Committee recommends against bill to boost General Assembly retirement contributions, preserve insurance option

Representative Crawford, the sponsor of House Bill 21‑17 (also carried as Senate Bill 21‑92), presented a proposal to let members of the General Assembly who have served at least 10 consecutive years continue their health insurance into retirement and to increase retirement pay modestly. "After 10 years of continuous service in the house, it would allow you to be able to keep your insurance and also bump up the pay a little bit as far as retirement," the sponsor said, and publicly thanked Treasurer Lillard for help on the bill.

A department analyst, Mr. Weiman, explained how the measure would interact with the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System's hybrid plan. He said the hybrid plan combines defined benefits and defined contributions and that the state currently contributes 5% of a member's salary to the 401(k)-style portion. Under the bill, the employer contribution for eligible General Assembly members who have at least 10 years of service would increase by 5 percentage points to a total of 10%. Mr. Weiman told the committee the projected first‑year cost of that increase is $25,600, based on 16 current members who would meet the eligibility threshold by Nov. 3, 2026. He also noted the bill would take effect upon becoming law and apply to members on or after Nov. 3, 2026.

Committee deliberations were brief. Senator Stevens moved a negative recommendation, which was seconded. The committee recorded six ayes and five noes; after the vote, the chair announced that the motion carried and that HB 21‑17/SB 21‑92 was recommended against passage to the respective standing committee.

The committee did not take additional steps such as directing staff to draft amendments or request further fiscal analysis during this session. The bill's sponsor indicated ongoing discussion about preserving insurance benefits and said work would continue on the insurance component.