Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
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1 State of Arkansas A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1313
4
5 By: Representative C. Cooper
6 By: Senator M. Johnson
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO EXPAND HEALTH BENEFIT COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN
10 FIREFIGHTER RETIREES OF MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES;
11 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
12
13
14 Subtitle
15 TO EXPAND HEALTH BENEFIT COVERAGE FOR
16 CERTAIN FIREFIGHTER RETIREES OF
17 MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES.
18
19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
20
21 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 14-1-110 is amended to read as follows:
22 14-1-110. Coverage for eligible police officer and firefighter
23 retirees -- Definitions.
24 (a) As used in this section:
25 (1) "County" means any county in this state;
26 (2) "Dependent" means a participant or an eligible police
27 officer retiree's eligible retiree's:
28 (A) Natural child, stepchild, or adopted child who is
29 eligible for coverage under a plan of an eligible police officer retiree; and
30 (B) Spouse who is eligible for coverage under a plan of an
31 eligible police officer retiree;
32 (3) "Eligible firefighter retiree" means a firefighter who is:
33 (A) Employed as a firefighter;
34 (B)(i) Eligible to retire with full retirement benefits
35 under:
36 (a) The Arkansas Local Police and Fire
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1 Retirement System under � 24-10-101 et seq.;
2 (b) A municipal or county retirement benefit
3 system or plan for employees;
4 (c) A local firemen's relief and pension fund
5 under � 24-11-801 et seq.; or
6 (d) The Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement
7 System under � 24-4-101 et seq.
8 (ii) As used in this subdivision (a)(3)(B),
9 "eligible to retire with full retirement benefits" means a firefighter who
10 is:
11 (a) Any age with twenty-eight (28) years of
12 credited service;
13 (b) At least fifty-five (55) years of age and
14 has at least twenty (20) years of credited service;
15 (c) At least sixty (60) years of age and has
16 at least five (5) years of credited service; or
17 (d) At least sixty (60) years of age and has
18 at least ten (10) years of actual Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement
19 System service credit; and
20 (C) Not eligible for Medicare enrollment;
21 (4) "Eligible retiree" means an eligible police officer retiree
22 or an eligible firefighter retiree;
23 (5) "Eligible police officer retiree" means a police officer who
24 is:
25 (A) Employed as a police officer;
26 (B)(i) Eligible to retire with full retirement benefits
27 under:
28 (a) The Arkansas Local Police and Fire
29 Retirement System under � 24-10-101 et seq.;
30 (b) Any municipal or county retirement benefit
31 system or plan for employees;
32 (c) Any local policemen's pension and relief
33 fund under � 24-11-101 et seq.; or
34 (d) The Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement
35 System under � 24-4-101 et seq.
36 (ii) As used in this subdivision (a)(3)(B)
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1 subdivision (a)(5)(B), "eligible to retire with full retirement benefits"
2 means a police officer who is:
3 (a) Any age with twenty-eight (28) years of
4 credited service;
5 (b) At least fifty-five (55) years of age and
6 has at least twenty (20) years of credited service;
7 (c) At least sixty (60) years of age and has
8 at least five (5) years of credited service; or
9 (d) At least sixty (60) years of age and has
10 at least ten (10) years of actual Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement
11 System service credit; and
12 (C) Not eligible for Medicare enrollment;
13 (6) "Firefighter" means a full-time or part-time paid member of
14 a fire department or firefighting unit who:
15 (A) Actively engages in fire suppression, rescue, pump
16 operation, or other firefighting activity; and
17 (B) Receives more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) in
18 total compensation during the taxable year from the fire department or
19 firefighting unit that the firefighter serves;
20 (4)(7) "Health benefit plan" means a plan for health benefits
21 offered by a municipality or county;
22 (5)(8) "Municipality" means:
23 (A) A city of the first class;
24 (B) A city of the second class; or
25 (C) An incorporated town; and
26 (6)(9) "Police officer" means:
27 (A) Any law enforcement officer engaged in official duty
28 who is a member of any regular or auxiliary police force of a municipality or
29 county on a full-time or part-time basis;
30 (B) A sheriff or deputy sheriff of a county who is engaged
31 in official duty; or
32 (C) A constable or night marshal of a municipality engaged
33 in official duty.
34 (b)(1)(A) An eligible police officer retiree may elect to participate
35 in a health benefit plan after retirement.
36 (B) The eligible police officer retiree is eligible under
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1 subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section until the eligible police officer
2 retiree is a Medicare-eligible person.
3 (C)(i) An eligible police officer retiree shall have a
4 guaranteed issue period of sixty (60) calendar days from the date of
5 retirement to enroll in the health benefit plan.
6 (ii) If the eligible police officer retiree does not
7 elect to participate or declines to participate in the health benefit plan
8 upon the expiration of sixty (60) calendar days under subdivision
9 (b)(1)(C)(i) of this section, the eligible police officer retiree has no
10 further privileges under the health benefit plan.
11 (2) An eligible police officer retiree who elects to participate
12 in the health benefit plan shall pay a premium as determined by the
13 municipality or county or the cost of the policy issued to the eligible
14 police officer retiree.
15 (3) The eligible police officer retiree portion of the premium
16 shall be deducted from a bank account of the eligible police officer retiree
17 participant, to be paid by a monthly bank draft on the date designated by the
18 municipality or county.
19 (c) A dependent of an eligible police officer retiree is eligible to
20 participate in the health benefit plan.
21 (d) An eligible police officer retiree shall not be charged a
22 surcharge or assessment to enroll in the health benefit plan.
23 (e)(1) If an eligible police officer retiree dies and has covered
24 dependents at the time of death, the dependents have the right to continue to
25 participate in the health benefit plan through the municipality or county.
26 (2) Dependent children of a deceased eligible police officer
27 retiree may continue to participate in the health benefit plan until marriage
28 or until the maximum age limit for a dependent child has been reached.
29 (3) A surviving spouse of a deceased eligible police officer
30 retiree or eligible firefighter retiree may continue to participate in the
31 health benefit plan.
32 (4) If a surviving spouse or dependent of a deceased eligible
33 police officer retiree declines to participate in the health benefit plan or
34 cancels existing participation, then the surviving spouse or dependent has no
35 further privileges under the health benefit plan.
36
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