HB 905: Employees' Retirement System; any member shall be eligible to transfer funds to Judicial Retirement System; provide

Under current Georgia law, only superior court judges, state court judges, solicitors-general, and district attorneys who previously belonged to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia can transfer their contributions into the Georgia Judicial Retirement System and get credit for that service. This bill would widen that option to any member of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System, regardless of the specific judicial or prosecutorial role they hold. The bill also updates the deadline for notifying both retirement systems' boards of trustees, moving it from December 31, 2002 to December 31, 2026, or 90 days after becoming a member of the Judicial Retirement System, or 90 days after entering a covered position, whichever is later. The change would only take effect on July 1, 2026 if it is certified as concurrently funded under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; otherwise it is automatically repealed that same date.

• Expands eligibility to transfer retirement contributions from the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia to the Georgia Judicial Retirement System, from a limited list of judicial and prosecutorial offices to any member of the Judicial Retirement System.
• Updates the notification deadline for such transfers from December 31, 2002 to December 31, 2026.
• Adds a new 90-day notification window that runs from when a member enters service in a covered position, in addition to the existing 90-day window from becoming a member.
• Conditions the law's effective date, July 1, 2026, on certification that it is funded consistently with Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 20 of Title 47).
• Automatically repeals the entire Act on July 1, 2026 if that funding certification is not obtained.

Members of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System who previously contributed to the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, including superior court judges, state court judges, district attorneys, and solicitors-general, as well as other judicial system members newly made eligible by the broadened definition.

People who move from state government jobs covered by the Employees' Retirement System into judicial or prosecutorial roles could carry over their prior retirement contributions and get service credit, potentially affecting their eventual pension amount and retirement timing under the Judicial Retirement System.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 47-23-64(a)(1), replacing the specific list of eligible officials (superior court judge, state court judge, solicitor general, district attorney) with any member of the Judicial Retirement System.
• Section 1 changes the notification deadline from December 31, 2002 to December 31, 2026, and adds a 90-day window after entering service in a covered position.
• Section 2 makes the Act's effective date July 1, 2026 contingent on funding certification under the Public Retirement Systems Standards Law, with automatic repeal if that certification is not met.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-01-12House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-04-04House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-04-02House Hopper (House)

• Gary Richardson (R, HD-125)Primary sponsor
• Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)

• public pensions
• judicial retirement
• state employee benefits
• retirement transfers