RETIREMENT/FIREFIGHTERS: Provides relative to the Firefighters' Retirement System (EN NO IMPACT APV)
This bill amends Louisiana's Firefighters' Retirement System to allow surviving spouses to designate disabled or minor children as beneficiaries for a portion of their survivor benefits. Specifically, spouses must make this designation within 30 days of the firefighter's death and must ensure the total benefit value remains equivalent to what the spouse would otherwise receive (verified by an actuary). The change directly affects surviving spouses of firefighters who currently receive survivor benefits under the system. It modifies existing rules to provide structured options for sharing benefits with dependents while maintaining the spouse's primary benefit amount.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Jun 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Feb 28, 2025
Signed Jun 11, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB28 Original
→
HB28 Act
·
5 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates the Firefighters' Retirement System to allow surviving spouses to designate a child with a permanent disability as a beneficiary for survivor benefits. The change removes the requirement that the child must be dependent on the surviving spouse and clarifies that benefits continue for the child's lifetime if the disability is permanent. Additionally, the law now requires the system's actuary to certify the child's disability status before payments are made to ensure the benefit is properly allocated.
Scope change
The bill expands eligibility by removing the dependency requirement for children with disabilities and clarifies the timeline for benefit eligibility to include the time of retirement, not just death.
ELIGIBILITY
Removed the requirement that a child with a disability must be dependent on the surviving spouse or legal guardian to receive survivor benefits.
Changed the condition for receiving benefits from the time of the member's death to include the time of retirement for disability retirees.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement for the system's actuary to certify that a child has a permanent mental or physical disability before benefits are paid to that child.
Added a provision to factor benefit payments to children with disabilities to mitigate any reduction in the surviving spouse's benefit.
Clarified that benefits for a designated child with a disability continue for the child's lifetime unless the disability is no longer medically determined to be permanent.
Floor votes · Senate Jun 8, 2025 · House May 5, 2025
How they voted
35–0
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 37
Jun 8, 2025
D
Democratic11
100% Yea
R
Republican26
92% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
22
Key actions
4
Committee
5
Jun 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read by title, passed by a vote of 37 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 13, 2025
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 94, nays 0. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (11-0).
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Retirement.
lower
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Retirement.
lower
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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