HB1348

House Bill 1348 amends Arkansas state law concerning survivor benefits for the dependent children of deceased members of the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System (APERS) and the State Police Retirement System. The bill raises the default age limit for dependent child status from 18 to 23 years of age. It maintains provisions allowing for the extension of these benefits for children who are full-time students at accredited educational institutions up to the age of 23. Additionally, it clarifies that children deemed physically or mentally incompetent by a court or the respective retirement system's board of trustees may remain eligible for benefits beyond the age of 23 for as long as the incompetency persists. The bill includes an emergency clause, setting an effective date of July 1, 2025, to align with the start of the retirement systems' fiscal year. The primary goal is to standardize and update survivor benefit eligibility to provide consistent support for the dependents of public employees and state police officers.