House Bill No. 1017, introduced by Representative Kerner, aims to amend the Firefighters' Retirement System (FRS) regulations regarding the calculation of retirement benefits in the context of divorce. The bill enacts a new provision, R.S. 11:2256.5, which specifies that any increase in a member's earnable compensation that occurs after the termination of a community of acquets and gains—conditional on the member passing both a written examination and a working test—will not be included in the calculation of a former spouse's share of community property.

This legislation seeks to clarify the definition of "earnable compensation" and its implications for divorce settlements involving retirement benefits. Under current law, earnable compensation includes the full amount earned during regular duty, excluding overtime, and benefits are calculated based on the average of the highest three years of such compensation. The proposed changes are set to take effect upon the governor's signature or after the designated time for gubernatorial action if not signed.