Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5230 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- H 5230
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7	7	LC000915
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- OPTIONAL RETIREMENT FOR MEMBE RS OF
16	16	POLICE FORCE AND FIREFIGHTERS
17	17	Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Craven, Noret, Hull, Read, Edwards, Dawson,
18	18	O'Brien, Finkelman, and Caldwell
19	19	Date Introduced: January 29, 2025
20	20	Referred To: House Municipal Government & Housing
21	21
22	22
23	23	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
24	24	SECTION 1. Section 45-21.2-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-21.2 entitled "Optional 1
25	25	Retirement for Members of Police Force and Firefighters" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
26	26	45-21.2-5. Retirement on service allowance. 3
27	27	(a) Retirement of a member on a service retirement allowance for members eligible to retire 4
28	28	on or before June 30, 2012, shall be made, subject to paragraph (a)(11) below, by the retirement 5
29	29	board as follows: 6
30	30	(1) Any member who has attained or attains age seventy (70) shall be retired as stated in § 7
31	31	45-21-16 subject to the discretions contained in that section; provided, that any member who is a 8
32	32	member of the Woonsocket fire department who has attained or attains an age of sixty-five (65) 9
33	33	years shall be retired. Retirement occurs on the first day of the next succeeding calendar month in 10
34	34	which the member has attained the age of sixty-five (65) years. 11
35	35	(2) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 12
36	36	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 13
37	37	time for retirement has attained an age of fifty-five (55) years and has completed at least ten (10) 14
38	38	years of total service, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service. 15
39	39	(3) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 16
40	40	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 17
41	41	time for retirement has completed at least twenty-five (25) years of total service, and 18
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43	43
44	44	LC000915 - Page 2 of 6
45	45	notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service. 1
46	46	(4) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 2
47	47	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 3
48	48	time for retirement has attained an age of fifty (50) years and has completed at least twenty (20) 4
49	49	years of total service, notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service; provided, 5
50	50	that the service retirement allowance, as determined according to the formula provided in § 45-6
51	51	21.2-6, is reduced one-half of one percent (
52	52	1
53	53	/2%) for each month that the age of the member is less 7
54	54	than fifty-five (55) years. 8
55	55	(5) Any member of the South Kingstown police department may retire pursuant to this 9
56	56	subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; 10
57	57	provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement 11
58	58	allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.1. 12
59	59	(6) Any member of the Johnston police department may retire pursuant to this subdivision 13
60	60	upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, 14
61	61	that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement allowance of 15
62	62	fifty percent (50%) of final compensation pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.2. 16
63	63	(7) Any member of the Cranston fire department hired after July 1, 1995, or any member 17
64	64	of the Cranston fire department with five (5) years or less of service effective July 1, 1995, may 18
65	65	retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the 19
66	66	member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned 20
67	67	a service retirement allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) 21
68	68	years service; final compensation for Cranston fire department members is based on the 22
69	69	compensation components of weekly salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members 23
70	70	highest year of earnings and members shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension 24
71	71	payment compounded each year on January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on 25
72	72	an annual basis on that date; further, any illness or injury not covered in title 45 relating to the 26
73	73	presumption of disability is governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the City of 27
74	74	Cranston and members of the Cranston fire department. 28
75	75	(8) Any member of the Cranston police department hired after July 1, 1995, or any member 29
76	76	of the Cranston police department with five (5) years or less of service effective July 1, 1995, may 30
77	77	retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the 31
78	78	member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned 32
79	79	a service retirement allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) 33
80	80	years service; final compensation for Cranston police department members is based on the 34
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82	82
83	83	LC000915 - Page 3 of 6
84	84	compensation components of weekly salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members 1
85	85	highest year of earnings and members shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension 2
86	86	payment compounded each year on January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on 3
87	87	an annual basis on that date; further, any illness or injury not covered in title 45 relating to the 4
88	88	presumption of disability is governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the City of 5
89	89	Cranston and members of the Cranston police department. 6
90	90	(9) Any member of the Hopkinton police department may retire pursuant to this subdivision 7
91	91	upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, 8
92	92	that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement allowance of 9
93	93	fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) years service; final compensation 10
94	94	for Hopkinton police department members is based on the compensation components of weekly 11
95	95	salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members highest year of earnings and members 12
96	96	shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension payment compounded each year on 13
97	97	January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on an annual basis on that date. 14
98	98	(10) Any member of the Richmond police department may retire pursuant to this 15
99	99	subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; 16
100	100	provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement 17
101	101	allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty-two (22) years’ service 18
102	102	pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.3. 19
103	103	(11) Notwithstanding any provision in this section to the contrary, for any service on or 20
104	104	after July 1, 2012, final compensation shall be defined in accordance with § 45-21.2-2, and no 21
105	105	benefit adjustments shall be provided except as set forth in § 45-21-52(c). 22
106	106	(12) Notwithstanding any provisions of this section to the contrary, with respect to police 23
107	107	officers employed by the town of Johnston, only those police officers hired on or after July 1, 2010, 24
108	108	shall be eligible to be members of the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of the state of 25
109	109	Rhode Island in accordance with this chapter. 26
110	110	(b) Retirement of a member on a service retirement allowance eligible to retire on and after 27
111	111	July 1, 2012, shall be made by the retirement board as follows: 28
112	112	(1) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 29
113	113	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 30
114	114	time for retirement attained the age of at least fifty-five (55) years and has completed at least 31
115	115	twenty-five (25) years of total service, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated 32
116	116	from service; or 33
117	117	(2) Effective July 1, 2015, the member makes contributions to the plan effective July 1, 34
118	118
119	119
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121	121	2015, in accordance with § 45-21.2-14, and (i) The member at the specified time for retirement 1
122	122	attained the age of at least fifty (50) years and has completed at least twenty-five (25) years of total 2
123	123	service; or (ii) The member has completed at least twenty-seven (27) years of total service 3
124	124	regardless of the member’s attained age, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated 4
125	125	from service. 5
126	126	(3) Any member with contributory service on or after July 1, 2012, who has completed at 6
127	127	least five (5) years of contributory service but who has not completed twenty-five (25) years of 7
128	128	service, shall be eligible to retire upon the attainment of the member’s Social Security retirement 8
129	129	age. 9
130	130	(4) If a member had ten (10) or more years of contributory service and attained age forty-10
131	131	five (45) prior to July 1, 2012, and would have been eligible to retire at or prior to age fifty-two 11
132	132	(52) in accordance with the rules in effect prior to July 1, 2012, the member may retire upon 12
133	133	attainment of age fifty-two (52). 13
134	134	(5) Effective July 1, 2015, a member who has completed twenty (20) or more years of total 14
135	135	service who has attained an age within five (5) years of the eligible retirement age under 15
136	136	subparagraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) or (b)(3) or (b)(4) above, may elect to retire provided that the 16
137	137	retirement allowance shall be reduced actuarially for each month that the age of the member is less 17
138	138	than the eligible retirement age under subparagraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) or (b)(3) or (b)(4) above in 18
139	139	accordance with the following table: 19
140	140	Year Preceding Retirement Cumulative Annual Reduction Cumulative Monthly 20
141	141	Reduction 21
142	142	For Year 1 9% .75% 22
143	143	For Year 2 8% .667% 23
144	144	For Year 3 7% .583% 24
145	145	For Year 4 7% .583% 25
146	146	For Year 5 7% .583% 26
147	147	(6) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, a member on June 30, 2012, may 27
148	148	elect to retire at his or her eligible retirement date as determined under the rules in effect on June 28
149	149	30, 2012, provided that a member making an election under this paragraph shall receive the 29
150	150	member’s retirement benefit determined and calculated based on the member’s service and final 30
151	151	compensation as of June 30, 2012. This provision shall be interpreted and administered in a manner 31
152	152	to protect a member’s accrued benefit on June 30, 2012. 32
153	153	(7) Effective July 1, 2025, a member who has attained age fifty-seven (57) or more, with 33
154	154	at least twenty (20) years of service, may elect to retire, without a reduction, as set forth in 34
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158	158	subsection (b)(5) of this section. 1
159	159	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
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166	166	EXPLANATION
167	167	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
168	168	OF
169	169	A N A C T
170	170	RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- OPTIONAL RETIREMENT FOR MEMB ERS OF
171	171	POLICE FORCE AND FIREFIGHTERS
172	172	***
173	173	This act would afford an option for police and firefighters to receive retirement allowances, 1
174	174	without reduction, who seek retirement after twenty (20) years of service, upon reaching age fifty-2
175	175	seven (57). 3
176	176	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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178	178	LC000915
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