Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0411 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- S 0411
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7	7	LC001275
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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: Senators LaMountain, Murray, Vargas, and Lawson
18	18	Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
19	19	Referred To: Senate Finance
20	20
21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Section 45-21.2-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-21.2 entitled "Optional 1
24	24	Retirement for Members of Police Force and Firefighters" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	45-21.2-5. Retirement on service allowance. 3
26	26	(a) Retirement of a member on a service retirement allowance for members eligible to retire 4
27	27	on or before June 30, 2012, shall be made, subject to paragraph (a)(11) below, by the retirement 5
28	28	board as follows: 6
29	29	(1) Any member who has attained or attains age seventy (70) shall be retired as stated in § 7
30	30	45-21-16 subject to the discretions contained in that section; provided, that any member who is a 8
31	31	member of the Woonsocket fire department who has attained or attains an age of sixty-five (65) 9
32	32	years shall be retired. Retirement occurs on the first day of the next succeeding calendar month in 10
33	33	which the member has attained the age of sixty-five (65) years. 11
34	34	(2) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 12
35	35	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 13
36	36	time for retirement has attained an age of fifty-five (55) years and has completed at least ten (10) 14
37	37	years of total service, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service. 15
38	38	(3) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 16
39	39	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 17
40	40	time for retirement has completed at least twenty-five (25) years of total service, and 18
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC001275 - Page 2 of 6
44	44	notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service. 1
45	45	(4) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 2
46	46	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 3
47	47	time for retirement has attained an age of fifty (50) years and has completed at least twenty (20) 4
48	48	years of total service, notwithstanding that the member may have separated from service; provided, 5
49	49	that the service retirement allowance, as determined according to the formula provided in § 45-6
50	50	21.2-6, is reduced one-half of one percent (
51	51	1
52	52	/2%) for each month that the age of the member is less 7
53	53	than fifty-five (55) years. 8
54	54	(5) Any member of the South Kingstown police department may retire pursuant to this 9
55	55	subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; 10
56	56	provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement 11
57	57	allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.1. 12
58	58	(6) Any member of the Johnston police department may retire pursuant to this subdivision 13
59	59	upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, 14
60	60	that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement allowance of 15
61	61	fifty percent (50%) of final compensation pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.2. 16
62	62	(7) Any member of the Cranston fire department hired after July 1, 1995, or any member 17
63	63	of the Cranston fire department with five (5) years or less of service effective July 1, 1995, may 18
64	64	retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the 19
65	65	member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned 20
66	66	a service retirement allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) 21
67	67	years service; final compensation for Cranston fire department members is based on the 22
68	68	compensation components of weekly salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members 23
69	69	highest year of earnings and members shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension 24
70	70	payment compounded each year on January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on 25
71	71	an annual basis on that date; further, any illness or injury not covered in title 45 relating to the 26
72	72	presumption of disability is governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the City of 27
73	73	Cranston and members of the Cranston fire department. 28
74	74	(8) Any member of the Cranston police department hired after July 1, 1995, or any member 29
75	75	of the Cranston police department with five (5) years or less of service effective July 1, 1995, may 30
76	76	retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the 31
77	77	member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned 32
78	78	a service retirement allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) 33
79	79	years service; final compensation for Cranston police department members is based on the 34
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83	83	compensation components of weekly salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members 1
84	84	highest year of earnings and members shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension 2
85	85	payment compounded each year on January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on 3
86	86	an annual basis on that date; further, any illness or injury not covered in title 45 relating to the 4
87	87	presumption of disability is governed by the collective bargaining agreement between the City of 5
88	88	Cranston and members of the Cranston police department. 6
89	89	(9) Any member of the Hopkinton police department may retire pursuant to this subdivision 7
90	90	upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, 8
91	91	that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement allowance of 9
92	92	fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty (20) years service; final compensation 10
93	93	for Hopkinton police department members is based on the compensation components of weekly 11
94	94	salary, longevity and holidays with longevity of the members highest year of earnings and members 12
95	95	shall receive a three percent (3%) escalation of their pension payment compounded each year on 13
96	96	January 1st following the year of retirement and continuing on an annual basis on that date. 14
97	97	(10) Any member of the Richmond police department may retire pursuant to this 15
98	98	subdivision upon written application to the board stating at what time the member desires to retire; 16
99	99	provided, that the member at the specified time for retirement has earned a service retirement 17
100	100	allowance of fifty percent (50%) of final compensation for at least twenty-two (22) years’ service 18
101	101	pursuant to § 45-21.2-6.3. 19
102	102	(11) Notwithstanding any provision in this section to the contrary, for any service on or 20
103	103	after July 1, 2012, final compensation shall be defined in accordance with § 45-21.2-2, and no 21
104	104	benefit adjustments shall be provided except as set forth in § 45-21-52(c). 22
105	105	(12) Notwithstanding any provisions of this section to the contrary, with respect to police 23
106	106	officers employed by the town of Johnston, only those police officers hired on or after July 1, 2010, 24
107	107	shall be eligible to be members of the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of the state of 25
108	108	Rhode Island in accordance with this chapter. 26
109	109	(b) Retirement of a member on a service retirement allowance eligible to retire on and after 27
110	110	July 1, 2012, shall be made by the retirement board as follows: 28
111	111	(1) Any member may retire pursuant to this subdivision upon written application to the 29
112	112	board stating at what time the member desires to retire; provided, that the member at the specified 30
113	113	time for retirement attained the age of at least fifty-five (55) years and has completed at least 31
114	114	twenty-five (25) years of total service, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated 32
115	115	from service; or 33
116	116	(2) Effective July 1, 2015, the member makes contributions to the plan effective July 1, 34
117	117
118	118
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120	120	2015, in accordance with § 45-21.2-14, and (i) The member at the specified time for retirement 1
121	121	attained the age of at least fifty (50) years and has completed at least twenty-five (25) years of total 2
122	122	service; or (ii) The member has completed at least twenty-seven (27) years of total service 3
123	123	regardless of the member’s attained age, and notwithstanding that the member may have separated 4
124	124	from service. 5
125	125	(3) Any member with contributory service on or after July 1, 2012, who has completed at 6
126	126	least five (5) years of contributory service but who has not completed twenty-five (25) years of 7
127	127	service, shall be eligible to retire upon the attainment of the member’s Social Security retirement 8
128	128	age. 9
129	129	(4) If a member had ten (10) or more years of contributory service and attained age forty-10
130	130	five (45) prior to July 1, 2012, and would have been eligible to retire at or prior to age fifty-two 11
131	131	(52) in accordance with the rules in effect prior to July 1, 2012, the member may retire upon 12
132	132	attainment of age fifty-two (52). 13
133	133	(5) Effective July 1, 2015, a member who has completed twenty (20) or more years of total 14
134	134	service who has attained an age within five (5) years of the eligible retirement age under 15
135	135	subparagraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) or (b)(3) or (b)(4) above, may elect to retire provided that the 16
136	136	retirement allowance shall be reduced actuarially for each month that the age of the member is less 17
137	137	than the eligible retirement age under subparagraphs (b)(1) or (b)(2) or (b)(3) or (b)(4) above in 18
138	138	accordance with the following table: 19
139	139	Year Preceding Retirement Cumulative Annual Reduction Cumulative Monthly 20
140	140	Reduction 21
141	141	For Year 1 9% .75% 22
142	142	For Year 2 8% .667% 23
143	143	For Year 3 7% .583% 24
144	144	For Year 4 7% .583% 25
145	145	For Year 5 7% .583% 26
146	146	(6) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, a member on June 30, 2012, may 27
147	147	elect to retire at his or her eligible retirement date as determined under the rules in effect on June 28
148	148	30, 2012, provided that a member making an election under this paragraph shall receive the 29
149	149	member’s retirement benefit determined and calculated based on the member’s service and final 30
150	150	compensation as of June 30, 2012. This provision shall be interpreted and administered in a manner 31
151	151	to protect a member’s accrued benefit on June 30, 2012. 32
152	152	(7) Effective July 1, 2025, a member who has attained age fifty-seven (57) or more, with 33
153	153	at least twenty (20) years of service, may elect to retire, without a reduction, as set forth in 34
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157	157	subsection (b)(5) of this section. 1
158	158	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 2
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165	165	EXPLANATION
166	166	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
167	167	OF
168	168	A N A C T
169	169	RELATING TO TOWNS AN D CITIES -- OPTIONAL RETIREMENT FOR MEMB ERS OF
170	170	POLICE FORCE AND FIREFIGHTERS
171	171	***
172	172	This act would afford an option for police and firefighters to receive retirement allowances, 1
173	173	without reduction, who seek retirement after twenty (20) years of service, upon reaching age fifty-2
174	174	seven (57). 3
175	175	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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177	177	LC001275
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