Retirement

HB 31 allows Louisiana municipalities with populations under 5,000 to permanently exit the Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System. To terminate participation, a city must pass a resolution, provide 30 days' written notice to the retirement system and new hires, and stop enrolling future employees. Existing police employees hired before the termination date remain covered under the system, but new hires after the effective date will not be enrolled. The termination becomes effective 60 days after the governing authority adopts the resolution.

HB 24 creates a new category for retired teachers rehired by school boards as "independent contractors" under Louisiana's Teachers' Retirement System. It requires school boards to pay the full employer retirement contribution (but retirees pay no employee contributions and earn no new service credit or benefits during the contract). Retired teachers working under this arrangement are exempt from earnings limits that normally reduce retirement benefits. The law applies only to contracts lasting one year or less, expires June 30, 2029, and mandates school boards report only total compensation and employer payments to the retirement system.

This bill modifies Louisiana's District Attorneys' Retirement System to change how benefits are handled when retired district attorneys return to work. Under new rules, most retirees who reemploy will have their pension payments paused during their return to service, though they can regain their status and earn additional benefits based on their new salary. A specific exception allows certain retirees to keep their pension payments while working again, provided they repay their original benefits with interest and meet strict reporting requirements. The legislation also mandates that employers submit annual reports on these reemployed retirees to the retirement system starting in 2027. These changes aim to clarify eligibility, benefit calculations, and financial reporting for district attorneys who retire and later return to their positions.

SB 15 requires Louisiana's state and statewide retirement systems to submit electronic quarterly and annual reports starting in 2026. These reports must include detailed investment data (amounts, returns, fees, and administrative costs), asset allocation targets, and actual portfolio holdings. The bill terminates older reporting requirements for retirement systems that were previously mandated by legislative resolutions adopted before December 31, 2025. It applies directly to all state retirement systems, including those managing public employee pensions. The changes take effect on June 30, 2026.

SB 9 expands eligibility for Louisiana's Sheriffs' Pension and Relief Fund to include deputies (including those in Orleans Parish) and court criers (for the Civil District Court and Supreme Court) who are at least 18 years old and earn a minimum monthly salary. It amends existing law to automatically enroll qualifying employees in the fund, provided their salary meets the threshold (specific amounts are referenced but not detailed in the text). The bill takes effect on June 30, 2026, or later if vetoed and overridden. This is a procedural change to fund membership rules, not a new benefit.