The Overview

Retired county workers in Michigan can now return to full-time jobs in sheriff’s offices and as assistant prosecutors without having their pensions cut off. The law, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed July 21 and which took effect immediately, removes a cap that let those retirees work only 1,000 hours a year before their benefits were suspended. ​

Rep. Mike Harris (R) sponsored House Bill 4471, joined by 14 Republican cosponsors. The change applies to retirees of counties whose retirement systems fall under an 1851 state law on county boards of commissioners.

What The Law Does

Under the old rules, a retiree rehired by the county could keep collecting a pension only while working fewer than 1,000 hours in any 12-month period. The law drops that limit for work in the sheriff’s office or as an assistant prosecutor.

Retirees who return still cannot rejoin the retirement plan, earn new retirement credit or receive a bigger pension. A Senate Fiscal Agency analysis of a similar Senate bill said the change would likely increase unfunded pension liabilities for counties, by an amount that depends on how many retirees come back.

The Debate

The House passed the bill 100-4 on April 16, and the Senate passed it 26-10 on July 3. A Democratic version from Sen. Kevin Hertel cleared the Senate in November 2025, and a nearly identical House bill passed both chambers last session but never became law.

Testimony before a Senate committee said staffing shortages were forcing deputies to work heavy overtime, and that many officers retire in their 40s or early 50s and want to keep working. “This change will help counties retain experienced employees and ensure that our communities continue to receive the services they need,” Harris said in a House Republicans release.

What’s Next

Counties are already acting on the law. Bay County commissioners voted Oct. 6 to remove the 1,000-hour cap from their own retirement ordinance for retirees returning to the sheriff’s department and prosecutor’s office. The tradeoff for other counties is the one the fiscal analysis flagged: more experienced staff now, at the cost of paying pensions and salaries to the same workers.

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