SB 342: Emergency Communications Authority; increase in the percentage of all 9-1-1 charges to be remitted to the Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund; provide

Georgia currently sends a small share of 9-1-1 phone charges and no dedicated share of vehicle registration fees to the Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund and the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund, two retirement systems that cover police officers and firefighters across the state. This bill raises money for both funds through several channels at once: it raises the monthly 9-1-1 charge, the wireless 9-1-1 charge, and the prepaid 9-1-1 charge each by $1 (from $1.50 to $2.50), and it redirects a much larger share of 9-1-1 revenue, over 40 percent combined, to the two pension funds. It adds a new $9.11 assessment to vehicle registration fees, split between the funds, and raises the cigarette tax from 37 cents to 57 cents per pack, with the extra 20 cents intended for the pension funds. The bill also raises monthly dues for members of both funds to $100, shifts responsibility for paying those dues from individual officers and firefighters to their employers, and bars refunds of employer-paid dues. It allows both funds' boards to approve a one-time larger-than-usual benefit increase between mid-2027 and mid-2028. Because this dedicates state funds under a specific constitutional provision, the bill only becomes law if it passes by a two-thirds vote in both chambers and meets certification requirements under Georgia's Public Retirement Systems Standards Law; otherwise it is automatically repealed on July 1, 2026.

• Raises the monthly 9-1-1 charge, wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge, and prepaid 9-1-1 charge each by $1, from $1.50 to $2.50, starting July 1, 2026.
• Increases the share of 9-1-1 revenue sent to the Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund from 0.75 percent to 20.75 percent and creates a new 20 percent share for the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund.
• Adds a new $9.11 assessment to vehicle registration fees from 2026 through 2034, with $5 going to the police officers' fund and $4.11 to the firefighters' fund.
• Raises the state cigarette tax from 37 cents to 57 cents per pack, with the added 20 cents intended to help fund both pension systems.
• Raises monthly dues for both pension funds to $100 and shifts the payment obligation from individual members to their employers, while barring refunds of employer-paid dues.
• Allows both funds' boards to approve a one-time retirement benefit increase between July 2027 and July 2028 that exceeds the usual annual cap.

Active and retired police officers and firefighters who belong to the Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund or the Georgia Firefighters' Pension Fund, the fire departments and law enforcement employers who would now pay member dues, Georgia telephone and wireless subscribers who pay 9-1-1 charges, vehicle owners who pay registration fees, and cigarette purchasers and retailers.

Georgians would pay more for phone service, vehicle registration, and cigarettes, with a large share of that new money redirected to shore up retirement benefits for police officers and firefighters. Fire departments and police employers would also take on a new payroll cost by covering member pension dues instead of employees paying them directly.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 38-3-188 to raise the Peace Officers' Annuity fund's share of 9-1-1 revenue from 0.75 percent to 20.75 percent and add a new 20 percent share for the Firefighters' Pension Fund.
• Section 2 adds a $9.11 vehicle registration assessment for 2026-2034, splitting $5 to the police fund and $4.11 to the firefighters' fund, with annual accounting reports required to state budget offices.
• Sections 3 and 4 raise the monthly 9-1-1 charge, wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge, and prepaid wireless 9-1-1 charge each from $1.50 to $2.50, effective July 1, 2026.
• Sections 5 and 9 let the firefighters' and police officers' pension boards approve a one-time benefit increase above the normal 1.5 percent cap between July 2027 and July 2028.
• Sections 6 and 10 raise monthly member dues to $100 for both funds and shift payment responsibility to employers instead of individual officers and firefighters.
• Sections 8 and 11 prohibit refunding to members any dues that were paid on their behalf by their employer.
• Section 12 raises the cigarette excise tax from 37 cents to 57 cents per pack and states legislative intent that 20 cents of that increase fund the two pension systems.
• Section 13 voids the entire Act unless it passes by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and Section 14 makes it effective July 1, 2026 only if funding is certified under the Public Retirement Systems Standards Law, otherwise it is automatically repealed.

1. 2025-03-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• John Albers (R, SD-56)Primary sponsor
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)

• 9-1-1 fees
• police and firefighter pensions
• cigarette tax
• vehicle registration fees
• public safety funding