SB1959 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 16319 AMC 42343 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB1959

Introduced 2/7/2008, by Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/7-144.3	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-144.3
40 ILCS 5/7-172	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-172
30 ILCS 805/8.32 new

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Article of the Illinois Pension Fund. Changes how a supplemental benefit payment is calculated. Provides that the amount of the supplemental benefit payment to each eligible person shall be 75% of the monthly retirement or surviving spouse annuity payable to that person in June preceding the July 1 supplemental benefit payment date. Adds the percentage of earnings of the participating employees of all participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities necessary to provide that year's supplemental benefit payment to the list of considerations in determining the municipal contribution rate. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

PENSION IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

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 7-144.3 and 7-172 as follows:

(40 ILCS 5/7-144.3) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-144.3)

Sec. 7-144.3. Supplemental benefit payment.

(a) A supplemental benefit payment, consisting of a sum calculated as provided in subsection (c), shall be payable to each eligible retirement annuitant and surviving spouse annuitant on July 1, 1993, and on each subsequent July 1; except that if this Code is amended to change the uncompounded annual increase in retirement annuity granted in subsection (c) of Section 7-142 to a compounded annual increase, no supplemental benefit shall be paid under this Section on any July 1 occurring on or after the effective date of that amendment. The amount of the supplemental benefit payment, and a person's eligibility to receive the supplemental benefit payment, shall be redetermined for each year in which the benefit is payable.

(b) To be eligible to receive a supplemental benefit payment, a person must be entitled to receive a retirement annuity or surviving spouse annuity from the Fund on the July 1 supplemental benefit payment date, and must have been receiving that annuity during each of the 12 months immediately preceding that date; except that a surviving spouse annuitant whose surviving spouse annuity began less than one year before the July 1 supplemental benefit payment date shall be eligible if the deceased spouse received a retirement annuity from the Fund during the period from the previous July 1 until the start of the surviving spouse annuity.

(c) The amount of the supplemental benefit payment to each eligible person shall be 75% of the monthly retirement or surviving spouse annuity payable to that person in June preceding the July 1 supplemental benefit payment date. shall be determined by the Board as follows: (1) The total amount available for the payment of supplemental benefit payments under this Section in any year shall be 0.62% of the last annual participating payroll for all participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities in the Fund, as determined and reconciled by the Fund. (2) The amount of the supplemental benefit payment to each eligible person shall be a portion of the total amount available under paragraph (1), equal to that portion of the total amount payable by the Fund to all eligible persons for retirement and surviving spouse annuities in the June preceding the July 1 supplemental benefit payment date, that is payable to the eligible person in that month. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (c) paragraph (2), the amount of any supplemental benefit payment paid to an annuitant under this Section shall not exceed any benefit limitations established by the federal government for qualified public pension plans.

(Source: P.A. 87-850.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-172) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-172)

Sec. 7-172. Contributions by participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities.

(a) Each participating municipality and each participating instrumentality shall make payment to the fund as follows:

1. municipality contributions in an amount determined by applying the municipality contribution rate to each payment of earnings paid to each of its participating employees;

2. an amount equal to the employee contributions provided by paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section 7-173, whether or not the employee contributions are withheld as permitted by that Section;

3. all accounts receivable, together with interest charged thereon, as provided in Section 7-209;

4. if it has no participating employees with current earnings, an amount payable which, over a period of 20 years beginning with the year following an award of benefit, will amortize, at the effective rate for that year, any negative balance in its municipality reserve resulting from the award. This amount when established will be payable as a separate contribution whether or not it later has participating employees.

(b) A separate municipality contribution rate shall be determined for each calendar year for all participating municipalities together with all instrumentalities thereof. The municipality contribution rate shall be determined for participating instrumentalities as if they were participating municipalities. The municipality contribution rate shall be the sum of the following percentages:

1. The percentage of earnings of all the participating employees of all participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities which, if paid over the entire period of their service, will be sufficient when combined with all employee contributions available for the payment of benefits, to provide all annuities for participating employees, and the $3,000 death benefit payable under Sections 7-158 and 7-164, such percentage to be known as the normal cost rate.

2. The percentage of earnings of the participating employees of each participating municipality and participating instrumentalities necessary to adjust for the difference between the present value of all benefits, excluding temporary and total and permanent disability and death benefits, to be provided for its participating employees and the sum of its accumulated municipality contributions and the accumulated employee contributions and the present value of expected future employee and municipality contributions pursuant to subparagraph 1 of this paragraph (b). This adjustment shall be spread over the remainder of the period that is allowable under generally accepted accounting principles.

3. The percentage of earnings of the participating employees of all municipalities and participating instrumentalities necessary to provide the present value of all temporary and total and permanent disability benefits granted during the most recent year for which information is available.

4. The percentage of earnings of the participating employees of all participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities necessary to provide the present value of the net single sum death benefits expected to become payable from the reserve established under Section 7-206 during the year for which this rate is fixed.

5. The percentage of earnings necessary to meet any deficiency arising in the Terminated Municipality Reserve.

6. The percentage of earnings of the participating employees of all participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities necessary to provide that year's supplemental benefit payment under Section 7-144.3.

(c) A separate municipality contribution rate shall be computed for each participating municipality or participating instrumentality for its sheriff's law enforcement employees.

A separate municipality contribution rate shall be computed for the sheriff's law enforcement employees of each forest preserve district that elects to have such employees. For the period from January 1, 1986 to December 31, 1986, such rate shall be the forest preserve district's regular rate plus 2%.

In the event that the Board determines that there is an actuarial deficiency in the account of any municipality with respect to a person who has elected to participate in the Fund under Section 3-109.1 of this Code, the Board may adjust the municipality's contribution rate so as to make up that deficiency over such reasonable period of time as the Board may determine.

(d) The Board may establish a separate municipality contribution rate for all employees who are program participants employed under the federal Comprehensive Employment Training Act by all of the participating municipalities and instrumentalities. The Board may also provide that, in lieu of a separate municipality rate for these employees, a portion of the municipality contributions for such program participants shall be refunded or an extra charge assessed so that the amount of municipality contributions retained or received by the fund for all CETA program participants shall be an amount equal to that which would be provided by the separate municipality contribution rate for all such program participants. Refunds shall be made to prime sponsors of programs upon submission of a claim therefor and extra charges shall be assessed to participating municipalities and instrumentalities. In establishing the municipality contribution rate as provided in paragraph (b) of this Section, the use of a separate municipality contribution rate for program participants or the refund of a portion of the municipality contributions, as the case may be, may be considered.

(e) Computations of municipality contribution rates for the following calendar year shall be made prior to the beginning of each year, from the information available at the time the computations are made, and on the assumption that the employees in each participating municipality or participating instrumentality at such time will continue in service until the end of such calendar year at their respective rates of earnings at such time.

(f) Any municipality which is the recipient of State allocations representing that municipality's contributions for retirement annuity purposes on behalf of its employees as provided in Section 12-21.16 of the Illinois Public Aid Code shall pay the allocations so received to the Board for such purpose. Estimates of State allocations to be received during any taxable year shall be considered in the determination of the municipality's tax rate for that year under Section 7-171. If a special tax is levied under Section 7-171, none of the proceeds may be used to reimburse the municipality for the amount of State allocations received and paid to the Board. Any multiple-county or consolidated health department which receives contributions from a county under Section 11.2 of "An Act in relation to establishment and maintenance of county and multiple-county health departments", approved July 9, 1943, as amended, or distributions under Section 3 of the Department of Public Health Act, shall use these only for municipality contributions by the health department.

(g) Municipality contributions for the several purposes specified shall, for township treasurers and employees in the offices of the township treasurers who meet the qualifying conditions for coverage hereunder, be allocated among the several school districts and parts of school districts serviced by such treasurers and employees in the proportion which the amount of school funds of each district or part of a district handled by the treasurer bears to the total amount of all school funds handled by the treasurer.

From the funds subject to allocation among districts and parts of districts pursuant to the School Code, the trustees shall withhold the proportionate share of the liability for municipality contributions imposed upon such districts by this Section, in respect to such township treasurers and employees and remit the same to the Board.

The municipality contribution rate for an educational service center shall initially be the same rate for each year as the regional office of education or school district which serves as its administrative agent. When actuarial data become available, a separate rate shall be established as provided in subparagraph (i) of this Section.

The municipality contribution rate for a public agency, other than a vocational education cooperative, formed under the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act shall initially be the average rate for the municipalities which are parties to the intergovernmental agreement. When actuarial data become available, a separate rate shall be established as provided in subparagraph (i) of this Section.

(h) Each participating municipality and participating instrumentality shall make the contributions in the amounts provided in this Section in the manner prescribed from time to time by the Board and all such contributions shall be obligations of the respective participating municipalities and participating instrumentalities to this fund. The failure to deduct any employee contributions shall not relieve the participating municipality or participating instrumentality of its obligation to this fund. Delinquent payments of contributions due under this Section may, with interest, be recovered by civil action against the participating municipalities or participating instrumentalities. Municipality contributions, other than the amount necessary for employee contributions and Social Security contributions, for periods of service by employees from whose earnings no deductions were made for employee contributions to the fund, may be charged to the municipality reserve for the municipality or participating instrumentality.

(i) Contributions by participating instrumentalities shall be determined as provided herein except that the percentage derived under subparagraph 2 of paragraph (b) of this Section, and the amount payable under subparagraph 5 of paragraph (a) of this Section, shall be based on an amortization period of 10 years.

(j) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section, the additional unfunded liability accruing as a result of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly shall be amortized over a period of 30 years beginning on January 1 of the second calendar year following the calendar year in which this amendatory Act takes effect, except that the employer may provide for a longer amortization period by adopting a resolution or ordinance specifying a 35-year or 40-year period and submitting a certified copy of the ordinance or resolution to the fund no later than June 1 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which this amendatory Act takes effect.

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

Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding Section 8.32 as follows:

(30 ILCS 805/8.32 new)

Sec. 8.32. Exempt mandate. Notwithstanding Sections 6 and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is required for the implementation of any mandate created by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly.

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