Pennsylvania House Bill HB349

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/27/25
• Refer: 1/27/25

Caption

An Act amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in preliminary provisions relating to retirement for State employees and officers, further providing for definiti . . .ons; and, in membership, credited service, classes of service, and eligibility for benefits, further providing for creditable nonstate service.

Summary

House Bill 349 would amend Pennsylvania’s State Employees’ Retirement Code in Title 71 in two ways. First, it adds a new definition of “municipal police officer” for retirement-law purposes, tying the term to an individual certified under the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Law. Second, it expands the categories of nonstate service that may be credited toward state retirement benefits by allowing certain Pennsylvania State Police members to receive credit for up to five years of prior service as a municipal police officer within the Commonwealth. The bill also makes a technical change to the existing list of creditable nonstate service by updating the formatting of two older categories: service at a community college before July 1, 1971, and service as a justice of the peace before January 1970. The bill would take effect 60 days after enactment. In practical terms, it would affect retirement eligibility and benefit calculations for a limited group of current or former State Police members with prior municipal police experience, while leaving the broader retirement system unchanged.

Impact

HB349 would amend Title 71 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, specifically the provisions governing state employee and officer retirement. It would create a new statutory definition of “municipal police officer” and add a new category of creditable nonstate service, allowing Pennsylvania State Police members to count up to five years of prior municipal police service toward retirement credit. The bill would therefore affect retirement service credit calculations, benefit eligibility, and potentially retirement timing for a narrow class of public safety employees, while also preserving existing credit rules for other nonstate service categories.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the available context suggests a neutral-to-supportive posture rather than controversy. The measure appears targeted and technical, aimed at recognizing prior municipal police service for retirement purposes. Because there are no transcripts or voting records provided, there is no evidence in the available material of organized opposition or strong partisan division.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the policy choice to grant retirement credit for prior municipal police service to members of the Pennsylvania State Police, capped at five years. Supporters would likely view this as a fairness or recruitment/retention measure that recognizes prior law-enforcement service, while critics could question the fiscal impact on the retirement system or whether the credit should be extended only to this specific group. The bill also makes a definitional change that could matter for how retirement credit is administered, but no explicit disputes are documented in the provided materials.