Bill would let Catawba Nation join state police retirement system to boost officer recruitment

A Senate retirement subcommittee on Finance voted unanimously to send S.127, a bill allowing the Catawba Nation to join the state police officers retirement system, to the full committee after hearing testimony that membership would help the Nation recruit and retain law-enforcement officers.

Olivia, a staff member who briefed the panel, told senators that S.127 would add the Catawba Nation to the statutory definition of "employer" for the police officers retirement system under sections 9-11-43 and 9-11-40, provided the Nation applies to the retirement board and complies with existing statutory and board requirements. The bill requires that a Nation employee may become a member only if "substantially all" of the employee's time is devoted to governmental police service per section 27-16-70(c), and it conditions participation on the Nation's agreement to be subject to state laws, rules and plan provisions and to waive sovereign immunity for disputes arising from…