SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4751

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MARCH 17, 2025

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4751.

      As amended, this bill allows a member of the New Jersey State Police Retirement System (SPRS) to purchase credit in the retirement system for military service in the Armed Forces of the United States, the period of enrollment in the New Jersey State Police Academy, and employment as a class two special law enforcement officer prior to becoming a member.

      Under current law, a period of service in the United States Armed Forces qualifies as military service that a member of the SPRS may purchase for retirement purposes.  This bill permits the purchase of the period of enrollment in a United States military service academy that resulted in attainment of a baccalaureate degree from the military service academy.

      The military service academies are the United States Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy.  These four service academies educate young people to serve as commissioned officers in the various branches of the United States Armed Forces.  They are the only academies whose students are on active duty in the United States Armed Forces from the day they enter the academy, with the rank of cadet and midshipman, and subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

      This bill also allows a member of the SPRS to purchase credit in the retirement system for graduation from the New Jersey State Police Academy or for employment as a class two special law enforcement officer, or both, prior to becoming a member.  The bill provides that a member may purchase credit for all or a portion of such service rendered while enrolled in the New Jersey State Police Academy or employed by a public employer as a class two special law enforcement officer, or both; provided, however, that credit for service rendered while enrolled in the New Jersey State Police Academy will only be eligible for purchase if such service led directly to enrollment in the system.  Under the bill, the SPRS credit purchased for enrollment in the New Jersey State Police Academy or employment as a class two special law enforcement officer, or both, is equivalent to service in the State Police as a member of the SPRS in qualifying for retirement benefits.

As amended and reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 4751 is identical to Senate Bill No. 3606, which was also amended and reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to require that credit for service rendered while enrolled in the New Jersey State Police Academy is only eligible for purchase if such service led directly to enrollment in the system and to require that a period of service as a class two special law enforcement officer is only eligible for purchase if it meets one of the following criteria: (1) one year of service, wherein a 12-month employee is required to have worked an average of 10 days per month and an aggregate of 120 days per year; or (2) service for a period of less than one year, provided that the member works a minimum average of 10 days per month for each month of service.

      The amendments also permit the purchase of the period of enrollment in a United States military service academy that resulted in attainment of a baccalaureate degree from the military service academy.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Office of Legislative Services finds that permitting the purchase of service credit in the New Jersey State Police Retirement System for all or a portion of the service rendered while enrolled in a United States military service academy, enrolled in the New Jersey State Police Academy, or employed as a class two special law enforcement officer, subject to certain conditions, will increase annual State costs by an indeterminate amount to pay for the increase in the unfunded liability of the system and provide State paid health care coverage in retirement to members who would not qualify for this benefit without additional years of service credit in the retirement system.