Session News #5: Two Senate retirement bills advance to the House

Apr 28, 2015

Yesterday, the full Senate met and passed two retirement-related bills with amendments. The legislation below now goes to the House retirement committee for consideration.

Senate Bill 20 (Sen. Long) restructures the state’s return-to-work law and adds school counselors to critical shortage positions that qualify as “retired teachers.” “School social workers” were added to the critical shortage positions eligible to qualify as “retired teachers,” allowing return-to-work retirees in this category to collect both a retirement benefit and salary upon re-employment.

Further, the Senate amended the bill to require employers of return-to-work retirees to:

• post a job notice at a career development office of a postsecondary institution or similar entity within a 120-mile radius of the school board, and
• annually certify that a critical shortage of certain positions exists in the school district

SB 20 also expands the grandfathered group of “retired teachers” to include individuals who retired on or before June 30, 2010, regardless of whether or not they were rehired by that date. And, it allows retirees serving as substitute teachers under the 25% earnings limit to proctor certain tests. Combined earnings through substitute teaching and test proctoring will still be subject to the 25% earnings limit.

Senate Bill 16 (Sen. Guillory) and the amendments passed Monday make technical corrections to Act 399 of 2014.