Senate Bills 19 and 20 go to the House, and House Bills 19 and 20 go to the Senate. However, overwhelming passage by both chambers indicates final approval of the concept won’t be difficult.
Sen. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, and Rep. Frank Hoffman, R-West Monroe, are authors of the respective bills.
Retired teachers under current law would lose pension benefits if they were rehired as substitutes or adjunct professors. The four bills say they could be rehired, but could only receive up to 25 percent of their pension benefits.
Hoffman said a retired teacher substituting in prekindergarten through 12th grade receiving a $50,000 annual pension could be paid up to $12,500 a year as a substitute.
Cortez was asked how many days a retired teacher could substitute without going over the 25 percent limit. He said a teacher receiving a $30,000 annual pension could be paid up to $7,500 a year. He said if a retiree who is a substitute is paid $100 a day, he or she could substitute for a maximum of 75 days.
The Cortez measure was amended to include retirees who could teach adult education or literacy programs.
Retirees who would be hired as adjunct professors would also be subject to the 25 percent limit. Retirees exceeding the 25 percent limit would lose that amount from their pensions.
School systems and universities employing retired teachers and professors would have to report the salaries retirees receive to the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana. (Wikimedia Commons)
