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S 2839Benefit Programs

Public Officers and Employees - Retirement System - Contributions and Benefits

This bill allows correctional officers to combine time worked in other state jobs or teaching to qualify for retirement sooner.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the Rhode Island retirement system regulations specifically for correctional officers. It allows individuals who have worked as correctional officers and also held positions as teachers or other state employees to combine their years of service from these different roles. This combined service credit is used to determine their eligibility date for retirement. Additionally, the bill allows correctional officers who retired on or after July 1, 2012, to request this service combination retroactively, which would adjust their benefit payments for future months starting from the date they make the request.

For younger readers

Imagine you earn gold stars for doing chores. Some stars are for cleaning your room, and some are for washing dishes. Before, the rules said you had to keep these stars on two different charts to get a prize. This new rule says you can put all your stars on one big chart. If someone worked as a prison guard and also as a teacher, they can add all that time together to retire (stop working) earlier. It also lets people who already stopped working fix their charts to get better rewards in the future.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Correctional OfficersState EmployeesPublic School TeachersRetired Correctional OfficersState Retirement Board
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes fairness and financial security for public sector workers by ensuring they are not penalized for moving between different vital roles, such as teaching and corrections.
  • Strengthens the social safety net for existing retirees by allowing those who retired after July 2012 to recalculate their benefits, potentially increasing their monthly income.
  • Encourages a more holistic view of public service, valuing the total contribution of a worker to the state rather than compartmentalizing their labor into rigid silos.
  • Increases state spending on the correctional system's personnel costs, which diverts potential funding from social services, education, or community-based rehabilitation programs.
  • Places additional financial strain on the state pension system, potentially risking the long-term stability of funds needed for all public employees.
  • Primarily benefits the carceral state apparatus, rather than focusing on systemic reforms that reduce the need for correctional officers and prisons.
For Conservatives
  • Supports law enforcement and public safety personnel by improving their benefits package, which helps maintain high morale among those who protect the community.
  • May aid in the recruitment and retention of experienced staff in the Department of Corrections by offering more flexible retirement options.
  • Honors the service of individuals who have dedicated their careers to the state, ensuring the government keeps its promises to its employees regarding fair compensation.
  • Increases the unfunded liability of the state pension system, placing a higher long-term financial burden on taxpayers to support public sector retirements.
  • Expands government benefits retroactively for those who have already retired, which is fiscally irresponsible and sets a precedent for changing financial terms after employment ends.
  • Creates an administrative burden and additional bureaucracy within the retirement board to process recalculations and adjustments for past retirees.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 3 additions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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, deputy chief of inspection, and associate directors, correctional officer, inspector, chief of security, 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.