Kentucky expands County Employees Retirement System hazardous duty coverage to consolidated local government code enforcement officers

Original title: AN ACT relating to hazardous duty retirement for code enforcement personnel of a consolidated local government.

Last action · March 13, 2026: taken from Local Government (H) 1st reading returned to Local Government (H)Sponsors: Rachel Roarx and 6 others

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What This Bill Proposed

Kentucky HB 72 expands County Employees Retirement System hazardous duty retirement classifications to include code enforcement officers employed by a whose duties involve inspecting and citing violations regarding facilities, hazardous materials, land development, and zoning. Employers may request hazardous coverage by certifying employee duties under penalty of perjury and securing budget approval, with options for employers or employees to pay the cost of converting prior nonhazardous service.

Why it matters

code enforcement officers gain eligibility for hazardous duty retirement benefits and coverage terms, while employers face certification requirements under penalty of perjury and potential costs to convert prior nonhazardous service or establish up to 30-year payment schedules.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Code enforcement officers

Code enforcement officers of a consolidated local government become eligible for hazardous duty retirement coverage and associated retirement benefits.

Directly affected

County Employees Retirement System employers

Employers may request hazardous coverage, must certify employee duties under penalty of perjury, and may elect to pay conversion costs or establish payment schedules.

Key Facts

Code enforcement officers of a consolidated local government are added to the definition of hazardous positions under the County Employees Retirement System for employees who began participating before September 1, 2008, provided their duties involve investigation, inspection, and citation issuance for violations regarding facilities, hazardous materials, land development, and zoning under high danger and physical conditioning requirements.
Code enforcement officers are also added as hazardous positions for employees participating on or after September 1, 2008, provided their duties require frequent exposure to high danger and physical conditioning and are not primarily clerical or administrative.
Employers may request hazardous coverage from the retirement board, certify employee names, and provide budget approval for required employer contributions.
Employers must certify under penalty of perjury that each employee's actual job duties are accurately reflected in the job description provided to the system.

Show all 9 facts

The retirement board is authorized to remove any employee from hazardous coverage if they do not meet individual job duty definitions or accurate job descriptions.
Employers may pay the cost of converting prior nonhazardous service to hazardous service or establish a payment schedule extending up to thirty years.
If the employer elects not to pay, the employee may pay the cost of converting the service pursuant to KRS 61.552(9) without employer pickup.
If neither the employer nor the employee pays the conversion cost, prior service remains nonhazardous, and these cost-conversion provisions do not apply to members participating on or after January 1, 2014.
Persons employed in a hazardous position must undergo a thorough medical examination by a licensed physician, with the report retained by the employer and made available to the retirement system upon request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which code enforcement officers are eligible for hazardous duty retirement coverage under this bill?

Code enforcement officers employed by a whose duties include investigation, inspection, and issuance of citations for violations relating to facilities, hazardous materials, land development, and zoning, and whose duties require frequent exposure to a high degree of danger or peril along with a high degree of physical conditioning.

Who pays for converting prior nonhazardous service into hazardous service?

The employer may pay the cost or establish a payment schedule of up to 30 years. Alternatively, the employee may pay the cost, or if neither pays, the prior service remains nonhazardous.

What documentation must an employer provide to request hazardous coverage?

Employers must certify employee names to the system with budget approval verifying contributions, and certify under penalty of perjury that employee job duties are accurately reflected in the job description.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.

Procedural history

3 actions

Mar 13, 2026HouseCommittee
taken from Local Government (H) 1st reading returned to Local Government (H)
Jan 14, 2026HouseCommittee
to Local Government (H)
Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced
introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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