PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL RETIREMENT SYSTEM
2002 PROPOSED LEGISLATION

June 5, 2002

HB 2023  Eligibility; participation; Additional deferred retirement option plan provisions

This bill would change the effective date for members of the PSPRS who elect to participate in the deferred retirement option plan (DROP) from the date of election to the day after the election date. 

Current Action:  Assigned to House Financial Institutions & Insurance; Hearing 3/20/02.  A strike everything amendment on an unrelated topic will be offered at this hearing.  Therefore, we will no longer be following this bill.

HB 2081   Retirements; PSPRS

This bill would allow each member of the public safety personnel retirement system who had previous service with an agency now covered by the system to redeem any part of the prior service for credit by paying according to actuarially calculated amounts, if the prior service is not on account with any other retirement system.

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 1/29/02 Passed; Passed House 2/12/02; Ready for Senate; Assigned Senate Finance; Hearing 3/25/02 Passed; Passed Senate 25-1; Ready for Governor, Signed by Governor 4/09/02.  Laws 2002, Chapter 13.

HB 2118  Retirement Benefits

This proposed amendment would (1) increase the pension for a surviving spouse from the current 75% of the member's pension to 80% of the member's pension, and increase currently existing survivors pensions from 75% to 80% of the member's pension, (2) make the DROP provisions in PSPRS permanent, (3) increase the surviving spouse's pension of a PSPRS member killed in the line of duty from 50% of the member's average salary to 100% of the member's average salary, (4) provide a tax equity benefit allowance of a permanent 2 percent increase for members employed before Sept. 15, 1989 who retired on or after Nov 1, 2001, (5) allow the local boards the opportunity to grant disability pensions to members who are in the DROP program, even if the injury occurred prior to their entering the DROP program, (6) change the date that members and employers cease contributing to the plan for members of the PSPRS who elect to participate in DROP from the date of election to the day after the election date, (7) clarify the current requirement that a "member" in the PSPRS or CORP customarily work at least forty hours in a normal week, and (8) replace the current incremental ordinary disability payment system in PSPRS with a proportional system based on actual years of credited service; (9) Amendment 4529 which incorporates SB 1417 and allows the restriction on pension for an elected official who retires and then is elected again is lifted to a degree by providing that it applies only within a time period following the member's retirement that is less than one full term for that office. Retroactive to the start of 1997. 

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 1/22/02, Held; Hearing 1/29/02 Passed; House COW approved with amendments as included above, 4/4/02; Referred to Senate Finance Committee 4/09/02, Hearing 4/22/02; passed 4/23/02; 4/30/02 passed Senate rules with technical amendment; Senate COW approved w/ floor amendment 5/8/02; Passed Senate 5/13/02, ready for House action on Senate Amendments; House concurred in Senate amendments and passed on final reading 58-0, ready for governor 5/20/02; Signed by Governor 6/4/02. Chap. 335, Laws 2002.

HB 2213 Reviser's technical corrections

Corrections of numerous defective and/or conflicting statutes; no apparent substantive change.

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 1/22/02, Held; Hearing 1/29/02 Passed; House COW approved 2/14/02; Passed House 3/18/02; Referred Senate Government; Hearing 3/26/02 - Passed; 4/18/02 passed Senate rules with technical amendment; Senate COW approved w/ the rules technical amendment 5/6/02; passed Senate, ready for House action on Senate amendments 5/7/02; House concurred on Senate amendments and passed on final reading 52-3; ready for governor 5/16/02; signed by governor 5/20/02;  Chapter 241, laws 2002.

HB 2288  PSPRS; ordinary disability amount

This proposed amendment would change how disability payments under the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System are calculated from incremental segments of  7, 14, and 20 years to a straight percentage based on the amount of service.

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 2/5/02 Passed; Amended into HB 2118 as amendment # 3903.  Therefore, we will no longer be following this bill number.

HB 2291  Public safety survivor benefits

The bill requires the Arizona Board of Regents to pay university textbook, food, and housing costs for persons who already receive a tuition waver scholarship as a result of being a child or spouse of a peace officer, fire fighter or emergency paramedic who was killed in the line of duty. The bill would also provide for a lump sum payment of $250,000 to the surviving spouse, or an equal share to each eligible child if no surviving spouse, or to the estate if no surviving spouse or eligible children, of a member of the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) who is killed in the line of duty.  This benefit is in addition to the survivor benefit payable under PSPRS.

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 2/12/02; Held; Withdrawn from House Appropriations

HB 2372  PSPRS; redemption of prior service

This bill allows an employee in the System to redeem prior service as full-time paid firefighter or full-time paid certified peace officer of the United States Government, a state of the United States Government or a political subdivision of a state of the United States if the employee is with an employer now covered under Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS) and if the prior service is not on account with any other retirement system. The amendment creates a cost of living catch-up provision, on a prospective basis beginning September 1, 2002, for retirees who retired before the age of 55 prior to 1999 and did not receive certain COLA increases.  

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 2/5/02; Passed; House Appropriations Hearing 3/20/02; Passed; Passed House 54-0 4/4/02; Ready for Senate; Referred Senate Finance Committee; Passed 4/16/02 with amendment; 4/18/02 Senate rules okay; 4/22/02 Senate COW approved with amendment; 4/24/02 passed Senate; Ready for House action on Senate amendments; House concurred on Senate amendments and passed on final reading 55-0.  Ready for governor 5/15/02; signed by governor 5/21/02. Chap. 271, laws 2002.

HB 2558  Retirees; health insurance; enhanced subsidy

Statutory provisions for state retirees to be given enhanced subsidies for health insurance premiums are extended an additional year, until June 30, 2004.

Current Action:  Assigned House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 3/22/02; Passed with amendment; House COW approved with amendment # 3586 - 4/4/02; Ready for Senate; Referred to Senate Finance 04/10/02; withdrawn from Senate Finance 4/18/02; Senate Finance no action 4/22/02; assigned to Senate Rules 4/23/02; Senate COW approved 5/8/02; passed Senate 19-6, ready for governor 5/20/02. 6/4/02 - VETOED.

SB 1239  Retirees; health insurance; enhanced subsidy

Statutory provisions for state retirees to be given enhanced subsidies for health insurance premiums are extended an additional year, until June 30, 2004. Changes are also made to provisions for retirees' health insurance premium subsidies, including to expand the language in the definition of "nonservice area" (including retirees living out of the state) and to specify that certain enhanced subsidies are in addition to, as opposed to being an alternative to, an other subsidy schedule.  

Current Action:  Referred to Senate Finance Committee; Hearing 3/25/02; Passed with amendment # 3409; Passed Senate 27-0, 4/4/02; Ready for House; Referred to House Retirement and Government Operations; Hearing 4/9/02; Passed with amendment; Passed House Appropriations 4/17/02. Integrated into HB 2558. Therefore, we will no longer be following this bill number.

SB 1241  Retirees; health insurance; subsidies

Changes are made to provisions for retirees' health insurance premium subsidies, including to expand the language in the definition of "nonservice area" and to specify that certain enhanced subsidies are in addition to, as opposed to being an alternative to, an other subsidy schedule.

Current Action:  Referred to Senate Finance Committee; Incorporated into SB 1239 as amendment # 3409.  Therefore, we will no longer be following this bill.

SB 1328  Retirement; transportation officers

Transportation department officers certified as peace officers are eligible to participate in the public safety retirement system.

Current Action:  Referred to Senate finance 2/04/02.