Save Our Badge and Shield Act; enact to categorize first responders as if hired before March 1, 2026, for PERS purposes.

SB 2901, the "Save Our Badge and Shield Act," would require Mississippi's Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to treat first responders (law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services providers, emergency management personnel, and public safety telecommunicators) who join PERS on or after March 1, 2026, as if they had joined between July 1, 2011, and March 1, 2026, for retirement benefit calculations. This ensures these new first responders receive the same retirement benefits and calculation methods as members in that earlier period, specifically regarding how average compensation is determined. The bill does not change retirement rules for other public employees or for first responders who joined before March 1, 2026.