Collins, Tester introduce bill to protect first responders’ pension plans

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced legislation this week that will seek to protect the pensions of first responders who have been injured on the job.

“We count on federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other public safety employees when tragedy strikes,” Collins said. “These brave men and women make tremendous sacrifices to protect our communities, and their strenuous and often dangerous occupation puts them at heightened risk of injury. Our legislation honors first responders’ sacrifices by ensuring that they do not lose the retirement they have earned should they be injured in the line of duty.”

The bill, titled the Fair Return for Employees on Their Initial Retirement Earned Act, will aim to assist federal firefighters, law enforcement officers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, and other federal employees in receiving their full retirement benefits if they’re injured on the job. Current law states that federal employees injured in the line of service and return to work for the federal government lose their early retirement benefits they had earned prior to their injury.

Federal employees with physically-demanding occupations are classified as “6c”, which comes with mandatory retirement ages. Each employee pays an additional portion of each paycheck towards their retirement. The senator’s bill will help 6c employees by allowing them to continue to pay into their 6c accounts even if they do not return to work in a 6c-designated occupation.

The law would also allow 6c employees who are hurt on the job to be eligible for a lump-sum payment of the benefits owed to them from their 6c retirement funds.

“This bill is about fairness, and it ensures that the folks who help keep our communities safe are able to access the full amount of their pensions that they have been paying into for years,” Tester said.