2025 -- H 6002 ======== LC002085 ======== S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS Introduced By: Representatives Cruz, Ajello, Potter, Casimiro, and Alzate Date Introduced: February 28, 2025 Referred To: House Finance It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Section 36-10-36 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-10 entitled "Retirement 1 System — Contributions and Benefits" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 36-10-36. Post-retirement employment. 3 (a) On and after July 7, 1994, no member who has retired under the provisions of title 16, 4 36, or 45 may be employed or reemployed by any state agency or department unless any and all 5 retirement benefits to which the member may be entitled by virtue of the provisions of title 16, 36, 6 or 45 are suspended for the duration of any employment or reemployment. No additional service 7 credits shall be granted for any post-retirement employment or reemployment and no deductions 8 shall be taken from an individual’s salary for retirement contribution. Notice of any such post-9 retirement employment or reemployment shall be sent monthly to the retirement board by the 10 employing agency or department and by the retired member. 11 (b) Any member who has retired under the provisions of title 16, 36, or 45 may be 12 employed or reemployed by any municipality within the state that has accepted the provisions of 13 chapter 21 of title 45 and participates in the municipal employees’ retirement system for a period 14 of not more than seventy-five (75) working days or one hundred fifty (150) half days with half-day 15 pay in any one calendar year without any forfeiture or reduction of any retirement benefits and 16 allowances the member is receiving, or may receive, as a retired member. Pension payments shall 17 be suspended whenever this period is exceeded. No additional contributions shall be taken, and no 18 LC002085 - Page 2 of 5 additional service credits shall be granted, for this service. Notice of this employment or 1 reemployment shall be sent monthly to the retirement board by the employer and by the retired 2 member. 3 (c) Any member who has retired under the provisions of title 16, 36, or 45 may be employed 4 or reemployed by any municipality within the state that has not accepted the provisions of chapter 5 21 of title 45 and that does not participate in the municipal employees’ retirement system. 6 (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section: 7 (1) Any retired member of the system shall be permitted to serve as an elected mayor, the 8 town administrator, the city administrator, the town manager, the city manager, the chief 9 administrative officer, or the chief executive officer of any city or town, city or town council 10 member, school committee member, or unpaid member of any part-time state board or commission 11 or member of any part-time municipal board or commission, for which they shall be entitled to 12 reimbursement for mileage and an hourly wage, if applicable, equal to that of full-time members 13 of the board or commission; provided, however, in no event shall the amount be greater than ten 14 thousand dollars ($10,000) per year, and shall continue to be eligible for, and receive, the retirement 15 allowance for service other than that as a mayor, administrator, council member, school committee 16 member, or member of any state board or commission or member of any part-time municipal board 17 or commission; provided, however, that no additional service credits shall be granted for any 18 service under this subsection; 19 (2) Any retired member, who retired from service at any state college, university, state 20 school, or who retired from service as a teacher under the provisions of title 16, or who retired from 21 service under title 36 or title 45, may be employed or reemployed, on a part-time basis, by any state 22 college, university, or state school for the purpose of providing classroom instruction, academic 23 advising of students, and/or coaching. Compensation shall be provided at a level not to exceed the 24 salary provided to other faculty members employed under a collective bargaining agreement at the 25 institution. In no event shall “part-time” mean gross pay of more than twenty-five thousand dollars 26 ($25,000) in any one calendar year. Any retired member who provides such instruction or service 27 shall do so without forfeiture or reduction of any retirement benefit or allowance; provided, 28 however, that no additional service credits shall be granted for any service under this subsection; 29 (3) Any retired member who retired from service as a teacher under the provisions of title 30 16, or as a state employee who, while an active state employee, was certified to teach driver 31 education by the department of elementary and secondary education or by the board of governors 32 for higher education, may be employed or reemployed, on a part-time basis, by the department of 33 elementary and secondary education or by the board of governors of higher education for the 34 LC002085 - Page 3 of 5 purpose of providing classroom instruction in driver education courses in accordance with § 31-1 10-19 and/or motorcycle driver education courses in accordance with § 31-10.1-1.1. In no event 2 shall “part-time” mean gross pay of more than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) in any one 3 calendar year. Any retired teacher who provides that instruction shall do so without forfeiture or 4 reduction of any retirement benefit or allowance the retired teacher is receiving as a retired teacher; 5 provided, however, that no additional service credits shall be granted for any service under this 6 subsection; 7 (4) Any retired member who retired from service as a registered nurse may be employed 8 or reemployed, on a per-diem basis, for the purpose of providing professional nursing care and/or 9 services at a state-operated facility in Rhode Island, including employment as a faculty member of 10 a nursing program at a state-operated college or university. In no event shall “part-time” mean gross 11 pay of more than a period of seventy-five (75) working days or one hundred fifty (150) half days 12 with half pay in any one calendar year. Any retired nurse who provides such care and/or services 13 shall do so without forfeiture or reduction of any retirement benefit or allowance the retired nurse 14 is receiving as a retired nurse; provided, however, that no additional service credits shall be granted 15 for any service under this subsection. Pension payments shall be suspended whenever this period 16 is exceeded. No additional contributions shall be taken and no additional service credits shall be 17 granted for this service. Notice of this employment or reemployment shall be sent monthly to the 18 retirement board by the employer and by the retired member; 19 (5) Any retired member who, at the time of passage of this section, serves as a general 20 magistrate within the family court and thereafter retires from judicial service, may be employed or 21 reemployed by the family court to perform such services as a general magistrate of the family court 22 as the chief judge of the family court shall prescribe without any forfeiture or reduction of any 23 retirement benefits and allowances that the member is receiving or may receive. For any such 24 services or assignments performed after retirement, the general magistrate shall receive no 25 compensation whatsoever, either monetary or in kind. No additional contributions shall be taken 26 and no additional service credits shall be granted for this service; 27 (6) Any retired district court clerk/magistrate or magistrate of the district court who shall 28 subsequently be assigned to perform service in accordance with § 8-8-8.1 or § 8-8-16.2(e), may be 29 employed or reemployed by the district court to perform such services as a magistrate as the chief 30 judge of the district court shall prescribe without any forfeiture or reduction of any retirement 31 benefits and allowance that they are receiving or may receive. For any such services or assignment 32 performed after retirement, the district court clerk/magistrate or magistrate shall receive, in addition 33 to their retirement pension, the difference in pay and fringe benefits between their retirement 34 LC002085 - Page 4 of 5 pension, and that of a sitting magistrate of the district court with comparable state service time. No 1 additional contributions shall be taken and no additional service credits shall be granted for this 2 service; and 3 (7) Any retired member of the system shall be permitted to serve as a municipal employee 4 without any forfeiture or reduction of any retirement benefits and allowances that the member is 5 receiving or may receive; provided, that said member shall be appointed by and serves at the 6 pleasure of the highest elected chief executive officer, as defined in § 45-9-2, in any city or town 7 subject to the provisions of chapter 9 of title 45 entitled “Budget Commissions” relating to the 8 appointment of a fiscal overseer, budget commission, receiver, and/or financial advisor. Provided 9 further, that no additional service credits shall be granted for any service under this subsection. 10 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 11 ======== LC002085 ======== LC002085 - Page 5 of 5 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS *** This act would permit retired state employees to receive mileage and wages, if applicable, 1 equal to that of full-time members of the board or commission; provided, however, in no event 2 shall the amount be greater than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per year. 3 This act would take effect upon passage. 4 ======== LC002085 ========