SB2107 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 16153 RPS 21529 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB2107

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Robert F. Martwick

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/7-108	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-108
40 ILCS 5/7-109	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109
40 ILCS 5/22C-118
30 ILCS 805/8.45 new

Amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) and the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund Articles of the Illinois Pension Code. Adds the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund to the definition of "participating instrumentality". In the definition of "employee", adds an employee of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund if he or she elects to participate and excludes members of the Board of Trustees of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund in their capacity as members of the Board of Trustees of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund. Provides that the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund shall pay the required employer contributions for personnel who participate in IMRF. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.

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 7-108, 7-109, and 22C-118 as follows:

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

Sec. 7-108. "Participating Instrumentality": (a) A political entity created under the laws of the State of Illinois, without general continuous power to levy taxes, and which is legally separate and distinct from the State of Illinois and any municipality and whose employees by reason of their relation to such political entity are not employees of the State of Illinois or a municipality.

(b) A not-for-profit organization, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, or an association, membership in which is limited to municipalities or limited to townships and authorized by statute.

(c) The Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund under Article 22C.

(Source: P.A. 77-1615.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-109) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109)

Sec. 7-109. Employee.

(1) "Employee" means any person who:

(a) 1. Receives earnings as payment for the performance of personal services or official duties out of the general fund of a municipality, or out of any special fund or funds controlled by a municipality, or by an instrumentality thereof, or a participating instrumentality, including, in counties, the fees or earnings of any county fee office; and

2. Under the usual common law rules applicable in determining the employer-employee relationship, has the status of an employee with a municipality, or any instrumentality thereof, or a participating instrumentality, including aldermen, county supervisors and other persons (excepting those employed as independent contractors) who are paid compensation, fees, allowances or other emolument for official duties, and, in counties, the several county fee offices.

(b) Serves as a township treasurer appointed under the School Code, as heretofore or hereafter amended, and who receives for such services regular compensation as distinguished from per diem compensation, and any regular employee in the office of any township treasurer whether or not his earnings are paid from the income of the permanent township fund or from funds subject to distribution to the several school districts and parts of school districts as provided in the School Code, or from both such sources; or is the chief executive officer, chief educational officer, chief fiscal officer, or other employee of a Financial Oversight Panel established pursuant to Article 1H of the School Code, other than a superintendent or certified school business official, except that such person shall not be treated as an employee under this Section if that person has negotiated with the Financial Oversight Panel, in conjunction with the school district, a contractual agreement for exclusion from this Section.

(c) Holds an elective office in a municipality, instrumentality thereof or participating instrumentality.

(d) Is an employee of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund under Article 22C if he or she elects to participate under this Article.

(2) "Employee" does not include persons who:

(a) Are eligible for inclusion under any of the following laws:

1. "An Act in relation to an Illinois State Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund", approved May 27, 1915, as amended;

2. Articles 15 and 16 of this Code.

However, such persons shall be included as employees to the extent of earnings that are not eligible for inclusion under the foregoing laws for services not of an instructional nature of any kind.

However, any member of the armed forces who is employed as a teacher of subjects in the Reserve Officers Training Corps of any school and who is not certified under the law governing the certification of teachers shall be included as an employee.

(b) Are designated by the governing body of a municipality in which a pension fund is required by law to be established for policemen or firemen, respectively, as performing police or fire protection duties, except that when such persons are the heads of the police or fire department and are not eligible to be included within any such pension fund, they shall be included within this Article; provided, that such persons shall not be excluded to the extent of concurrent service and earnings not designated as being for police or fire protection duties. However, (i) any head of a police department who was a participant under this Article immediately before October 1, 1977 and did not elect, under Section 3-109 of this Act, to participate in a police pension fund shall be an "employee", and (ii) any chief of police who became a participating employee under this Article before January 1, 2019 and who elects to participate in this Fund under Section 3-109.1 of this Code, regardless of whether such person continues to be employed as chief of police or is employed in some other rank or capacity within the police department, shall be an employee under this Article for so long as such person is employed to perform police duties by a participating municipality and has not lawfully rescinded that election.

(b-5) Were not participating employees under this Article before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly and participated as a chief of police in a fund under Article 3 and return to work in any capacity with the police department, with any oversight of the police department, or in an advisory capacity for the police department with the same municipality with which that pension was earned, regardless of whether they are considered an employee of the police department or are eligible for inclusion in the municipality's Article 3 fund.

(c) Are contributors to or eligible to contribute to a Taft-Hartley pension plan to which the participating municipality is required to contribute as the person's employer based on earnings from the municipality. Nothing in this paragraph shall affect service credit or creditable service for any period of service prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, and this paragraph shall not apply to individuals who are participating in the Fund prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly.

(d) Become an employee of any of the following participating instrumentalities on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly: the Illinois Municipal League; the Illinois Association of Park Districts; the Illinois Supervisors, County Commissioners and Superintendents of Highways Association; an association, or not-for-profit corporation, membership in which is authorized under Section 85-15 of the Township Code; the United Counties Council; or the Will County Governmental League.

(e) Are members of the Board of Trustees of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund under Article 22C in their capacity as members of the Board of Trustees of the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund.

(3) All persons, including, without limitation, public defenders and probation officers, who receive earnings from general or special funds of a county for performance of personal services or official duties within the territorial limits of the county, are employees of the county (unless excluded by subsection (2) of this Section) notwithstanding that they may be appointed by and are subject to the direction of a person or persons other than a county board or a county officer. It is hereby established that an employer-employee relationship under the usual common law rules exists between such employees and the county paying their salaries by reason of the fact that the county boards fix their rates of compensation, appropriate funds for payment of their earnings and otherwise exercise control over them. This finding and this amendatory Act shall apply to all such employees from the date of appointment whether such date is prior to or after the effective date of this amendatory Act and is intended to clarify existing law pertaining to their status as participating employees in the Fund.

(Source: P.A. 99-830, eff. 1-1-17; 100-281, eff. 8-24-17; 100-1097, eff. 8-26-18.)

(40 ILCS 5/22C-118)

Sec. 22C-118. Operation and administration of the Fund.

(a) The operation and administration of the Fund shall be managed by an executive director. No later than 2 months after the transition board is appointed or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, the transition board shall appoint an interim executive director who shall serve until a permanent executive director is appointed by the board, with such appointment to be made no later than 6 months after the end of the transition period. The executive director shall act subject to and under the supervision of the board and the board shall fix the compensation of the executive director.

(b) The board may appoint one or more custodians to facilitate the transfer of pension fund assets during the transition period, and subsequently to provide custodial and related fiduciary services on behalf of the board, and enter into contracts for such services. The board may also appoint external legal counsel and an independent auditing firm and may appoint investment advisors and other consultants as it determines to be appropriate and enter into contracts for such services. With approval of the board, the executive director may retain such other consultants, advisors, fiduciaries, and service providers as may be desirable and enter into contracts for such services.

(c) The board shall separately calculate account balances for each participating pension fund. The operations and financial condition of each participating pension fund account shall not affect the account balance of any other participating pension fund. Further, investment returns earned by the Fund shall be allocated and distributed pro rata among each participating pension fund account in accordance with the value of the pension fund assets attributable to each fund.

(d) With approval of the board, the executive director may employ such personnel, professional or clerical, as may be desirable and fix their compensation. The appointment and compensation of the personnel, including the executive director, shall not be subject to the Personnel Code. The required employer contributions for personnel who participate in the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund under Article 7 shall be paid for by the Firefighters' Pension Investment Fund.

(e) The board shall annually adopt a budget to support its operations and administration. The board shall apply moneys derived from the pension fund assets transferred and under its control to pay the costs and expenses incurred in the operation and administration of the Fund. The board shall from time to time transfer moneys and other assets to the participating pension funds as required for the participating pension funds to pay expenses, benefits, and other required payments to beneficiaries in the amounts and at the times prescribed in this Code.

(f) The board may exercise any of the powers granted to boards of trustees of pension funds under Sections 1-107 and 1-108 of this Code and may by resolution provide for the indemnification of its members and any of its officers, advisors, or employees in a manner consistent with those Sections.

(g) An office for meetings of the board and for its administrative personnel shall be established at any suitable place within the State as may be selected by the board. All books and records of the board shall be kept in such office.

(h) The board shall contract for a blanket fidelity bond in the penal sum of not less than $1,000,000 to cover members of the board of trustees, the executive director, and all other employees of the board, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of their respective offices, the premium on which shall be paid by the board.

(Source: P.A. 101-610, eff. 1-1-20.)

Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding Section 8.45 as follows:

(30 ILCS 805/8.45 new)

Sec. 8.45. 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 102nd General Assembly.