Bill > HB713

This bill amends the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) law to expand the definition of "hazardous position" to include positions within the Department of Kentucky State Police forensic labs. Specifically, the bill adds a new category of hazardous positions for employees in state forensics labs who regularly and routinely handle chemicals, narcotics, and biohazardous materials, or who are physically present at crime scenes that may contain such materials. By making this change, employees in these forensic lab and crime scene positions will become eligible for hazardous duty coverage, which provides certain benefits such as different contribution rates (8% employee contribution), potential earlier retirement options, and different retirement allowance calculations compared to non-hazardous positions. The bill aims to recognize the potentially dangerous nature of forensic and crime scene work by providing these employees with specialized retirement benefits that reflect the unique risks and physical demands of their jobs. The amendment would allow these Department of Kentucky State Police forensic personnel to receive the same hazardous duty retirement coverage currently available to other high-risk professions like law enforcement officers, firefighters, and corrections officers.

Government Affairs

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25RS/hb713.html