Committee approves bill letting new school resource officers join public-safety retirement

Senators advanced House Bill 2206 to allow newly hired school resource officers to participate in the public-safety retirement system instead of the teachers' retirement system.

Senator Weaver said the change addresses recruitment challenges for officers who might otherwise forgo the public-safety 20-year retirement benefit. Dwayne Michael, executive director of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement Systems, told the committee that the public-safety employer contribution is currently 11% and the employee contribution 8% and that it is difficult to predict how many new hires would move into OLLERS because the change applies only to new hires.

Senators asked several budget-related questions about the effect on school districts and matches. Michael said districts and OMES staff could help clarify exact cost differences but emphasized that the bill affects only future hires and that the actuarial impact to the retirement system was accounted for in explanations to the committee.

The committee recorded 6 ayes and 0 nays and declared House Bill 2206 passed.