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SF0047 • 2024

Law enforcement retirement-contributions.

AN ACT relating to compensation and benefits; increasing employee and employer contributions for law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act; providing a monthly death benefit for officers killed in the line of duty; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Children Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Appropriations
Last action
2024-03-20
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2024

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on penalties or consequences if employers fail to comply with increased contribution requirements.

Law Enforcement Retirement Contributions

This law increases retirement contributions for Wyoming's law enforcement officers and provides a monthly death benefit for their families.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases employee contributions to the retirement fund by 0.9% each year from July 1, 2024, reaching 11.3% of salary by July 1, 2026.
  • Increases employer contributions to the retirement fund by 0.9% each year from July 1, 2024, reaching 11.3% of salary by July 1, 2026.
  • Provides a monthly death benefit for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty starting January 1, 2024.
  • Appropriates funds to cover increased employer contributions for state agency and University of Wyoming law enforcement employees.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Law enforcement officers in Wyoming
  • Employers of law enforcement officers in Wyoming

Terms To Know

Retirement Act
A set of laws that govern how retirement benefits are calculated and provided to employees.
Death benefit
Money paid out by an insurance policy or pension plan when someone dies.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if employers do not comply with the increased contribution requirements.
  • It is unclear how this will affect law enforcement officers' take-home pay after contributions increase.
  • The death benefit applies only to officers killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2024.

Amendments

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

SF0047H2001

2nd reading • Representative Western

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a monthly death benefit for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty starting January 1, 2024.

  • Adds language to provide a monthly death benefit for surviving spouses of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty after January 1, 2024.
  • Specifies that the monthly death benefit will be 90% of the officer's salary plus an additional 6% per child under age 18.
  • The amendment text does not specify how long the monthly death benefit will continue to be paid.
SF0047HW001

Committee of the Whole • Representative Western

Withdrawn

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision to provide monthly death benefits to surviving spouses and children of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty starting January 1, 2024.

  • Adds language to create a new paragraph (j) that provides for a monthly death benefit for the spouse and children of an officer who dies in the line of duty after January 1, 2024.
  • Specifies that the surviving spouse will receive 90% of the officer's salary plus an additional 6% per child under age 18.
  • The amendment text does not specify how long the monthly death benefit payments would continue or if there are any limits on the total amount paid out.
  • It is unclear what happens to benefits if a surviving spouse remarries after receiving these payments.
SF0047HS001

Standing Committee • House Appropriations Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the percentage of salary that law enforcement officers must contribute to their retirement fund over a period from 2025 to 2026 and beyond.

  • Reduces the employee contribution rate for law enforcement officers' retirement funds from 11.1% to 9.5% through June 30, 2025.
  • Increases the contribution rate to 10.4% of salary from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
  • Returns the contribution rate to 11.3% after June 30, 2026.
  • The amendment text does not specify if these changes apply only to new hires or also affect current employees.
SF0047S2001

2nd reading • Senator Rothfuss

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes specific percentages, dollar amounts, and sections of a bill related to law enforcement retirement contributions in Wyoming.

  • Removes references to 'employee and' and modifies the legal reference from '9-3-432(a) and (b)' to '9-3-432(b)'
  • Increases the employer contribution percentage for law enforcement officers from 11.1% to 13.6%
  • Raises the death benefit amount from $2,025,000.00 to $4,050,000.00 and the monthly payment from $75,000.00 to $120,000.00
  • Adjusts section numbering in the bill
  • The amendment text does not provide a clear summary of all changes, making it difficult to understand the full impact without reviewing the original bill.

Bills Worth Reading With This One

These pairings are meant to flag bills from the same session that may have a bigger real-world effect when you read them together.

SF0048

Both bills relate to increasing retirement contributions for law enforcement and related personnel, with SF0047 focusing on general law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act, while SF0048 targets employees covered by the Wyoming State Highway Patrol, Game and Fish Warden, and Criminal Investigator Retirement Act.

High confidence Needs review

Possible combined effect: The bills work together to increase retirement contributions for different categories of law enforcement personnel, with both providing funding provisions to cover employer contributions. This creates a comprehensive policy change affecting multiple groups within the state's public safety sector.

Why this got flagged:
  • Both bills address retirement contribution increases for law enforcement personnel but target different groups, creating a broader policy change when considered together.
  • This act increases the employee and employer contributions for law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act.
  • The act appropriates funds to provide payment of the increase in employer contributions for state agency and University of Wyoming law enforcement employees.
  • This act increases the retirement contribution required for employees covered under the Wyoming State Highway Patrol, Game and Fish Warden and Criminal Investigator Retirement Act.
  • The act appropriates funds from the general fund and from other funds to provide payment of the increase in the amount of employee contributions that the employer may pay.

Bill History

  1. 2024-03-20 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 96

  2. 2024-03-20 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0050

  3. 2024-03-07 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0050

  4. 2024-03-07 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0050

  5. 2024-03-07 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0050

  6. 2024-03-07 Senate

    S Concur:Passed 29-1-1-0-0

  7. 2024-03-04 Senate

    S Received for Concurrence

  8. 2024-03-01 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 43-15-4-0-0

  9. 2024-02-29 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  10. 2024-02-28 House

    H COW:Passed

  11. 2024-02-23 House

    H Placed on General File

  12. 2024-02-23 House

    H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0

  13. 2024-02-21 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations

  14. 2024-02-15 House

    H Received for Introduction

  15. 2024-02-15 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 22-9-0-0-0

  16. 2024-02-14 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  17. 2024-02-13 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  18. 2024-02-13 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  19. 2024-02-13 Senate

    S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0

  20. 2024-02-12 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S02 - Appropriations 23-8-0-0-0

  21. 2024-01-24 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  22. 2024-01-16 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 24LSO-0161

Bill No.:

SF0047

Effective:

7/1/2024

LSO No.:

24LSO-0161

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0050

Chapter No.:

96

Prime Sponsor:

Joint Appropriations Committee

Catch Title:

Law enforcement retirement-contributions.

Has Report:

No

Subject:

Amending contributions and benefits for law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act.

Summary/Major Elements:

This act increases the employee and employer contributions for law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act.

The act increases the employee contribution for law enforcement officers by nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2024 (from eight and six-tenths percent (8.6%) to nine and one-half percent (9.5%) of salary); by an additional nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2025 (from nine and one-half percent (9.5%) to ten and four-tenths percent (10.4%) of salary); and by an additional nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2026 (from ten and four-tenths percent (10.4%) to eleven and three-tenths percent (11.3%) of salary).

The act similarly increases the employer contribution for law enforcement officers by nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2024 (from eight and six-tenths percent (8.6%) to nine and one-half percent (9.5%) of salary); by an additional nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2025 (from nine and one-half percent (9.5%) to ten and four-tenths percent (10.4%) of salary); and by an additional nine-tenths percent (0.9%) starting on July 1, 2026 (from ten and four-tenths percent (10.4%) to eleven and three-tenths percent (11.3%) of salary).

The act also amends the death benefit available to the surviving spouses of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2024, to ninety percent (90%) of the officer's salary, plus six percent (6%) of salary for each child under age eighteen (18).

The act appropriates funds to provide payment of the increase in employer contributions for state agency and University of Wyoming law enforcement employees.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
24LSO-0161

ORIGINAL Senate

ENGROSSED
File No
.
SF0047

ENROLLED ACT NO. 50,

SENATE

SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2024 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to compensation and benefits; increasing employee and employer contributions for law enforcement officers under the Wyoming Retirement Act; providing a monthly death benefit for officers killed in the line of duty; providing appropriations; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
432(a), (b) and (j) by creating a new paragraph (iv) is amended to read:

9
‑
3
‑
432.

Law enforcement officers; contributions; benefit eligibility; service and disability benefits; death benefits; benefit options.

(a)

Each law enforcement officer shall pay into the account eight and six
‑
tenths percent (8.6%) of his salary
through June 30, 2024, nine and one
‑
half percent (9.5%) of his salary through June 30, 2025, ten and four
‑
tenths percent (10.4%) of his salary through June 30, 2026 and thereafter eleven and three
‑
tenths percent (11.3%) of his salary
to fund benefits provided to law enforcement officers. Any contribution required under this subsection or subsection (b) of this section shall be paid by the employer from the source of funds used to pay officer salaries in order to be treated as employer contributions for the sole purpose of determining tax treatment under the United States Internal Revenue Code, § 414(h). These payments by the employer are subject to W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
412(c).

(b)

Each employer of a law enforcement officer covered under this article shall pay into the account a contribution equal to eight and six
‑
tenths percent (8.6%) of the salary paid
through June 30, 2024, nine and one
‑
half percent (9.5%) of his salary through June 30, 2025, ten and four
‑
tenths percent (10.4%) of his salary through June 30, 2026 and thereafter eleven and three
‑
tenths percent (11.3%) of the salary paid
to each of its law enforcement officers covered under this article and may pay into the account any amount of the officer's share of contributions under subsection (a) of this section. Payments under this subsection shall be made monthly to the account in accordance with W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
413 and are subject to the penalties imposed under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
413 for delinquent contributions. No additional contribution shall be imposed upon the state, any city, town or county for benefits provided law enforcement officers under this article.

(j)

Notwithstanding W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
421, any surviving spouse of an officer:

(iv)

Who is killed in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2024 shall, notwithstanding paragraph (i) of this subsection, receive a monthly death benefit payment of ninety
‑
percent (90%) of the officer's salary, plus six percent (6%) of that salary for each child under age eighteen (18);

Section 2
.

(a)

There is appropriated to the state auditor from the general fund two million twenty
‑
five thousand dollars ($2,025,000.00) to provide payment of the increase in employer contributions for executive branch law enforcement employees for the 2025
‑
2026 fiscal biennium.

(b)

There is appropriated to the University of Wyoming from the general fund seventy
‑
five thousand dollars ($75,000.00) to provide payment of the increase in employer contributions for University of Wyoming law enforcement employees for the 2025
‑
2026 fiscal biennium.

(c)

For state agency employers whose retirement contributions are made from non
‑
general fund sources, there is appropriated from those accounts and funds amounts necessary to provide payment of the increase in employer contribution rates required by W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
432(b), as amended by section 1 of this act.

(d)

The appropriations in this section shall only be expended to provide payment of the increase in each state agency's employer contribution rates required by W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
432(b), as amended by section 1 of this act, for the 2025
‑
2026 fiscal biennium.

(e)

No amount of the appropriations made in this section shall be used to provide the increased employee contribution required by this act.

(f)

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the appropriations under this section shall not be transferred or expended for any purpose other than as specified in this section. Any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from the appropriations made in this section shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.

(g)

The state auditor shall transfer the funds to the state retirement system or to individual state agencies as determined by the department of administration and information to be necessary to meet the provisions of this act.

(h)

It is the intent of the legislature that the appropriations made in this section be included in each state agency's standard budget request for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2024
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1