North Carolina SB 320: Improve Ed. for Children Who Are Deaf.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 320

Short Title: LEO Special Separation Allowance Options. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Berger, Sawyer, and Ford (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 18, 2025
*S320-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL SPECIAL SEPARATION ALLOWANCE OPTION 2
FOR STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH AT LEAST 3
THIRTY YEARS OF CREDITABLE SERVICE. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 143-166.41 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 143-166.41. Special separation allowance.allowance options for State law enforcement 7
officers. 8
(a) Annual Special Separation Allowance. – Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 9
every sworn law-enforcement officer as defined by G.S. 135-1(11c) or G.S. 143-166.30(a)(4) 10
employed by a State department, agency, or institution who qualifies under this section shall 11
receive, receive an annual special separation allowance beginning in the month in which he the 12
officer retires on a basic service retirement under the provisions of G.S. 135-5(a), an annual 13
separation allowance equal to eighty-five hundredths percent (0.85%) of the annual equivalent 14
of the base rate of compensation most recently applicable to him for each year of creditable 15
service. G.S. 135-5(a). The allowance shall be paid in equal installments on the payroll frequency 16
used by the employer. To qualify for the allowance the officer shall: 17
(1) Have (i) completed 30 or more years of creditable service or, (ii) have attained 18
55 years of age and completed five or more years of creditable service; and 19
(2) Not have attained 62 years of age; and 20
(3) Have completed at least five years of continuous service as a law enforcement 21
officer as herein defined immediately preceding a service retirement. Any 22
break in the continuous service required by this subsection because of 23
disability retirement or disability salary continuation benefits shall not 24
adversely affect an officer's qualification to receive the allowance, provided 25
the officer returns to service within 45 days after the disability benefits cease 26
and is otherwise qualified to receive the allowance.employer from which the 27
officer retired. 28
(a1) Repealed by Session Laws 2014-88, s. 3(j), effective July 30, 2014. 29
(b) As used in this section, "creditable service" means the Definitions. – The following 30
definitions apply in this section: 31
(1) Allowance. – The annual special separation allowance for State law 32
enforcement officers provided for under this section. 33
(2) Creditable service. – The service for which credit is allowed under the 34
retirement system of which the officer is a member, provided that at least fifty 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 320-First Edition
percent (50%) of the service is as a law enforcement officer as herein defined 1
or as a probation/parole officer as defined in G.S. 135-1(17a).officer. 2
(3) Law enforcement officer. – As defined in either G.S. 135-1 or 3
G.S. 143-166.30(a). 4
(4) Officer. – A law enforcement officer. 5
(5) Probation/parole officer. – As defined in G.S. 135-1. 6
(b1) Eligibility for Allowance and Calculation of Allowance Amount. – To be eligible for 7
an allowance under this section, an officer is required to meet one of the following sets of criteria 8
that shall also determine the allowance amount: 9
(1) For officers meeting all of the following criteria, the annual special separation 10
allowance to be paid is equal to eighty-five hundredths percent (0.85%) of the 11
annual base rate of compensation most recently applicable to the officer for 12
each year of that officer's creditable service: 13
a. The officer (i) has completed 30 or more years of creditable service or 14
(ii) is 55 years of age or older and completed five or more years of 15
creditable service. 16
b. The officer is less than 62 years of age. 17
c. The officer has completed at least five years of continuous service as 18
a law enforcement officer immediately preceding the officer's service 19
retirement. Any break in this required continuous service that is a 20
result of disability retirement or disability salary continuation benefits 21
shall not adversely affect an officer's qualification to receive an 22
allowance under this subdivision so long as the officer returned to 23
service within 45 days after the disability benefits had ceased and is 24
otherwise qualified to receive the allowance. 25
(2) For officers meeting all of the following criteria, the annual special separation 26
allowance to be paid is equal to eighty-five hundredths percent (0.85%) of the 27
annual equivalent of the base rate of compensation at the time the officer 28
attained 30 years of service multiplied by 30: 29
a. The officer has completed 30 or more years of creditable service prior 30
to attaining 62 years of age. 31
b. The officer has compl