The Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) establishes the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to provide a defined benefit to members of the system based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. Existing law creates the Public Employees' Retirement Fund, which is continuously appropriated for purposes of PERS, including depositing employer and employee contributions. Under the California Constitution, assets of a public pension or retirement system are trust funds.
The California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) establishes a variety of requirements and restrictions on public employers offering defined benefit pension plans. In this regard, PEPRA restricts the amount of compensation that may be applied for purposes of calculating a defined pension benefit for a new member, as defined, by restricting it to specified percentages of the contribution and benefit base under a specified federal law with respect to old age, survivors, and disability insurance benefits.
This bill, on and after January 1, 2026, would require a retirement system to adjust pensionable compensation limits to be consistent with a defined benefit limitation established and annually adjusted under federal law with respect to tax exempt qualified trusts.
PEPRA requires each retirement system that offers a defined benefit plan for safety members of the system to use one of 3 formulas for safety members, 2% at age 57, 2.5% at age 57, or 2.7% at age 57.
This bill would establish new retirement formulas, for employees first hired on or after January 1, 2026, as 2.5% at age 55, 2.7% at age 55, or 3% at age 55. For new members hired on or after January 1, 2013, who are safety members, the bill would require employers to adjust the formulas for service performed on or after January 1, 2026, to offer one of the 3 formulas for safety members that is closest to the formula the employer provided pursuant to existing law. The bill would authorize a public employer and a recognized employee organization to negotiate a prospective increase to the retirement benefit formulas for members and new members, consistent with the formulas permitted under the act.
This bill would authorize an employer and its employees to agree in a memorandum of understanding to be subject to a higher safety plan or a lower safety plan, subject to certain requirements, including that the memorandum of understanding is collectively bargained in accordance with applicable laws.
PEPRA requires all public employees to pay at least 50 percent of normal costs and prohibits public employers from paying any of the required employee contribution.
This bill would authorize an employer and employee, through the collective bargaining process, to agree to terms in a memorandum of understanding where the employer pays a portion of employee contribution.
By increasing the contribution to continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation.

Statutes affected:
AB 1383: 2068 LAB
02/21/25 - Introduced: 2068 LAB
03/10/25 - Amended Assembly: 7522.10 GOV, 7522.10 GOV, 2068 LAB
04/11/25 - Amended Assembly: 7522.10 GOV, 7522.25 GOV, 7522.25 GOV, 7522.30 GOV, 7522.30 GOV