Committee hears bill to extend pre‑Medicare health coverage to retired peace officers; PERS flags long‑term cost

Summary

House Bill 1371 would allow retired peace officers with 20 years of service who are not Medicare‑eligible to enroll in the PERS pre‑Medicare health plan, with the state covering premiums. Supporters said the benefit would aid recruitment and retention; PERS staff warned the change would increase plan costs and revive an implicit subsidy the state

Representative Dori Houck introduced House Bill 1371, which would make a subgroup of retired peace officers eligible for Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) pre‑Medicare health benefits until they become Medicare‑eligible, with the state covering premiums for eligible retirees.

“House Bill 1371 aims to create another tool for recruitment and retention for career peace officers in North Dakota,” Representative Dori Houck (R‑District 36) told the committee. She cited a Bureau of Justice Statistics estimate for the state law‑enforcement workforce and said roughly 15.5% of that workforce — about 508 officers — would be eligible under the bill’s 20‑year service standard.

Stark County Sheriff Corey Lee and several law‑enforcement associations supported the bill, calling it a recruitment and retention tool and a way to…

Committee hears bill to extend pre‑Medicare health coverage to retired peace officers; PERS flags long‑term cost

Summary

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