Bill
Bill > HB98
summary
Introduced
01/07/2026
01/07/2026
In Committee
01/14/2026
01/14/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
Amend KRS 61.702, relating to the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and the State Police Retirement System, to increase the nonhazardous and hazardous duty under age 65 retiree health subsidy to $40 and $50 per month for each year of service, respectively, for those members who meet the "career threshold" who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and who are eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy not tied to the premium; extend the employee contribution used to fund retiree health benefits to include members who began participating in the system on or after July 1, 2003, and increase the current hazardous employee contribution rate to 2% of pay for those eligible for the fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy; make technical amendments regarding the retiree health premium reimbursement program to conform to current policy; provide that the amendments to the employee contributions shall be effective July 1, 2027; for calculation of the retiree health subsidy increase, provide that the change shall apply to service earned prior to the effective date of this Act by eligible members, including retirees, and shall prospectively be adjusted annually by the 1.5% increase currently provided in statute; provide that subsidies payable to impacted retirees shall begin on or after January 1, 2027, to coincide with the next health plan year; direct the Public Pension Oversight Board to continue to review the retiree health fund actuarial data and evaluate potential legislative options to address any future continued improvements in the funds; RETROACTIVE.
AI Summary
This bill amends Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 61.702 to increase retiree health subsidies for members of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System and the State Police Retirement System who began participating on or after July 1, 2003, and meet a "career threshold" (defined as 27 years of service for non-hazardous positions and specific service requirements for hazardous positions). Specifically, the monthly subsidy for non-hazardous duty retirees under age 65 will increase to $40 per year of service, and for hazardous duty retirees, it will increase to $50 per year of service. The bill also extends the employee contribution used to fund retiree health benefits to these members, increasing the hazardous employee contribution rate to 2% of pay for those eligible for a fixed-dollar retiree health subsidy, with these contribution changes taking effect on July 1, 2027. The increased subsidies will apply to service earned before the bill's effective date for eligible members and retirees, and will be adjusted annually by a 1.5% increase, with payments to impacted retirees beginning on or after January 1, 2027. Additionally, the Public Pension Oversight Board is directed to continue reviewing retiree health fund data and evaluate future legislative options for improvements.
Committee Categories
Government Affairs
Sponsors (7)
James Tipton (R)*,
John Blanton (R),
Jennifer Decker (R),
Deanna Frazier Gordon (R),
Al Gentry (D),
Erika Hancock (D),
William Lawrence (R),
Last Action
to State Government (H) (on 01/14/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb98.html |
| BillText | https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/hb98/orig_bill.pdf |
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