AB 278

Under current law, certain persons who receive a retirement or disability

annuity from the Wisconsin Retirement System and who are hired by an employer

that participates in the WRS must suspend that annuity and may not receive a WRS

annuity payment until the employee is no longer in a WRS-covered position. This

suspension applies to a person who 1) has reached his or her normal retirement date;

2) is appointed to a position with a WRS-participating employer, or provides

employee services to a WRS-participating employer; and 3) is expected to work at

least two-thirds of what is considered full-time employment by the Department of

Employee Trust Funds.

This bill creates an exception to this suspension for an annuitant who retired

from employment with a participating employer and who is subsequently rehired or

provides employee services after retirement, if 1) the annuitant is a retired law

enforcement officer or fire fighter; 2) at the time the annuitant initially retires from

covered employment with a participating employer, the annuitant does not have an

agreement with any participating employer to return to employment; and 3) the

annuitant elects to not become a participating employee at the time the annuitant

is rehired or enters into a contract after retirement. In other words, the bill allows

an annuitant who was a law enforcement officer or fire fighter to return to work with

an employer who participates in the WRS and elect to not become a participating

employee for purposes of the WRS, and instead continue to receive his or her annuity.