An Act to Address Employee Retention at the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and the Computer Crimes Unit in the Department of Public Safety
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0197
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: COLLINGS, JACKSON, DANA, FAULKINGHAM, TALBOT ROSS, HARRINGTON, HICKMAN
Amends: 5 MRSA §17851-A, 5 MRSA §17851-C

Legislative Document
No. 197
H.P. 121
House of Representatives, January 17, 2023
An Act to Address Employee Retention at the Maine State Police 
Crime Laboratory and the Computer Crimes Unit in the 
Department of Public Safety
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative COLLINGS of Portland.
Cosponsored by President JACKSON of Aroostook and
Representatives: DANA of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, 
Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland, Senators: HARRINGTON of York, HICKMAN of 
Kennebec.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §17851-A, sub-§1, ¶Q, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 474, §5, is 
amended to read:
Q.  Civilian Until July 31, 2024, civilian employees whose job responsibilities include 
the handling, examination or analysis of digital or physical evidence in the employment 
of the Department of Public Safety, Maine State Police Crime Laboratory or computer 
crimes unit on October 1, 2021 who elect to participate in the 1998 Special Plan or 
hired thereafter.
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §17851-C is enacted to read:
§17851-C.  Special plan for civilian employees in Department of Public Safety, Maine 
State Police Crime Laboratory or computer crimes unit
1.  Establishment and applicability.  Effective August 1, 2024, there is established a 
special retirement plan for civilian employees in the Department of Public Safety, Maine 
State Police Crime Laboratory or computer crimes unit, referred to in this section as "the 
special plan." The special plan applies to civilian employees whose job responsibilities 
include the handling, examination or analysis of digital or physical evidence in the 
employment of the Department of Public Safety, Maine State Police Crime Laboratory or 
computer crimes unit.
2.  Qualification for benefits.  A member employed in any of the positions described 
in subsection 1 qualifies for a service retirement benefit after completing 25 years of 
creditable service in that capacity, whether or not the creditable service included in 
determining that the 25-year requirement has been met was earned under the special plan 
established in this section or prior to its establishment. 
3.  Purchase of service credit to be used for qualification for benefits.  This 
subsection governs the use of purchased service credit in order to qualify for benefits under 
this section. For the purpose of meeting the qualification requirement of subsection 2:
A.  Service credit purchased by repayment of an earlier refund of accumulated 
contributions following termination of service is included if the time to which the 
refund relates was served in any one or a combination of the positions described in 
subsection 1, regardless of whether the time was served before or after the 
establishment of the special plan; 
B.  Service credit purchased under section 17760 is considered service under the special 
plan; and
C.  Service credit purchased other than as provided under paragraphs A and B is not 
included.
4.  Computation of benefits.  The amount of the service retirement benefit for 
members qualified under subsection 2 is 1/2 of the member's average final compensation 
and an additional 2% of the member's average final compensation for each year of 
membership service not included in determining qualification under subsection 2.
5.  Contributions.  Notwithstanding any other provision of subchapter 3, after July 31, 
2024, a member in a position described in subsection 1 shall contribute to the State 
Employee and Teacher Retirement Program or have pick-up contributions made at the rate 
of 8.65% of earnable compensation until the member has completed 25 years of creditable 
service as provided in this section and at the rate of 7.65% thereafter.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a new special retirement plan for certain civilian employees in the 
Department of Public Safety, Maine State Police Crime Laboratory and computer crimes 
unit that allows those employees to retire after 25 years of service regardless of age.