SB362: SB362 Employees' Retirement System of Georgia; all sworn law enforcement officers serving in and the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to be eligible for regular retirement benefits at the age of 55 years; allow

Georgia's state employee pension law (O.C.G.A. Title 47, Chapter 2, covering the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia) currently sets a normal retirement age of 60 for most state workers, but certain law enforcement jobs, including officers in the Department of Public Safety's Uniform Division, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, and game wardens, already qualify for retirement at 55. This bill would add the department's commissioner and deputy commissioner to that list, and it clarifies that all sworn officers within the Department of Public Safety qualify for the age-55 rule, disability benefits, and creditable service purchase options that other listed law enforcement jobs already receive. The bill also updates the disability benefit and creditable service purchase sections (O.C.G.A. §§ 47-2-221, 47-2-223, 47-2-226) to include the commissioner and deputy commissioner. The changes only take effect July 1, 2026, and only if the state certifies the change is funded under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; otherwise the whole Act automatically repeals that same day.

• Lowers the normal retirement age from 60 to 55 for all sworn law enforcement officers of the Department of Public Safety, plus its commissioner and deputy commissioner.
• Adds the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to the list of officials eligible for the age-55 retirement rule under O.C.G.A. § 47-2-111.
• Extends line-of-duty disability retirement allowances and supplemental monthly benefits (up to $150 per month) to the commissioner and deputy commissioner.
• Allows the commissioner and deputy commissioner to buy extra years of creditable service under the same rules already available to other listed law enforcement officers.
• Makes the whole Act take effect July 1, 2026 only if state actuaries confirm it is funded, and automatically repeals it that same day if not.

Sworn law enforcement officers, noncommissioned officers, and troopers in the Department of Public Safety's Uniform Division, and specifically the department's commissioner and deputy commissioner, along with the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, which administers these pension benefits.

Officers and top officials in the Department of Public Safety could retire five years earlier with full pension benefits, and the commissioner and deputy commissioner would gain access to disability benefits and creditable service purchase options previously reserved for other law enforcement roles, changing their retirement planning and department staffing over time.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-2-110 to set normal retirement age at 55 for sworn officers of the Department of Public Safety and for its commissioner and deputy commissioner.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-2-111 to add the commissioner and deputy commissioner to those eligible to retire at 55 with full benefits based on years of service.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-2-221 to extend line-of-duty disability benefits, including an $80,000 percent-of-pay cap and up to $150 per month supplemental benefit, to the commissioner and deputy commissioner.
• Section 4 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-2-223 to let any sworn law enforcement officer employed by the Department of Public Safety on or after July 1, 2026 retire at 55 with a minimum 2 percent benefit per year of service.
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-2-226 to add the commissioner and deputy commissioner to the definition of 'law enforcement officer' for purposes of purchasing extra creditable service.
• Section 6 makes the Act effective July 1, 2026 only if funding is certified under the Public Retirement Systems Standards Law, with automatic repeal otherwise on that date.

1. 2025-03-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-27Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)Primary sponsor
• Colton Moore (R, SD-053)
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)

• public safety officers
• state pensions
• retirement age
• law enforcement benefits
• Department of Public Safety