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Committee approves bill easing rehire of retired officers as school resource officers
Summary
Senate Bill 1058 would exempt school resource officers from pension reemployment limits that can reduce or suspend pension payments when a retiree returns to covered public safety work. Supporters said the change would help fill vacant SRO positions; the committee returned the bill with a 6–1 do-pass vote.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 6–1 to advance Senate Bill 1058, a measure that exempts school resource officers (SROs) from certain PSPRS reemployment limits that can reduce or stop pension benefits when a retired officer returns to work.
Sponsor testimony said the bill would let retired officers return immediately to SRO positions without waiting periods that currently apply in some rehiring circumstances. Supporters — including the Arizona Police Association, the Phoenix Police Department and the Arizona Department of Education — told the committee that SRO vacancies are widespread and that allowing retired, qualified officers to return would "build vacant school resource officer positions across the state" and serve as a force multiplier to improve school safety. Diane McAllister of PSPRS testified that, from a pension-technical standpoint, the IRS regards returning to an SRO role as sufficiently different from prior sworn service to satisfy separation requirements, and PSPRS's actuaries did not project a material fiscal impact from the change. PSPRS staff noted employers must pay an alternative contribution rate for returning workers, which helps address unfunded liability.
Committee vote: 6 ayes, 1 no. The bill moves to the full Senate.
