Allows any member of the Teachers and State Employees Retirement System (TSERS) and the Local Government Employees Retirement System (LGERS) who is a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services personnel (“first responder employee”) and has completed 25 years of creditable service to retire upon electronic submission or written application with the specified information to the relevant retirement board. Specifies that a first responder employee who has met the conditions but does not retire and then later works in other employment while completing 25 years of creditable service continues to have the right to commence retirement.
Sets forth two computations for retirement service allowances for first responder employees and eligible former first responder employees who retire from service on or after January 1, 2027, as follows:

If the member's service retirement date occurs on or after the member's 55th birthday and completion of five years of creditable service as a first responder employee, or after the completion of 25 years of creditable service, the allowance is equal to 1.82% (TSERS) or 1.85% (LGERS) of the member's average final compensation multiplied by the number of years of the member's creditable service.
If the member's service retirement date occurs on or after the member's 50th birthday and before the member's 55th birthday with 15 or more years of creditable service as a first responder employee and prior to the completion of 25 years of creditable service, the retirement allowance is equal to the greater of the two specified reductions.

Applies TSERS and LGERS’s retirement allowances for non-first responder members retiring on or after July 1, 2019, to first responder employees retiring on or after July 1, 2019, but before January 1, 2027. Applies the retirement allowance set forth above to law enforcement (TSERS) or law enforcement/firefighters/rescue squad workers (LGERS) killed in the line of duty who had obtained 15 years of service, and also extends those provisions to other first responder employees.  
Adds EMS personnel and firefighter to TSERS definitions (GS 135-1).  Modifies TSERS’s definition of law enforcement officer. Adds EMS personnel to LGERS’s definitions (GS 128-21).
Makes the following changes to the separation allowances for State and local government law enforcement officers. For officers retiring on or after January 1, 2027, authorizes the annual special separation allowance under GS 143-166.41(b1) (State)/ GS 143-166.42(b1) (local government) to be paid at .85% of the annual base rate of compensation most recently applicable to the officer for each year of that officer’s credible service, if the officer (1) has  completed 25 or more years of creditable service or (2) is 55 years of age or older and completed five or more years of creditable service. For State officers retiring on or after January 1, 2027, prior to attaining 62  years of age, the officer has completed 25 or more years of creditable service, at least 50% of which was as a law enforcement officer, or for service prior to July 1, 2017, as a probation/parole officer, then allows the annual special separation allowance under GS 143-166.41(b1) to be paid at .85% of the annual base rate of compensation attained 30 years of service multiplied by 30.  For local government officers retiring on or after January 1, 2027, prior to attaining 62 years of age, the officer has completed 25 or more years of creditable service, or is 55 years of age or older and completed five or more years  of creditable service, then allows the annual special separation allowance under GS 143-166.42 (b1) to be paid at .85% of the annual base rate of compensation attained 30 years of service multiplied by 30.  
Makes organizational, technical, and conforming changes throughout.
Effective January 1, 2027, and applies to eligible retirements occurring on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Filed: 135-1, 135-5, 128-21, 128-27, 143-166.41, 143-166.42