A bill for an act relating to benefits for members of the Iowa public employees' retirement system who are employed in a protection occupation.(See HF 967, HF 1023.)

House Study Bill 265 (HSB265) was introduced to enhance retirement benefits for Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) members in protection occupations, such as law enforcement officers and firefighters. The bill proposed three main changes: 1) allowing members aged 50 with at least 22 years of service to retire with full benefits, lowering the previous age requirement of 55; 2) increasing the retirement benefit calculation by raising the percentage applied to the member's average covered wage for service beyond 22 years, up to a maximum of 20 additional percentage points; and 3) introducing an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 1.5% to the monthly retirement allowance for retirees meeting specific age and service criteria. HSB265 was renumbered as House File 967 (HF967) and later as House File 1023 (HF1023), which was signed into law on June 2, 2026, with an effective date of July 1, 2026.

The legislation received strong bipartisan support, passing the House with a vote of 88-0, indicating broad approval for enhancing retirement benefits for protection occupation members. Supporters likely view the bill as a necessary step to recognize the demanding nature of protection occupations and to improve recruitment and retention by offering more attractive retirement benefits.

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