Bill Text: NJ A5212 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Decreases number of years of creditable service required for special retirement for certain members of PFRS.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-04 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A5212 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5212-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Decreases number of years of creditable service required for special retirement for certain members of PFRS.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning eligibility for special retirement for certain members of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System and supplementing Title 43 of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Firefighters experience unique occupational risks, including exposure to carcinogens, and are regularly exposed to hazardous chemicals.
b. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies occupational exposure as a firefighter as "Group 1: carcinogenic to humans," because exposure to numerous carcinogens and hazardous chemicals often leads to an increased risk of developing cancers, such as mesothelioma, bladder cancer, and several others.
c. Firefighters are regularly exposed to a complex mixture of toxic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), diesel exhaust, flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulates and combustion byproducts during structural and wildland fires, overhaul, and training.
d. Exposure to such chemicals has been shown to lead to persistent respiratory issues, such as persistent cough, shortness of breath, throat irritation, and abnormal lung function, as well as other systemic health issues including cardiovascular events. According to the 2023 firefighter fatalities report published by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), except "for 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 was a factor, cardiovascular event was the leading type of nature of fatal injury of firefighters every year from 2014 to 2023."
e. Firefighters often experience repeated exposure to death, injury, and high-stress emergencies which has been shown to result in higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide rates.
f. Aging only increases firefighters' vulnerability to heat and chemical stress due to a reduced tolerance and slower recovery. The risk of cardiovascular events has been shown to significantly increase after age 50. Age-related skin changes have also been shown to increase the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals through contact with skin. Older workers are also more likely to experience a greater circadian disruption due to a 24-hour shift and night-shift work.
g. Due to the cumulative effect of the hazards of the job, firefighters historically retire after approximately 20 years of service.
h. Permitting retirement after 20 years of service, instead of 25 years, and permitting those aged 50 and older to retire after 15 years of service, will reduce health risks to aging firefighters and will also reduce disability claims and municipal health care burdens.
2. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, on or after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System established pursuant to P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-1 et seq.), who meets the definition of "fireman" in section 1 of P.L.1944, c.255 (C.43:16A-1), shall be considered eligible to elect a "special retirement" either under the provisions of section 16 of P.L.1961, c.241 (C.43:16A-11.1) , or under the provisions of this section.
b. A member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System who meets the definition of fireman as provided in subsection a. of this section, may elect a "special retirement" pursuant to this section and receive the maximum benefit provided by the retirement system, if the member attains 20 years of creditable service, or 15 years of creditable service for members who are over 50 years of age, by following the application process provided in subsection a. of section 16 of P.L.1964, c.241 (C.43:16A-11.1). Following such process, the member shall receive, in lieu of the payment provided in section 11 of P.L.1944, c. 255 (C.43:16A-11), a retirement allowance which shall consist of:
(1) An annuity which shall be the actuarial equivalent of the member's aggregate contributions, and
(2) A pension in the amount which, when added to the member's annuity, will provide (a) for a person who is a member on the effective date of P.L.2011, c.78, a total retirement allowance of 65 percent of final compensation, plus 1 percent of final compensation multiplied by the number of years of creditable service over 20 or 15, as the case may be, but not over 25 or 20 respectively or (b) for a person who becomes a member of the retirement system after that effective date, a total retirement allowance of 60 percent of final compensation, plus 1 percent of final compensation multiplied by the number of years of creditable service over 20 or 15, as the case may be, but not over 25 or 20 respectively.
The board of trustees shall retire the member at the time specified or at such other time within one month after the date so specified, as the board finds advisable.
Upon the receipt of proper proofs of the death of such a retired member, there shall be paid to the member's beneficiary an amount equal to one-half of the final compensation received by the member.
c. The retirement allowance provided in subsection b. of this section shall only apply to retirements filed following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
d. This section shall be effective if the qualified status of the retirement system under federal law can be maintained upon its application, and such modifications to the system as may be available shall be made to allow for its application
3. This act shall take effect 90 days following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill decreases the number of years of creditable service required for special retirement for certain members of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS).
The purpose of this bill is to strengthen firefighter safety and workforce stability by adjusting retirement eligibility to reflect the well documented health risks associated with long term exposure to toxic chemicals, extreme heat, and repeated traumatic events inherent in firefighting.
Firefighters experience unique occupational risks, including exposure to carcinogens, and are regularly exposed to hazardous chemicals. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies occupational exposure as a firefighter as "Group 1: carcinogenic to humans," because exposure to numerous carcinogens and hazardous chemicals often leads to an increased risk of developing cancers, such as mesothelioma, bladder cancer, and several others. Firefighters are regularly exposed to a complex mixture of toxic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), diesel exhaust, flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulates and combustion byproducts during structural and wildland fires, overhaul, and training. Exposure to such chemicals has been shown to lead to persistent respiratory issues, such as persistent cough, shortness of breath, throat irritation, and abnormal lung function, as well as other systemic health issues including cardiovascular events, which except for 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 was a factor, cardiovascular events were the leading type of nature of fatal injury of firefighters every year from 2014 to 2023. Additionally, firefighters often experience repeated exposure to death, injury, and high-stress emergencies which has been shown to result in higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide rates. Aging only increases firefighters' vulnerability to heat and chemical stress due to a reduced tolerance and slower recovery. The risk of cardiovascular events has been shown to significantly increase after age 50. Age-related skin changes have also been shown to increase the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals through contact with skin. Older workers are also more likely to experience a greater circadian disruption due to a 24-hour shift and night-shift work.
Due to the cumulative effect of the hazards of the job, firefighters historically retire after approximately 20 years of service. Permitting retirement after 20 years of service, instead of 25 years, and permitting those aged 50 and older to retire after 15 years of service, will reduce health risks to aging firefighters and will also reduce disability claims and municipal health care burdens.
This bill updates retirement thresholds to allow firefighters to retire after 20 years of service, and to permit firefighters age 50 and older to retire after 15 years of service. These adjustments align retirement policy with current scientific understanding of occupational hazards, reduce long term disability and healthcare burdens on municipalities, and support recruitment and retention in a profession facing increasing demands. The bill ensures that those who have protected the public under hazardous conditions can transition out of frontline service at a point that better reflects the realities of modern firefighting.
Under the bill, a member of the Police and Firemen's Retirement System who meets the definition of a "fireman" under current law will be permitted to elect a "special retirement" and receive the maximum benefit provided by the retirement system if the member attains 20 years of creditable service, or 15 years of creditable service for members who are over 50 years of age. The bill provides that any member approved to receive a "special retirement" under the bill will be provided the maximum benefit provided by the retirement system.
The retirement allowance provided in the bill will only apply to members who file for retirement following the effective date of the bill.
