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SB2017 • 2026

Pensions and Retirement Benefits

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8, Chapter 34, Part 6, relative to creditable service for a period of disability.

Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Reeves, Scarbrough
Last action
2026-02-26
Official status
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide specific details about the financial impact or exact certification requirements.

Tennessee Act for Disability Retirement Credit

This bill changes Tennessee law to allow state police officers and other members subject to mandatory retirement to establish retirement credit during a period of disability at no cost.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows state police officers who receive temporary disability benefits under workers' compensation to get retirement credit without paying for it, if they apply after July 1, 2026.
  • Expands the rule to include any member subject to mandatory retirement, not just state police officers.
  • Permits political subdivisions (like cities or counties) that participate in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to pass a resolution allowing their police officers to establish retirement credit at no cost starting from July 1, 2026.
  • If a political subdivision already passed a similar rule before July 1, 2026, it can update the rule to remove costs for police officers.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State police officers who receive temporary disability benefits under workers' compensation.
  • Other members subject to mandatory retirement.
  • Political subdivisions that participate in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system.

Terms To Know

political subdivision
A local government unit, such as a city or county, within a state.
mandatory retirement
A rule that requires someone to retire by a certain age or after reaching a specific number of years in service.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies if the board of trustees approves it.
  • It does not specify how much money will be spent on this change.
  • Details about certification and contributions are set by the state treasurer, which is not fully explained here.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB1906

Plain English: The amendment changes how disability retirement credits are handled, making them free for certain employees who apply after July 1, 2026.

  • Members subject to mandatory retirement will be able to get disability retirement credit at no cost if they apply on or after July 1, 2026.
  • Political subdivisions can pass a resolution allowing free disability retirement credits for members who are required to retire and were previously charged for this benefit.
  • The amendment text does not specify the exact details of how these changes will be implemented or funded.
Amendment 1-0 to SB2017

Plain English: The amendment changes how disability periods are counted towards retirement benefits, making it free for certain employees to get these credits starting July 1, 2026.

  • It makes it free for employees who must retire by law to earn credit for their time of disability after July 1, 2026.
  • Political subdivisions can pass a new resolution to allow members who retired before this date to get these credits without paying if they had paid previously.
  • The exact details on how the cost-free credit will be implemented are not fully explained in the amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2026

  2. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  3. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/8/2026

  4. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  5. 2026-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  6. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/31/2026

  7. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/31/2026

  8. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/24/2026

  9. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/24/2026

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/18/2026

  11. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  12. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  13. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Public Service Subcommittee to 3/11/2026

  14. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  15. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Public Service Subcommittee for 3/4/2026

  16. 2026-02-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  18. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  19. 2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0492)

  20. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2026-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 2/23/2026

  22. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  23. 2026-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  24. 2026-02-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  25. 2026-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate State and Local Government Committee calendar for 2/17/2026

  26. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate State and Local Government Committee

  28. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Public Service Subcommittee

  29. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  30. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  31. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  32. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  33. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Upon approval of the board of trustees, present law generally requires any person included in the membership of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system ("member") who receives temporary disability benefits under a workers' compensation program to be
entitled to establish retirement credit at any time during or after the period of disability. This bill requires such credit for state police officers to be at no cost to the state police officer member, if the application for the credit is submitted on
o
r after July 1, 2026.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS

Present law authorizes political subdivisions of this state that participate in the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to adopt the provision allowing for any member who receives temporary disability benefits under a workers' compensation program t
o be entitled to establish retirement credit at any time during or after the period of disability, by passing a resolution and accepting the liability for its employees to establish the credit. This bill authorizes a resolution adopted on or after July 1
,
2026, to include the establishment of such credit for police officers at no cost to the police officer members. However, if a political subdivision passed a resolution to establish retirement credit prior to July 1, 2026, that included a cost for police
officer members, this bill authorizes the political subdivision to pass a subsequent resolution to permit the establishment of a retirement credit at no cost for its police officer members.

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2028, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2017, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 expands the application of the credit in the bill from state police officers to any
member who
is
subject to mandatory retirement pursuant to
present law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1906
By Scarbrough

SENATE BILL 2017
By Reeves
SB2017
011209
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8,
Chapter 34, Part 6, relative to creditable service
for a period of disability.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 8-34-625, is amended by deleting the
section and substituting instead:
(a) Subject to the approval of the board of trustees, a member, other than an
employee of a political subdivision, who receives temporary disability benefits under a
workers' compensation program administered by or on behalf of an employer is entitled
to establish retirement credit at any time during or after the period of disability.
(b) Upon the member's submission of an application to establish retirement
credit for a period of disability, the member's employing department or agency shall
provide certification, in a manner prescribed by the state treasurer, of the period of
disability and salary in effect immediately prior to the disability. Contributions by, or on
behalf of, a member must be remitted to the retirement system in a manner prescribed
by the state treasurer based on the member's salary in effect immediately prior to the
period of disability, plus interest at the rate provided in § 8-37-214, if applicable.
Retirement credit established pursuant to this section for state police officers must be at
no cost to the state police officer member; provided, that the member submits an
application for retirement credit to the retirement system on or after July 1, 2026, to
establish retirement credit for the member's period of disability. This subsection (b) does
not apply to members who received retirement credit for a period of disability pursuant to
this section before July 1, 2026.

- 2 - 011209

(c) Notwithstanding § 8-35-217, participating political subdivisions may adopt
this section for its employees; provided, that the chief governing body of the political
subdivision passes a resolution allowing its members to establish retirement credit for a
period of disability and accepting the liability for its employees to establish this credit.
The resolution adopting this section for participating political subdivision employees on
or after July 1, 2026, may include the establishment of retirement credit for police
officers at no cost to the police officer members. If a political subdivision passed a
resolution to establish retirement credit for its members prior to July 1, 2026, and if the
establishment of this credit had an associated cost, then the political subdivision may
pass a subsequent resolution to permit the establishment of retirement credit for its
police officers at no cost to the police officer members. This subsection (c) is available
for adoption by political subdivisions on or after July 1, 2026, and becomes effective on
the effective date of the resolution to adopt the establishment of retirement credit for a
member's period of disability.
(d) Upon the member's submission of an application to establish retirement
credit for a period of disability, the member's employing political subdivision shall provide
certification, in a manner prescribed by the state treasurer, of the period of disability and
salary in effect immediately prior to the disability. Contributions by, or on behalf of, a
member must be remitted to the retirement system in a manner prescribed by the state
treasurer based on the member's salary in effect immediately prior to the period of
disability, plus interest at the rate provided in § 8-37-214, if applicable.
(e) A member must not be credited with the temporary disability as creditable
service at a rate exceeding one (1) year per occurrence of temporary disability.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.