# First Responders Retirement Parity Act

This bill makes a technical change to how firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians can participate in government retirement pension plans. Right now, there's a rule that says if a private nonprofit organization (like a volunteer fire department or ambulance service) wants to offer a retirement plan to its employees, it can't do so through the same government pension system that regular city or county employees use. This bill removes that restriction for first responders.

Here's what this means in practical terms: If a city contracts with a nonprofit public safety organization to provide firefighting or emergency medical services, those workers can now be included in the city's government pension plan instead of having to set up a separate retirement system. This creates consistency—a paramedic working for a contracted nonprofit organization would have access to the same retirement benefits as a paramedic employed directly by the city. Without this change, workers doing identical jobs could end up with different retirement options depending on whether they work for the government directly or for a nonprofit contractor.

The bill applies to any firefighters, paramedics, or emergency medical technicians whose work is substantially focused on providing emergency services to a city or county under a contract. It doesn't change how much money goes into these pension plans or what benefits people receive—it just clarifies that these workers can participate in government pension systems. The change takes effect for retirement plans in years after the bill becomes law, giving organizations time to adjust their systems if needed.