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S 2545Benefit Programs

Public Officers and Employees - Retirement System - Contributions and Benefits

This bill adds several specific job titles within the Department of Corrections to the list of employees eligible for correctional officer retirement benefits.

Held for study
Population
Affected
8
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Introduced Feb 13, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the Rhode Island General Laws regarding the retirement system for state correctional officers. Specifically, it expands the list of Department of Corrections job titles eligible for the "Retirement on service allowance." The bill adds administrators of community confinement, home confinement coordinators, work rehabilitation program supervisors, supervisors of custodial records and reports, and classification counselors to the group of employees entitled to these specific retirement benefits. This change allows these specific employees to access the same retirement eligibility rules previously reserved for correctional officers and other high-ranking department officials.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for how some workers at the state prison can retire. Before, only prison guards and certain bosses could use a special rule to stop working and retire. Now, this bill adds more workers to that list. The new people included are those who help manage records, help prisoners learn to work again, or help manage prisoners living at home. This means these workers will get the same retirement benefits as the prison guards.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Department of Corrections employeesClassification counselorsWork rehabilitation program supervisorsHome confinement coordinatorsTaxpayers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Expands employment benefits and retirement security to a wider group of public sector workers, specifically those involved in rehabilitation and case management.
  • Recognizes the value of staff roles focused on rehabilitation (work rehab supervisors) and community re-entry (home confinement coordinators), rather than just custodial security roles.
  • May improve staff retention in critical support roles within the corrections system, potentially leading to better outcomes for incarcerated individuals navigating the system.
  • Allocates more public funds to the carceral system rather than diverting resources to community-based social services that prevent crime.
  • Increases long-term pension liabilities for the state, which could constrain the budget available for other social safety net programs.
  • Does not address broader systemic issues within the corrections department or improve conditions for the incarcerated population directly.
For Conservatives
  • Supports law and order by ensuring that the Department of Corrections can recruit and retain necessary staff to manage the inmate population effectively.
  • Recognizes the challenging working environment of the corrections system and compensates public safety employees accordingly.
  • Maintains the stability of the correctional system by ensuring administrative and classification roles are staffed by experienced personnel.
  • Expands government spending and long-term taxpayer liability by adding more state employees to a special, more expensive retirement tier.
  • Increases the size and cost of the public sector bureaucracy without a direct correlation to reducing crime rates.
  • Provides preferential retirement treatment to government employees that is generally not available to workers in the private sector.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 2 additions · 1 deletion

SECTION 1. Section 36-10-9.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-10 entitled "Retirement System — Contributions and Benefits" is hereby amended to read as follows: 36-10-9.2. Retirement on service allowance — Correctional officers.

(a) This section shall apply to the retirement of members employed as assistant director (adult services), assistant deputy director, chief of inspection, and associate directors, correctional officer, chief of security, administrator of community confinement, home confinement coordinator, work rehabilitation program supervisor, supervisor of custodial records and reports, and classification counselor within the department of corrections. (b)(1) Any member who has attained the age of fifty (50) years may be retired subsequent to the proper execution and filing of a written application; provided, however, that the member shall have completed twenty (20) years of total service within the department of corrections and who retires before October 1, 2009, or is eligible to retire as of September 30, 2009.

(2) For members who become eligible to retire on or after October 1, 2009, benefits are available to members who have attained the age of fifty-five (55) and have completed at least twenty-five (25) years of total contributory service within the department of corrections. For members in service as of October 1, 2009, who were not eligible to retire as of September 30, 2009, but who are eligible to retire on or prior to June 30, 2012, the minimum retirement age of fifty-five

(55) will be adjusted downward in proportion to the amount of service the member has earned as of September 30, 2009. The proportional formula shall work as follows:

(i) The formula shall determine the first age of retirement eligibility under the laws in effect on September 30, 2009, which shall then be subtracted from the minimum retirement age of fifty- five (55).

(ii) The formula shall then take the member’s total service credit as of September 30, 2009, as the numerator and the years of service credit determined under (b)(2)(i) as the denominator.

(iii) The fraction determined in (b)(2)(ii) shall then be multiplied by the age difference determined in (b)(2)(i) to apply a reduction in years from age fifty-five (55).

(c) Any member with contributory service on or after July 1, 2012, who has completed at least five (5) years of contributory service but who has not completed twenty-five (25) years of contributory service, shall be eligible to retire upon the attainment of the member’s Social Security retirement age or, notwithstanding any other provisions, effective July 1, 2015, members in active service shall be eligible to retire upon the earlier of:

(1) The attainment of at least age sixty-five (65) and the completion of at least thirty (30) years of total service, or the attainment of at least age sixty-four (64) and the completion of at least thirty-one (31) years of total service, or the attainment of at least age sixty-three (63) and the completion of at least thirty-two (32) years of total service, or the attainment of at least age sixty- two (62) and the completion of at least thirty-three (33) years of total service; or

(2) The member’s retirement eligibility date under § 36-10-9(1)(c)(ii).

(d) Any member who shall have rendered service both as a state employee under § 36-10- 9 and/or as a teacher under § 16-16-12, and service under subsection (a) of this section, shall be eligible to elect to combine the member’s service under subsection (a) of this section and service under § 36-10-9 and/or § 16-16-12 to determine the member’s retirement eligibility date under § 36-10-9 or § 16-16-12. For any member making this election, the member will receive a single benefit equal to the accrued benefit computed under § 36-10-10.2, plus the accrued benefit computed under § 36-10-10 and/or § 16-16-13.

(e) The provisions of subsection (d) shall also apply to members who have retired on a service retirement allowance on or after July 1, 2012. Any such request for adjustment shall be in writing to the retirement board and shall apply prospectively from the date the request is received by the retirement board.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.