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Committee agrees to let home‑confinement officers join EMS retirement system in committee substitute for SB 874
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a committee substitute for SB 874 to permit county home‑confinement officers to transfer into the Emergency Medical Services retirement system, with credited service prorated to avoid makeup contributions; the bill was reported to the full Senate with a referral to the finance committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the committee substitute for Senate Bill 874, which would allow current home‑confinement officers — typically employed by county sheriffs — to join the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) retirement system. Under the committee substitute, participating officers could transfer their credited service into the EMS system, but the credited service would be prorated to avoid out‑of‑pocket makeup contributions.
Why it matters: The measure creates a path for home‑confinement officers to move from their current retirement plan into the EMS retirement system. Counsel told the committee the provision mirrors an earlier change that allowed 9‑1‑1 operators to enter the EMS plan following a 2023 session change.
Legislative counsel explained that the transfer would be available if the county has already adopted participation in the EMS plan; otherwise the transfer would be subject to local adoption. Counsel said the change is intended to align retirement options for certain public safety or emergency‑related personnel.
Committee action and next steps: The committee agreed to the committee substitute for SB 874 by voice vote. The vice chair moved that the substitute be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass; the motion included referral first to the finance committee and was adopted. The transcript records the passage by voice vote; no roll‑call tallies were recorded in the hearing transcript.
Implementation notes: Counsel said the change includes proration of credited service to avoid requiring past members to make retroactive contributions. The committee did not specify a fiscal estimate in the hearing record; the measure will be referred to finance for fiscal review.
