HB895: HB895 Legislative Retirement System; increase retirement benefit amounts payable to certain legislators upon retirement

Georgia lawmakers earn a retirement benefit through the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, calculated using set dollar amounts for each year they served, with a higher rate for years spent presiding over a chamber (such as Speaker or President of the Senate). Currently, members who joined after January 1, 2022 receive $50 per year of service plus $200 per year of presiding service. This bill adds a new tier: for anyone who was a contributing member on or after January 1, 2026, the monthly retirement allowance would instead be calculated at $75 per year of creditable service plus $300 per year of presiding creditable service. Members who left and rejoined after that date would get the higher rate only for service earned after January 1, 2026. The increase would only take effect July 1, 2026, and only if state actuaries certify it is 'concurrently funded' under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; otherwise the bill automatically repeals itself on that date.

• Adds a new subsection (c.2) to Georgia's legislative retirement law (O.C.G.A. § 47-6-80) setting a higher monthly pension formula for members contributing on or after January 1, 2026.
• Raises the per-year-of-service pension rate from $50 to $75 for eligible members under the new tier.
• Raises the per-year-of-presiding-service pension rate from $200 to $300 for eligible members under the new tier.
• Extends the higher rate to members who rejoin the retirement system after a break in service, but only for the portion of service earned after January 1, 2026.
• Makes the entire law contingent on a funding certification, automatically repealing itself on July 1, 2026 if that certification does not happen.

Current and future members of the Georgia General Assembly who contribute to the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, especially those serving on or after January 1, 2026, and those who have held or will hold a presiding officer role such as Speaker of the House or President of the Senate.

If it takes effect, legislators retiring under the new tier would receive noticeably larger monthly pension checks, particularly those who served as presiding officers, since that portion of the benefit would jump from $200 to $300 per year of such service. The change depends on a state funding certification before it can take effect.

• Section 1 revises subsection (c.1) of O.C.G.A. § 47-6-80 and adds new subsection (c.2), which sets the new $75-per-year and $300-per-presiding-year benefit formula.
• Section 1 limits eligibility for the new (c.2) formula to members contributing on or after January 1, 2026, and to returning members only for service earned after that date.
• Section 2 makes the entire Act effective July 1, 2026 only if certified as concurrently funded under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 20 of Title 47).
• Section 2 automatically repeals the Act in full on July 1, 2026 if that funding certification is not obtained.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-04-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-02House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31House Hopper (House)

• Patty Stinson (D, HD-150)Primary sponsor

• legislative retirement
• state pensions
• lawmaker benefits
• public retirement systems