HB 5743 Summary

• Amends the State Employees' Retirement Act to allow retired state employees to work for the Department of Health and Human Services without forfeiting retirement benefits under specific conditions.

• Permits hiring of retired psychiatrists and mental health professionals (non-physicians) to provide services in state psychiatric hospitals, as well as residential care aides, if the department determines the retirant possesses necessary specialized expertise and the hiring is cost-effective.

• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to report retirant employment within 30 days of hiring and within 30 days of termination or fiscal year end to the state budget office and Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, including retirant name, position, hourly wage, and total service hours.

• Mandates the department submit annual summaries by March 1 to legislative appropriations subcommittees, the state budget office, and fiscal agencies regarding all retirant employment during the preceding fiscal year.

• Adds definitions for "mental health professional," "mental health service," "psychiatric hospital," and "psychiatrist" by reference to the Mental Health Code (1974 PA 258).