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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; however, any sheriff or deputy sheriff who has met the eligibility requirements
6 pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, on or before June 30, 2014, may retire
7 at any time with benefits as provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection.
8 (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection
9 and Subparagraphs (a) through (c) of this Paragraph, one hundred percent of
10 the premium costs of group insurance, hospital, surgical, and medical expense
11 insurance and the first ten thousand dollars of life insurance contracted
12 pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall be paid in full from the sheriff's
13 general fund for any sheriff, full-time deputy sheriff, or any other employee who
14 has retired from the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office, who is eligible to receive
15 benefits from the Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund, and who meets all of the
16 following qualifications:
17 (i) Has at least thirty years of creditable service with a statewide
18 retirement system with the final twelve years of continuous full-time creditable
19 service with the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office.
20 (ii) Is at least fifty-five years of age.
21 (e) Insurance benefits provided for in Subparagraph (d) of this
22 Paragraph shall be based on the total amount of creditable service with a
23 statewide retirement system including time earned in the Sheriff's Pension and
24 Relief Fund and the recipient's coverage during the last active year of service
25 with the Acadia Parish Sheriff's Office. Coverage of these insurance benefits
26 shall be extended to the recipient's eligible dependents if the recipient requests
27 such coverage.
28 (f) Recipients of insurance pursuant to Subparagraph (d) of this
29 Paragraph are subject to all cost increases or changes to the active insurance
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1 plan.
2 (g) The provisions of Subparagraph (d) of this Paragraph shall apply to
3 sheriffs and deputy sheriffs who retire on or after July 1, 2022.
4 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2022; if vetoed by the governor
5 and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become effective on the day
6 following such approval by the legislature or July 1, 2022, whichever is later.
The original instrument was prepared by Alan Miller. The following digest,
which does not constitute a part of the legislative instrument, was prepared
by Michelle D. Ridge.
DIGEST
SB 140 Engrossed 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.
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 for any
sheriff, full-time deputy sheriff, or 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)Has at least 30 years of service being in a statewide retirement system with the final
12 years of continuous full-time creditable service with the Acadia Parish Sheriff's
Office.
(2)Is 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
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.
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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))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Judiciary B to the
original bill
1. Removes retirement deadline of July 1, 2022.
2. Increases the number of years a person must have in a statewide retirement
system from 25 years to 30 years.
3. Makes technical changes.
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.