Senate retirement committee advances several cleanup bills, clarifies reemployment and gaming board retirement eligibility
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Summary
On April 7, the Senate Committee on Retirement advanced a slate of bills: SB455 (parochial employee membership option), SB456 (compensation and rules for assigned retired judges), SB18 (amendment clarifying reemployment exceptions), and SB477 (making the Louisiana Gaming Control Board chair eligible for LASERS).
The Louisiana Senate Committee on Retirement moved several bills forward during its April 7, 2026, session.
Senator Talbot presented Senate Bill 455, describing it as "part of a cleanup" to give district courts the option to join the parochial employee retirement system and to codify existing practice in about 60 parishes. Talbot said current employees would be grandfathered and "will also be given the option to decide by 01/01/2027 to stay either to join PERS or stay in their current system."
Talbot also introduced Senate Bill 456, which he called "another cleanup bill to codify current practices and fix cross references." The bill clarifies treatment of ad hoc judges, membership definitions and authorizes an irrevocable election within 30 days of employment; the committee reported the bill favorable with no objections.
The committee considered Senate Bill 18 and adopted amendment 17-46. Staff summarized the amendment's technical edits and a provision (amendment number 5) allowing a retiree reemployed under Act 634 of the 2024 regular session before 07/01/2026 to continue serving as a part-time reemployed retiree "without any reduction in its benefits so long as the part time service remains continuous."
Senate Bill 477, carried by the administration, would classify the chair of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board as a full-time state employee eligible for LASERS if appointed on or after 07/01/2024, provide a salary equivalent to a court of appeals judge and allow adjunct teaching. The chair noted an attorney general opinion citing Louisiana Revised Statute 27:14(B)(2) and Article I, Section 29.1 of the state constitution supporting full-time classification; the committee approved the bill with no objections.
The committee approved the minutes from 03/16/2026 earlier in the session. Several bills were advanced without recorded roll-call tallies in the transcript; where motions were made the record shows no objections.
