Legislation that would have adjusted Mississippi’s new Public Employees Retirement System Tier 5 failed to advance after a committee deadline, Long Beach Police Chief Billy Seal said, leaving officials worried about recruiting emergency responders.
The PERS Tier 5, established during the 2025 legislative session and effective March 1, increases the required service for full retirement from 25 years to 35 years and lengthens the vesting period from four years to eight, the Magnolia Tribune reported. Lawmakers said the changes were intended to shore up a retirement system they say faces a $25 billion unfunded liability.
Seal, who is president of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, told the Magnolia Tribune he currently has several open positions in his department with no applicants. “The current system makes it hard to recruit emergency responders in several fields, including fire and law enforcement,” he said. “To ask them to work for 35 years is too much.”
During the 2026 session, bills sought to reduce the required service to 30 years and cut the vesting period back to four years, but all measures containing PERS changes died after Tuesday’s committee deadline, the Magnolia Tribune reported. Seal called the outcome “very disappointing” but said he was hopeful earlier work could lead to future improvements.
Teachers and other groups affected by Tier 5 have also voiced concerns, and the Magnolia Tribune reported that lawmakers could try to insert PERS language into other legislation or suspend rules to revisit the issue.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
