---
title: SB 157. Retirement; certain members or former members of the General Assembly to buy into the Georgia Legislative Retirement System; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb157
cite_as: SB 157, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb157
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb157.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb157/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70262
date: 2026-03-09
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 515
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb157.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 157
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-04
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Ricky Williams
- Max Burns
- Marty Harbin
- Larry Walker
- Brian Strickland
text_version: Engrossed
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB157/2025
upstream_id: 1968169
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- legislative retirement
- state pensions
- General Assembly benefits
- public retirement systems
---
# SB 157. Retirement; certain members or former members of the General Assembly to buy into the Georgia Legislative Retirement System; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 157
By: Senators Williams of the 25th, Burns of the 23rd, Harbin of the 16th, Walker III of the
20th and Strickland of the 42nd
AS PASSED SENATE
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 47-6-40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
qualifications for membership, irrevocable election for certain members of General
Assembly, membership of persons who cease to become members before age 60, termination
of membership, and application for additional creditable service, so as to provide for certain
members or former members of the General Assembly to buy into the Georgia Legislative
Retirement System; to provide for creditable service and the payment of the full actuarial
value of such; to provide for procedures; to provide for notice to members and former
members of the opportunity to buy into the system; to provide conditions for an effective
date and automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for
other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 47-6-40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to qualifications
for membership, irrevocable election for certain members of General Assembly, membership
of persons who cease to become members before age 60, termination of membership, and
application for additional creditable service, is amended by redesignating subsection (e) as
subsection (f) and adding a new subsection (e) to read as follows:
"(e)(1) A member or former member of the General Assembly may make an irrevocable
election to become a member of this retirement system and may obtain creditable service
for prior service as a member of the General Assembly as provided in this Code section.
In order to obtain such additional creditable service, the member or former member must:
(A) Have served, at the time of the application, at least four years or two full terms as
a member of the General Assembly;
(B) Have never been a member of the Georgia Legislative Retirement System;
(C) Submit an application to the board of trustees in such manner as the board deems
appropriate; and
(D) Pay to the board of trustees an amount determined by the board of trustees to be
sufficient to cover the full actuarial cost of granting the creditable service as provided
in this Code section. Such payment shall be made in conjunction with the member's
application for membership;
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, no creditable service shall be
granted or obtained pursuant to this subsection if such service may be used to calculate
creditable service under any other public retirement system created by this title.
(3) By September 1, 2026, the Employees' Retirement System shall send a onetime
notice to all members or former members of the General Assembly who meet the above
criteria. Such notice shall:
(A) Be in writing;
(B) Be sent via United States mail to the member's last known mailing address;
(C) Advise the member that he or she is eligible to retroactively become a member of
the Georgia Legislative Retirement System for past years or past terms served; and
(D) Communicate the exact amount required to be paid pursuant to subparagraph (D)
of paragraph (1) of this subsection, in order for a member or former member to receive
creditable service in the Georgia Legislative Retirement System.
(4) Any member of the General Assembly who obtains creditable service for prior
service as a member of the General Assembly pursuant to paragraph (1) of this
subsection, whose service concluded before January 1, 2022, shall receive the monthly
pension amount provided in subsection (d) of Code Section 47-6-80.
(5) Any member of the General Assembly who obtains creditable service for prior
service as a member of the General Assembly pursuant to paragraph (1) of this
subsection, whose service concluded on or after January 1, 2022, shall receive the
monthly pension amount provided in subsection (c.1) of Code Section 47-6-80."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, only if it is determined to have been
concurrently funded as provided in Chapter 20 of Title 47 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, the "Public Retirement Systems Standards Law"; otherwise, this Act shall not
become effective and shall be automatically repealed in its entirety on July 1, 2026, as
required by subsection (a) of Code Section 47-20-50.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate bill would let current or former state legislators who served at least four years but never joined the Georgia Legislative Retirement System buy their way into it by paying the full cost of that past service.
### Plain-language summary
Under current law, a member of the General Assembly who never joined the Georgia Legislative Retirement System has no way to later get credit for years already served. This bill changes that by amending O.C.G.A. § 47-6-40 to let a current or former legislator who served at least four years or two full terms make an irrevocable election to join the retirement system and buy creditable service for that past time. The legislator must apply to the system's board of trustees and pay the full actuarial cost the board calculates, meaning the payment is set to cover the system's expense rather than be subsidized.
The Employees' Retirement System must send a one-time written notice by September 1, 2026, to eligible members and former members telling them they qualify and stating the exact amount owed. The law would take effect July 1, 2026, only if state actuaries certify it is funded under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; otherwise it is automatically repealed that same date.
### What it does
- Lets a current or former member of the General Assembly who served at least four years or two full terms buy creditable service in the Georgia Legislative Retirement System.
- Requires the buying member to pay the full actuarial cost of the added service, as determined by the system's board of trustees, at the time of application.
- Bars anyone who already gets credit for that same service under another public retirement system from also claiming it here.
- Requires the Employees' Retirement System to mail a one-time notice by September 1, 2026 to eligible members and former members explaining their eligibility and the exact cost.
- Sets different monthly pension calculations depending on whether the legislator's service ended before or after January 1, 2022.
- Makes the whole Act effective July 1, 2026 only if certified as funded under state law, and automatically repeals it that date if not funded.
### Who it affects
Current and former Georgia state senators and representatives who served at least four years or two full terms but never joined the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, as well as the Employees' Retirement System, which must administer notices and applications and calculate payment amounts.
### Why it matters
Legislators who missed joining the retirement system during their service would get a one-time chance to buy in and secure a pension based on past years, as long as they pay the full cost themselves. The change depends on state actuarial funding certification before it can take effect.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection (e) to O.C.G.A. § 47-6-40 allowing eligible members or former members to make an irrevocable election to join the retirement system and obtain creditable service for prior legislative service.
- Eligibility requires at least four years or two full terms served, never having been a member of the Georgia Legislative Retirement System, a formal application, and payment of the full actuarial cost.
- Creditable service cannot be granted if the same service already counts toward another public retirement system under Title 47.
- By September 1, 2026, the Employees' Retirement System must mail a one-time written notice to all eligible members stating their eligibility and the exact payment amount owed.
- Members whose service ended before January 1, 2022 receive the pension amount set in O.C.G.A. § 47-6-80(d); those whose service ended on or after that date receive the amount set in § 47-6-80(c.1).
- Section 2 makes the Act effective July 1, 2026 only if certified as funded under the Public Retirement Systems Standards Law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 20 of Title 47), otherwise it is automatically repealed that date.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2026-03-04)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-09)
- Sponsors: Ricky Williams, Max Burns, Marty Harbin, Larry Walker, Brian Strickland
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70262
> The history, votes, and amendments (515 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb157.md?full=1