SB0488 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 05154 AMC 25225 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB0488

Introduced 2/8/2007, by Sen. Mike Jacobs

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/7-109.3	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109.3
40 ILCS 5/7-142.1	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-142.1

Amends the IMRF Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Makes county probation officers eligible for the sheriff's law enforcement employee (SLEP) formula. Allows these probation officers to convert non-SLEP service as a probation officer into SLEP credit by paying the difference in employee contributions plus interest; waives the interest if payment is made within one year. Allows a participating municipality to phase in the costs of converting the service with payments over 5 years. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

PENSION IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning public employee benefits.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by changing Sections 7-109.3 and 7-142.1 as follows:

(40 ILCS 5/7-109.3) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109.3)

Sec. 7-109.3. "Sheriff's Law Enforcement Employees".

(a) "Sheriff's law enforcement employee" or "SLEP" means:

(1) A county sheriff and all deputies, other than special deputies, employed on a full time basis in the office of the sheriff.

(2) A person who has elected to participate in this Fund under Section 3-109.1 of this Code, and who is employed by a participating municipality to perform police duties.

(3) A law enforcement officer employed on a full time basis by a Forest Preserve District, provided that such officer shall be deemed a "sheriff's law enforcement employee" for the purposes of this Article, and service in that capacity shall be deemed to be service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee, only if the board of commissioners of the District have so elected by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Such election, once made, may not be rescinded.

(4) A person not eligible to participate in a fund established under Article 3 of this Code who is employed on a full-time basis by a participating municipality or participating instrumentality to perform police duties at an airport, but only if the governing authority of the employer has approved sheriff's law enforcement employee status for its airport police employees by adoption of an affirmative resolution. Such approval, once given, may not be rescinded.

(5) A person who participates in the Fund and is employed by a participating municipality as a county probation officer, as defined in the Probation and Probation Officers Act.

(b) An employee who is a sheriff's law enforcement employee and is granted military leave or authorized leave of absence shall receive service credit in that capacity. Sheriff's law enforcement employees shall not be entitled to out-of-State service credit under Section 7-139.

(Source: P.A. 92-16, eff. 6-28-01.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-142.1) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-142.1)

Sec. 7-142.1. Sheriff's law enforcement employees.

(a) In lieu of the retirement annuity provided by subparagraph 1 of paragraph (a) of Section 7-142:

Any sheriff's law enforcement employee who has 20 or more years of service in that capacity and who terminates service prior to January 1, 1988 shall be entitled at his option to receive a monthly retirement annuity for his service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee computed by multiplying 2% for each year of such service up to 10 years, 2 1/4% for each year of such service above 10 years and up to 20 years, and 2 1/2% for each year of such service above 20 years, by his annual final rate of earnings and dividing by 12.

Any sheriff's law enforcement employee who has 20 or more years of service in that capacity and who terminates service on or after January 1, 1988 and before July 1, 2004 shall be entitled at his option to receive a monthly retirement annuity for his service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee computed by multiplying 2.5% for each year of such service up to 20 years, 2% for each year of such service above 20 years and up to 30 years, and 1% for each year of such service above 30 years, by his annual final rate of earnings and dividing by 12.

Any sheriff's law enforcement employee who has 20 or more years of service in that capacity and who terminates service on or after July 1, 2004 shall be entitled at his or her option to receive a monthly retirement annuity for service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee computed by multiplying 2.5% for each year of such service by his annual final rate of earnings and dividing by 12.

If a sheriff's law enforcement employee has service in any other capacity, his retirement annuity for service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee may be computed under this Section and the retirement annuity for his other service under Section 7-142.

In no case shall the total monthly retirement annuity for persons who retire before July 1, 2004 exceed 75% of the monthly final rate of earnings. In no case shall the total monthly retirement annuity for persons who retire on or after July 1, 2004 exceed 80% of the monthly final rate of earnings.

(b) Whenever continued group insurance coverage is elected in accordance with the provisions of Section 367h of the Illinois Insurance Code, as now or hereafter amended, the total monthly premium for such continued group insurance coverage or such portion thereof as is not paid by the municipality shall, upon request of the person electing such continued group insurance coverage, be deducted from any monthly pension benefit otherwise payable to such person pursuant to this Section, to be remitted by the Fund to the insurance company or other entity providing the group insurance coverage.

(b-5) In addition to any service converted under subsection (c), a sheriff's law enforcement employee who is employed as a county probation officer may convert his or her non-SLEP service credits for previous employment as a county probation officer into service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee by paying to the Fund an amount equal to the additional contribution required under Section 7-173.1, plus interest at the prescribed rate from the date of the service to the date of payment. The interest is waived if payment is made to the Fund within one year of the date that the applicant becomes a sheriff's law enforcement employee based on employment as a county probation officer.

A participating municipality may elect to phase in any conversion costs under this subsection (b-5) with payments over 5 years, in addition to its regular payments under this Article.

(c) A sheriff's law enforcement employee who has service in any other capacity may convert up to 10 years of that service into service as a sheriff's law enforcement employee by paying to the Fund an amount equal to (1) the additional employee contribution required under Section 7-173.1, plus (2) the additional employer contribution required under Section 7-172, plus (3) interest on items (1) and (2) at the prescribed rate from the date of the service to the date of payment.

(d) The changes to subsections (a) and (b) of this Section made by this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly apply only to persons in service on or after July 1, 2004. In the case of such a person who begins to receive a retirement annuity before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the annuity shall be recalculated prospectively to reflect those changes, with the resulting increase beginning to accrue on the first annuity payment date following the effective date of this amendatory Act.

(Source: P.A. 94-712, eff. 6-1-06.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.