101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB2545

 

Introduced 1/29/2020, by Sen. Cristina Castro

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
40 ILCS 5/15-159  from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-159

    Amends the State Universities Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that the term of an appointed trustee shall terminate immediately upon becoming a member of the system or being sworn into an elective State office, and the position shall be considered to be vacant. Provides that an elected trustee who is incumbent on the effective date of the amendatory Act whose status as a participating employee or annuitant has terminated after having been elected shall continue to serve in the participating employee or annuitant position to which he or she was elected for the remainder of the term. Provides that trustees shall continue in office until their respective successors are appointed and have qualified, except that a trustee elected (instead of appointed) to one of the participating employee (instead of participant) positions after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall be disqualified immediately upon the termination of his or her status as a participating employee (instead of participant) and a trustee elected (instead of appointed) to one of the annuitant positions after the effective date of the amendatory Act shall be disqualified immediately upon the termination of his or her status as an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity. Effective immediately.


LRB101 14793 RPS 63759 b

PENSION IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2545LRB101 14793 RPS 63759 b

1    AN ACT concerning public employee benefits.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by changing
5Section 15-159 as follows:
 
6    (40 ILCS 5/15-159)  (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-159)
7    Sec. 15-159. Board created.
8    (a) A board of trustees constituted as provided in this
9Section shall administer this System. The board shall be known
10as the Board of Trustees of the State Universities Retirement
11System.
12    (b) (Blank).
13    (c) (Blank).
14    (d) Beginning on the 90th day after April 3, 2009 (the
15effective date of Public Act 96-6), the Board of Trustees shall
16be constituted as follows:
17        (1) The Chairperson of the Board of Higher Education,
18    who shall act as chairperson of this Board.
19        (2) Four trustees appointed by the Governor with the
20    advice and consent of the Senate who may not be members of
21    the system or hold an elective State office and who shall
22    serve for a term of 6 years, except that the terms of the
23    initial appointees under this subsection (d) shall be as

 

 

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1    follows: 2 for a term of 3 years and 2 for a term of 6
2    years. The term of an appointed trustee shall terminate
3    immediately upon becoming a member of the system or being
4    sworn into an elective State office, and the position shall
5    be considered to be vacant and shall be filled pursuant to
6    subsection (f) of this Section.
7        (3) Four participating employees active participants
8    of the system to be elected from the contributing
9    membership of the system by the contributing members, no
10    more than 2 of which may be from any of the University of
11    Illinois campuses, who shall serve for a term of 6 years,
12    except that the terms of the initial electees shall be as
13    follows: 2 for a term of 3 years and 2 for a term of 6
14    years.
15        (4) Two annuitants of the system who have been
16    annuitants for at least one full year, to be elected from
17    and by the annuitants of the system, no more than one of
18    which may be from any of the University of Illinois
19    campuses, who shall serve for a term of 6 years, except
20    that the terms of the initial electees shall be as follows:
21    one for a term of 3 years and one for a term of 6 years.
22    For the purposes of this Section, the Governor may make a
23nomination and the Senate may confirm the nominee in advance of
24the commencement of the nominee's term of office.
25    (e) The 6 elected trustees shall be elected within 90 days
26after April 3, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 96-6) for

 

 

SB2545- 3 -LRB101 14793 RPS 63759 b

1a term beginning on the 90th day after that effective date.
2Trustees shall be elected thereafter as terms expire for a
36-year term beginning July 15 next following their election,
4and such election shall be held on May 1, or on May 2 when May 1
5falls on a Sunday. The board may establish rules for the
6election of trustees to implement the provisions of Public Act
796-6 and for future elections. Candidates for the participating
8trustee shall be nominated by petitions in writing, signed by
9not less than 400 participants with their addresses shown
10opposite their names. Candidates for the annuitant trustee
11shall be nominated by petitions in writing, signed by not less
12than 100 annuitants with their addresses shown opposite their
13names. If there is more than one qualified nominee for each
14elected trustee, then the board shall conduct a secret ballot
15election by mail for that trustee, in accordance with rules as
16established by the board. If there is only one qualified person
17nominated by petition for each elected trustee, then the
18election as required by this Section shall not be conducted for
19that trustee and the board shall declare such nominee duly
20elected. A vacancy occurring in the elective membership of the
21board shall be filled for the unexpired term by the elected
22trustees serving on the board for the remainder of the term.
23Nothing in this subsection shall preclude the adoption of rules
24providing for internet or phone balloting in addition, or as an
25alternative, to election by mail.
26    (f) A vacancy in the appointed membership on the board of

 

 

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1trustees caused by resignation, death, expiration of term of
2office, or other reason shall be filled by a qualified person
3appointed by the Governor for the remainder of the unexpired
4term.
5    (g) Trustees (other than the trustees incumbent on June 30,
61995 or as provided in subsection (c) of this Section) shall
7continue in office until their respective successors are
8appointed and have qualified, except that a trustee elected
9appointed to one of the participating employee participant
10positions after the effective date of this amendatory Act of
11the 101st General Assembly shall be disqualified immediately
12upon the termination of his or her status as a participating
13employee participant and a trustee elected appointed to one of
14the annuitant positions after the effective date of this
15amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly shall be
16disqualified immediately upon the termination of his or her
17status as an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity.
18    An elected trustee who is incumbent on the effective date
19of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly whose
20status as a participating employee or annuitant has terminated
21after having been elected shall continue to serve in the
22participating employee or annuitant position to which he or she
23was elected for the remainder of the term.
24    (h) Each trustee must take an oath of office before a
25notary public of this State and shall qualify as a trustee upon
26the presentation to the board of a certified copy of the oath.

 

 

SB2545- 5 -LRB101 14793 RPS 63759 b

1The oath must state that the person will diligently and
2honestly administer the affairs of the retirement system, and
3will not knowingly violate or willfully permit to be violated
4any provisions of this Article.
5    Each trustee shall serve without compensation but shall be
6reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in attending
7board meetings and carrying out his or her duties as a trustee
8or officer of the system.
9(Source: P.A. 98-92, eff. 7-16-13.)
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.