Rhode Island House Bill H7254

Rhode Island 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/21/26
• Refer: 1/21/26

Caption

RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM --, MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICE CREDITS

Summary

H7254 amends Rhode Island’s public employee retirement law governing the purchase of military service credit. Under current law, active members of the state retirement system may buy up to four years of credit for prior active-duty service in the U.S. armed forces or Merchant Marine if they received an honorable discharge. This bill adds a new category for retirement system members who are police officers or firefighters, served in the National Guard or reserves, and qualify as veterans, allowing them to purchase creditable service at a five-to-one ratio of guard or reserve service to one year of retirement credit, up to four years total. The bill also preserves and restates the existing rules for cost and timing of purchase. The purchase price remains 10% of the member’s first year’s state-employee earnings multiplied by the amount of service being purchased, and interest is waived if the purchase is made within the first five years of membership. Members who wait longer would pay regular interest, while members who were already in the retirement system before July 1, 1980 would not be charged interest when buying armed service credit. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage.

Impact

This bill would directly amend Section 36-9-31 of the Rhode Island General Laws, expanding eligibility for purchasable retirement service credit to certain police officers and firefighters with National Guard or reserve service and veteran status. It would affect the state retirement system by increasing the categories of service that can be converted into pension credit, potentially improving retirement benefits for eligible public safety employees and increasing actuarial liabilities or contribution costs associated with the system.

Sentiment

The available bill materials suggest generally favorable treatment of the measure, with the caption and text framing it as a benefit expansion for veterans in public safety roles. No committee transcript or recorded votes are provided, so there is no documented opposition or debate in the supplied record. The bill’s introduction by multiple representatives also suggests a degree of support among sponsors.

Contention

The main policy issue is the expansion of pension credit eligibility and the resulting fiscal effect on the retirement system. Supporters are likely to view the bill as a recognition of military service by police officers and firefighters, especially those who served in the National Guard or reserves. Potential concerns would center on the cost of granting additional service credit, the fairness of extending this benefit to a narrower class of members, and whether the five-to-one conversion ratio and interest rules are appropriate, but no specific objections are recorded in the provided materials.