A BILL to amend and reenact § 51.1-212 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Virginia Law Officers' Retirement System; membership.
HB1055 amends the definition of “employee” in the Virginia Law Officers’ Retirement System to add sworn unit investigators appointed by the Attorney General under § 32.1-320.1. By doing so, the bill would place those investigators within the retirement system’s membership and make them eligible for the system’s enhanced retirement benefits, rather than leaving their retirement treatment outside that framework.
The bill also sets an effective date of July 1, 2027, and specifies that the enhanced retirement benefits for these investigators apply only to service earned on or after that date. In practical terms, the measure would extend law-enforcement retirement coverage to a new category of state investigative personnel, while limiting the benefit expansion to future service.
If enacted, HB1055 would amend § 51.1-212 of the Code of Virginia, expanding the statutory membership definition for the Virginia Law Officers’ Retirement System. The change would affect the retirement rights and benefit calculations for full-time sworn unit investigators appointed by the Attorney General, and would likely have fiscal implications for the retirement system and the state budget because of the addition of a new eligible employee group with enhanced benefits.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the materials provided. The bill’s referral to Appropriations and its focus on retirement benefits suggest it was treated as a fiscal and personnel policy measure, but the final status of being left in committee indicates it did not advance during the session.
The main policy issue is whether sworn unit investigators appointed by the Attorney General should be treated like other law-enforcement personnel for retirement purposes and receive the same enhanced benefits. Potential concerns would center on cost to the retirement system, the precedent of expanding membership categories, and whether the new benefit should apply only prospectively from July 1, 2027, as the bill provides. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the supplied materials.