HB299 amends the Public Employees Retirement Act to create a new membership category for “state law enforcement instructor members.” These are employees of the New Mexico law enforcement academy who maintain law enforcement certification and provide training under the Law Enforcement Training Act. The bill adds this category to the definition of members covered by the Public Employees Retirement Association and places these employees within State Public Safety Member Coverage Plan 1.
The bill also establishes an election process for the new group. By June 30, 2025, the retirement board must conduct an election asking state law enforcement instructor members whether they want to adopt State Public Safety Member Coverage Plan 1. If a majority of voting members approve, the plan becomes applicable in the first full pay period after July 1, 2025. The bill also makes conforming changes to the statute governing coverage plan 1 so the new member category is expressly included alongside state police, adult correctional officers, probation and parole officers, and state fire members.
Impact
HB299 would amend state retirement law by expanding the Public Employees Retirement Act to recognize a new class of public safety employees for pension purposes. It would place state law enforcement instructors under the same retirement coverage plan used for other public safety personnel, which may affect retirement eligibility, service credit calculations, and contribution/benefit treatment under the plan. The bill also requires the Public Employees Retirement Association retirement board to administer a member election before the new coverage takes effect.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee transcripts or votes, the available context suggests the bill is a targeted retirement-benefit expansion rather than a broadly controversial measure. Its structure mirrors prior public safety retirement changes that depend on member approval, indicating an effort to align instructor retirement treatment with other public safety classifications while preserving an employee vote on adoption. No recorded opposition or support is available in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate or voting history.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether state law enforcement instructors should receive the enhanced retirement treatment available under State Public Safety Member Coverage Plan 1. Potential points of contention include the fiscal impact on the retirement system, whether instructors are sufficiently similar to other covered public safety employees, and whether the 20 percent credited-service increase is appropriate for this group. The bill addresses some of that concern by requiring a majority vote of the affected members before coverage applies, suggesting that member consent is a central feature of the proposal.