To make a long story (kinda) short, I've always hated the way Indiana's 1977 Police & Firefighter's Pension Fund excluded otherwise qualified military retirees from employment in a lot of departments around the state. For decades, the maximum age to get into the plan (and therefore get hired) has been 35, while the earliest a serviceman/woman could retire from the military is about 38...too old to get into the '77 Fund. I came up with an idea that would allow military retirees to be considered for secondary careers in public safety and pitched it to State Rep. Bob Morris in the fall of 2014. I'm happy to report that House Bill 1359 made it through both houses of the IGA and was signed into law by Governor Pence last week. As a result, we get access to a larger pool of committed and disciplined candidates who bring their own health care, and the vets have an opportunity to serve their communities after serving their country. Here's the link to the state's website, complete with all the info on the bill.
https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1359
https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/house/1359
