fund, as follows:
17 * * *
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1 (c) The provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, as applicable to the
2 Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office, shall apply to sheriffs and deputy sheriffs retired on
3 or before December 31, 2014. The provisions of Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this
4 Paragraph shall apply to sheriffs and deputy sheriffs who retire on or after January 1,
5 2015, but before July 1, 2022; however, any sheriff or deputy sheriff who has met
6 the eligibility requirements pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, on or before
7 June 30, 2014, may retire at any time with benefits as provided in Paragraph (1) of
8 this Subsection.
9 (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection
10 and Subparagraphs (a) through (c) of this Paragraph, one hundred percent of
11 the premium costs of group insurance, hospital, surgical, and medical expense
12 insurance and the first ten thousand dollars of life insurance contracted
13 pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be paid in full from the sheriff's
14 general fund for any sheriff or full-time deputy sheriff, any other employee who
15 has retired from the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office and who is eligible to receive
16 benefits from the Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund, and meets the following
17 qualifications:
18 (i) The first twenty-five years of creditable service with a statewide
19 retirement system.
20 (ii) The final twelve continuous years of full-time creditable service with
21 the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office.
22 (iii) At least fifty-five years of age.
23 (e) Insurance benefits provided for in Subparagraph (d) of this
24 Paragraph shall be based on the total amount of creditable service with a
25 statewide retirement system including time earned in the Sheriff's Pension and
26 Relief Fund and the recipient's coverage during the last active year of service
27 with the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office. Coverage of these insurance benefits
28 shall be extended to the recipient's eligible dependents if the recipient requests
29 such coverage.
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1 (f) Recipients of insurance pursuant to Subparagraph (d) of this
2 Paragraph are subject to all cost increases or changes to the active insurance
3 plan.
4 (g) The provisions of Subparagraph (d) of this Paragraph shall apply to
5 sheriffs and deputy sheriffs who retire on or after July 1, 2022.
6 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2022; if vetoed by the governor
7 and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become effective on the day
8 following such approval by the legislature or July 1, 2022, whichever is later.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Alan Miller.
DIGEST
SB 140 Original 2022 Regular Session Abraham
Present law requires that any policy or self-insurance plan providing group hospital, surgical,
medical expense, or life insurance contracted for under the provisions of present law contain
a provision authorizing any covered employee retiring under his sheriff's department
retirement plan to elect to continue such coverage upon retirement. Present law authorizes
the premium cost of such coverage to be paid in full or in part from the sheriff's general
funds or by the retired employee. Present law requires a uniform policy with respect to the
payment of such premiums be formulated and applied by each sheriff.
Present law requires the premium costs of group hospital, surgical, medical expense, and
dental insurance and the first $10,000 of life insurance contracted for under the provisions
of present law be paid in full from the Acadia parish sheriff's general fund for all Acadia
parish sheriffs and deputy sheriffs retired with at least 15 years of service who are at least
55 years of age, or retired with at least 30 years of service at any age, on or after January 1,
2015, but before July 1, 2022.
Proposed law requires the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office to pay out of the sheriff's general
fund 100% of the premium costs of group insurance, hospital, surgical, and medical expense
insurance and the first $10,000 of life insurance contracted pursuant to proposed law be paid
in full from the sheriff's general fund for any sheriff or full-time deputy sheriff, any other
employee who has retired from the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office and who is eligible to
receive benefits from the Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund, and that meets the following
qualifications:
(1)The first 25 years of service being in a statewide retirement system other than the
Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund.
(2)The final 12 continuous years of full time service being with the Acadia Parish
Sheriff's Office.
(3)At least 55 years of age.
Proposed law requires insurance benefits provided by proposed law to be based on the total
amount of creditable service with a statewide retirement system including time earned in the
Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund and the recipient's coverage during the last active year of
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service with the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office. Proposed law requires coverage of these
insurance benefits to be extended to the recipient's eligible dependents if the recipient
requests such coverage.
Proposed law provides that recipients of insurance pursuant to proposed law be subject to
all cost increases or changes to the active insurance plan.
Proposed law applies to sheriffs and deputy sheriffs who retire on or after August 1, 2022.
Effective July 1, 2022.
(Amends R.S. 13:5554(G)(4)(c); adds R.S. 13:5554(G)(4)(d), (e), (f), and (g))
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.