Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Bill would create voluntary back‑DROP option for judges whose positions are abolished
Loading...
Summary
House Bill 11‑134 would allow judges whose positions are abolished to opt into a back‑DROP option, giving a sitting judge the option to receive DROP benefits tied to remaining term time; LASERS expressed actuarial concerns about immediate eligibility provisions and short participation windows.
House Bill 11‑134, discussed and reported favorably out of the House Retirement Committee on April 9, would create a voluntary back‑DROP (deferred retirement option) for judges whose positions are abolished.
Representative Onyebill said the bill does not decide which positions should be abolished but would give an affected sitting judge the option to enter the back‑DROP program rather than abruptly losing retirement protections if their position is eliminated. Participation would be voluntary and would require the participant to state they will not run for another judicial position.
Trey Boudreaux of LASERS testified that Section 2 of the bill raised actuarial concerns because it could make judges immediately eligible to retire without the requisite years of service or age; he also noted an implementation timing issue if judges’ positions are abolished late in the year because the back‑DROP eligibility window could be very short (for example, five months if the timing runs into the end of the term). LASERS urged attention to eligibility timing and actuarial cost implications.
Committee action: After Q&A and stakeholder input, the committee reported the bill favorably and sponsors said they would work through the timing and actuarial concerns as the bill moves forward.
