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HLS 26RS-465 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 43
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
RETIREMENT/STATE EMPS: Provides relative to retirement eligibility in the Louisiana
State Employees' Retirement System
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 11:441(A)(2), relative to the Louisiana State Employees'
3 Retirement System; to provide relative to retirement eligibility; and to provide for
4 related matters.
5 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published
6 as provided by Article X, Section 29(C) of the Constitution
7 of Louisiana.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 11:441(A)(2) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
10 §441. Eligibility for retirement
11 A.
12 * * *
13 (2)(a) Any member hired on or after July 1, 2006, shall be eligible for
14 retirement if he has:
15 (i) Thirty-five years or more of service, at any age.
16 (ii) Five years or more of service, at age sixty or thereafter.
17 (ii)(iii) Twenty years of service credit at any age, exclusive of military
18 service and unused annual and sick leave; however, any person retiring under this
19 Item shall have his benefit, inclusive of military service credit and allowable unused
20 annual and sick leave, actuarially reduced from the earliest age that he would
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HLS 26RS-465 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 43
1 normally become eligible for a regular retirement benefit under Item (i) or (ii) of this
2 Subparagraph if he had continued in service to that age. Any employee who elects
3 to retire under the provisions of this Item shall not be eligible to participate in the
4 Deferred Retirement Option Plan provided by R.S. 11:447 or the Initial Benefit
5 Option provided by R.S. 11:446.
6 (b) Except for members of the Hazardous Duty Services Plan, as defined in
7 R.S. 11:612, any member whose first employment making him eligible for
8 membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after January 1, 2011, and on
9 or before June 30, 2015, including any judge, court officer, governor, lieutenant
10 governor, clerk or sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives, secretary or
11 sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, or state treasurer, shall be eligible for retirement if
12 he has:
13 (i) Thirty-five years or more of service, at any age.
14 (ii) Five years or more of service, at age sixty or thereafter.
15 (ii) (iii) Twenty years of service credit at any age, exclusive of military
16 service and unused annual and sick leave, but any person retiring under this Item
17 shall have his benefit, inclusive of military service credit and allowable unused
18 annual and sick leave, actuarially reduced from the earliest age that he would
19 normally become eligible for a regular retirement benefit under Item (i) or (ii) of this
20 Subparagraph if he had continued in service to that age. Any employee who elects
21 to retire under the provisions of this Item shall not be eligible to participate in the
22 Deferred Retirement Option Plan provided by R.S. 11:447 or the Initial Benefit
23 Option provided by R.S. 11:446.
24 (c) Except for members of the Hazardous Duty Services Plan, as defined in
25 R.S. 11:612, any member whose first employment making him eligible for
26 membership in one of the state systems occurred on or after July 1, 2015, including
27 any judge, court officer, governor, lieutenant governor, clerk or sergeant-at-arms of
28 the House of Representatives, secretary or sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, or state
29 treasurer, shall be eligible for retirement if he has:
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HLS 26RS-465 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 43
1 (i) Thirty-five years or more of service, at any age.
2 (ii) Five years or more of service, at age sixty-two or thereafter.
3 (ii)(iii) Twenty years of service credit at any age, exclusive of military
4 service and unused annual and sick leave, but any person retiring under this Item
5 shall have his benefit, inclusive of military service credit and allowable unused
6 annual and sick leave, actuarially reduced from the earliest age that he would
7 normally become eligible for a regular retirement benefit under Item (i) or (ii) of this
8 Subparagraph if he had continued in service to that age. Any employee who elects
9 to retire under the provisions of this Item shall not be eligible to participate in the
10 Deferred Retirement Option Plan provided by R.S. 11:447 or the Initial Benefit
11 Option provided by R.S. 11:446.
12 * * *
13 Section 2. The cost of this Act, if any, shall be funded with additional employer
14 contributions in compliance with Article X, Section 29(F) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 43 Original 2026 Regular Session Bagley
Abstract: Provides relative to eligibility for retirement in the La. State Employees'
Retirement System (LASERS).
Present law provides that retirement eligibility in LASERS varies depending on the date of
the member's first employment making him eligible for membership in one of the state
retirement plans. Specifically provides as follows regarding eligibility for retirement
without an actuarial reduction:
(1) For a member whose first employment was on or after July 1, 2006, and for any
judge, court officer, governor, lieutenant governor, clerk or sergeant-at-arms of the
House of Representatives, secretary or sergeant-at-arms of the Senate, or state
treasurer whose first employment occurred between Dec. 31, 2010, and July 1, 2015:
five years or more of service, at age 60 or thereafter.
(2) For a member whose first employment was on or after July 1, 2015: five years or
more of service, at age 62 or thereafter.
Proposed law provides that any such member, regardless of his date of first employment or
age, is eligible to retire if he has 35 years of service.
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HLS 26RS-465 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 43
Proposed law requires that any cost of proposed law be funded with additional employer
contributions in compliance with present constitution (Art. X, Sec. 29(F)).
(Amends R.S. 11:441(A)(2))
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are additions.