Oklahoma 2025 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB1729 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/15/2025

                    RBS No. 2017 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) 
 
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE 
FOR ENGROSSED 
HOUSE BILL 1729 	By: Moore of the House 
 
  and 
 
  Weaver of the Senate 
 
 
 
 
 
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE 
 
An Act relating to the Oklahoma Public Employees 
Retirement System; amending 74 O.S. 2021, Section 
914, which relates to retirement; authorizing 
postretirement employment for certain retirees; 
providing limitations; providing for codification; 
and providing an effective date. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     74 O.S. 2021, Section 914, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 914.  A.  The normal retirement date for a member of the 
Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System shall be as defined in 
Section 902 of this title, provided members employed on or after 
January 1, 1983, shall have six (6) or more years of full -time-
equivalent employment with a participating employer before receiving 
any retirement benefits or , if the member is a legislative session 
employee of the Legislature, shall have three (3) or more years of  RBS No. 2017 
 
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full-time-equivalent employment with a participating employer before 
receiving any retirement benefits.  In no event shall a normal 
retirement date for a member be before six (6) months after the 
entry date of the participating employer by whom he or she is 
employed. 
B.  A member may be employed beyond the normal retirement date 
by the appointing authority of the participating employer.  However, 
the member may not receive retirement pay so long as the member 
continues employment under this act Section 901 et seq. of this 
title.  Any member who has terminated employment with a 
participating employer prior to the month immediately preceding said 
the member’s normal retirement date must elect a vested benefit 
pursuant to Section 917 of this title before receiving any 
retirement benefits. 
C.  Notice for retirement shall be filed through the retirement 
coordinator for the participating employer in such form and manner 
as the Board Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System Board of 
Trustees shall prescribe; provided, that such notic e for retirement 
shall be filed with the office of the retirement system at least 
sixty (60) days prior to the date selected for the member ’s 
retirement; provided further, that the Executive Director may waive 
the sixty-day notice for good cause shown as defined by the Board. 
1.  The participating employer shall provide the System with the 
following information for a retiring member, no late r than the  RBS No. 2017 
 
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fifteenth day of the month of retirement:  last day physically on 
the job; last day on payroll; and final u nused sick leave balance. 
2.  Failure to submit this information by the deadline, or 
errors in submitted information that result in a disquali fication of 
retirement eligibility , shall be the responsibility of the 
participating employer.  In cases where the error results in 
disqualification of retirement eligibility, it is the participating 
employer’s responsibility to reemploy the member, or retain the 
member on the payroll, for time period required to reach 
eligibility, not exceeding two (2) months. 
D.  No retirement benefits shall be payable to any member until 
the first day of the month following the termination of the member ’s 
employment with any participating employer.  The type of retirement 
benefit selected by a member may not be changed on or after the 
effective date of the member ’s retirement.  Receipt of workers ’ 
compensation benefits shall in no respect disqualify the retiree for 
benefits. 
E.  If a retiree should be elected or appointed to any position 
or office for which compensation for service i s paid from levies or 
taxes imposed by the state or any political subdivision thereof, the 
retiree shall not receive any retirement benefit fo r any month for 
which the retiree serves in such position or office after the 
retiree has received compensation in a sum equal to the amount 
allowable as wages or earnings by the Social Security Administration  RBS No. 2017 
 
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in any calendar year.  This subsection sha ll not apply to service 
rendered by a retiree as a juror, as a witness in any legal 
proceeding or action, as an electi on board judge or clerk, or in any 
other office or position of a similar nature, or to an employer that 
is not a participating employer.  Prov ided, further, that any 
participating employer who is employing such a retiree shall make 
proper written notification to the System informing it of the 
beginning date of such retiree ’s employment and the date such 
retiree reaches the maximum compensati on allowed by this section in 
the calendar year.  Any retiree returning to work for a 
participating employer shall mak e contributions to the System and 
the employer shall do likewise.  All retirees who have returned to 
employment and participation in the Syste m following retirement 
shall have post-retirement benefits calculated on one of the 
following methods: 
1.  All service accumulated from date of reemployment shall be 
computed based on the benefit formula applicable at that time and 
the additional benef its shall be added to the previous benefits.  
Such additional benefits shall be calculated each year based upon 
additional service accrued from July 1 to June 30 of the previous 
year and the additional benefit, if any, will be added to the 
retiree’s monthly benefit beginning January 1, 2000, and each 
January 1 thereafter.  However, the post -retirement service credit 
shall be cumulative, beginning with service credit accrued after the  RBS No. 2017 
 
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date of retirement, provided that the retiree has not received a 
distribution of the post-retirement contributions .; 
2.  Any retiree who returns to employment with a participating 
employer may elect not to receive any retirement benefits while so 
reemployed.  If such an election is made and reemployment is for a 
minimum period of th irty-six (36) consecutive months, all service 
accumulated from date of reemployment shall be participating 
service.  For purposes of determining the retirement benefits of 
such a member upon the termination of such reemployment all 
creditable service o f the member shall be computed based on the 
benefit formula applicable at the time of termination of such 
reemployment.  Provided, a retiree who became reemployed prior to 
July 1, 1982, and who is reemployed for a minimum of thirty -six (36) 
consecutive months shall have all the creditable service of such 
retiree computed based on the benefit formula applicable at the time 
of termination of such reemployment if the retiree elects not to 
receive retirement benefits prior to such termination of 
reemployment.  A retiree who has waived receipt of the monthly 
benefit, but is not reemployed for the full thirty -six (36) 
consecutive months, shall upon termination of such reemployment have 
only the additional amount added to his or her benefit as if they 
had not waived the benefit as provided in paragraph 1 of this 
subsection.;  RBS No. 2017 
 
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3.  All post-retirement additional benefits shall be calculated 
using actual hours worked as well as the actual compensation 
received and upon which contributions are paid.  Post -retirement 
service is not subject to the partial year round -up provisions of 
subsection C of Section 913 of this title .; or 
4.  A retired member who returns to work for a participating 
employer pursuant to this section shall be bound by the election 
made pursuant to paragrap h (2) of subsection A of Section 915 of 
this title if the member had made such election prior to retirement.  
If the member had not made such election prior to retirement, the 
member may do so during the member ’s reemployment with a 
participating employer pursuant to this section.  A Except as 
provided in Section 2 of this act, a retired member may not be 
rehired by their former employer, nor may the retired member be 
permitted to enter into an employment contract of any kind with a 
former employer, for a p eriod of one (1) year after the retired 
member ended his or her employment with the former employer unless 
the retired member waives his or her benefit under paragraph 2 of 
this subsection and returns as a bona fide employee. 
F.  Except as otherwise pr ovided by subsection G of this 
section, any member may elect to retire before his or her normal 
retirement date on the first day of any month coinciding with or 
following the attainment of age fifty -five (55), provided such 
member has completed ten (10) years of participating service, but in  RBS No. 2017 
 
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no event before six (6) months after the entry date.  Any member who 
shall retire before the normal retirement date shall receive an 
annual retirement benefit adjusted in accordance with the following 
percentage schedule: 
  	Percentage of Normal 
 	Age 	Retirement Benefit 
62 	100.00% 
61 	93.33% 
60 	86.67% 
59 	80.00% 
58 	73.33% 
57 	66.67% 
56 	63.33% 
55 	60.00% 
G.  Any member whose first participating service occurs on or 
after November 1, 2011, may elect to retire before his or her norma l 
retirement date on the first day of any month coinciding with or 
following the attainment of age sixty (60), provided such member has 
completed ten (10) years of participating service, but in no event 
before six (6) months after the entry date.  Any member who shall 
retire before the normal retirement date shall receive an annual 
retirement benefit adjusted in accor dance with the following 
percentage schedule: 
  	Percentage of Normal  RBS No. 2017 
 
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 	Age 	Retirement Benefit 
65 	100.00% 
64 	93.33% 
63 	86.67% 
62 	80.00% 
61 	73.33% 
60 	66.67% 
SECTION 2.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified 
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 914.1 of Title 74, unless there 
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: 
A retired district attorney or assis tant district attorney may 
enter into postretirement employment with a district attorney ’s 
office or the Oklahoma Indi gent Defense System and receive monthly 
retirement benefits subject to the following limitations: 
1.  A retired district attorney or assistant district attorney 
is not eligible to be employed within a district attorney ’s office 
or the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, in any capacity, for sixty 
(60) calendar days between the retiree ’s last day of preretirement 
employment and any postretireme nt employment.  For purposes of this 
section, the term “last day of preretirement employment ” shall mean 
the last day the employee is required to be physically present on 
the job to complete the terms of the employment contract or 
agreement.  An employee on pa id leave is considered to be employed 
for purposes of this section.  Employment under any conditions  RBS No. 2017 
 
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during this time, volunteer services for the purpose of obtaining a 
paid position at a later date, or payment at a later time for 
services performed du ring this time period, shall cause the 
forfeiture of all retirement benefits received during the period; 
and 
2.  Unless otherwise provided in this section, earnings from 
employment pursuant to this section may not exceed one -half (1/2) of 
the member’s final average salary used in computing retirement 
benefits, or the earnings limitation for employees allowed by the 
Social Security Administration, whichever is less.  For purposes of 
this paragraph, the following shall apply: 
a. the earnings limitation for em ployees allowed by the 
Social Security Administration to workers between 
sixty-two (62) and sixty-five (65) years of age shall 
apply to retired members below sixty -two (62) years of 
age, 
b. the limit on allowed earnings from a district 
attorney’s office or the Oklahoma Indigent Defense 
System shall be automatically adjusted effective the 
first day of January of each year to reflect the 
current earnings limitation for employees as 
determined from time to time by the Social Security 
Administration,  RBS No. 2017 
 
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c. the earnings limit for the calendar year in which a 
member retires shall be one -twelfth (1/12) of the 
annual limit multiplied by the number of months the 
member is eligible to work and receive payments from a 
district attorney’s office or the Oklahoma Indigent 
Defense System, 
d. earnings in excess of the maximum limit on allowed 
earnings from a district attorney’s office or the 
Oklahoma Indigent Defense System shall result in a 
loss of future retirement benefits for the year the 
postretirement employment was performed of One Dollar 
($1.00) for each One Dollar ($1.00) earned over the 
maximum allowed earnings amount, and 
e. for those members seventy (70) years of age and older, 
the earnings in excess of the maximum limit on allowed 
earnings from a district attorney’s office or the 
Oklahoma Indigent Defense System shall be one -half 
(1/2) the member’s final average salary used in 
computing retirement benefits. 
SECTION 3.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2025. 
 
60-1-2017 RD 4/15/2025 11:38:21 AM