You may soon be able to go back to work in a public sector job, even if you are receiving annuity payments from the Wisconsin Retirement System. Introduced by State Rep. Joel Kitchens and others in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, AB 196 looks to allow former public sector employees receiving retirement or disability annuity payments from the Wisconsin Retirement System to be allowed to return to work in other WRS-covered positions. The bill does not require the rehired retirees to contribute to WRS, but it needs full employer contributions to preserve the state’s payroll base. It also maintains the requirement for a break in service so individuals looking to return to work comply with retirement standards. Kitchens says this has been a concern with area school districts for a long time when filling substitute teacher roles. When school districts need a long-term substitute, former teachers qualified to fill the role are not allowed due to state law. If the bill passes, Kitchens hopes this will help fill a need with several area school districts.

The current law dates back over a decade, when the Wisconsin Legislature tried to root out municipal employees who tried to cheat the system by collecting a pension and earning a full-time salary at the same time. The bill was read for the first time on Wednesday and has been referred to the Committee on Local Government for further review.