HB5968 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB095 19222 AMC 45479 b

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB5968

Introduced , by Rep. Robert S. Molaro

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/18-133	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 18-133
40 ILCS 5/18-169

Amends the Judges Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a judge who was eligible for the maximum annuity and elected to discontinue contributing to the System may file a letter with the Board cancelling the direction to discontinue contributing to the System before July 1, 2009 Requires payment of an amount equal to the total of the discontinued contributions plus interest, except that a judge who (i) elected to discontinue contributing to the System before December 10, 1999 (the effective date of Public Act 91-653) and (ii) files with the Board a letter cancelling the direction to discontinue contributing to the System after the effective date of the amendatory Act and before July 1, 2009 must make contributions to the System based only on the amount of the increases in salary received by the judge on or after December 10, 1999 (the effective date of Public Act 91-653). Includes language exempting the changes from the new benefit increase provisions. 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 18-133 and 18-169 as follows:

(40 ILCS 5/18-133) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 18-133)

Sec. 18-133. Financing; employee contributions.

(a) Effective July 1, 1967, each participant is required to contribute 7 1/2% of each payment of salary toward the retirement annuity. Such contributions shall continue during the entire time the participant is in service, with the following exceptions:

(1) Contributions for the retirement annuity are not required on salary received after 18 years of service by persons who were participants before January 2, 1954.

(2) A participant who continues to serve as a judge after becoming eligible to receive the maximum rate of annuity may elect, through a written direction filed with the Board, to discontinue contributing to the System. Any such option elected by a judge shall be irrevocable unless prior to January 1, 2009 2000, and while continuing to serve as judge, the judge (A) files with the Board a letter cancelling the direction to discontinue contributing to the System and requesting that such contributing resume, and (B) except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (2), pays into the System an amount equal to the total of the discontinued contributions plus interest thereon at 5% per annum. A judge who (i) elected to discontinue contributing to the System before December 10, 1999 (the effective date of Public Act 91-653) and (ii) files with the Board a letter cancelling the direction to discontinue contributing to the System after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly and before July 1, 2009 must make contributions to the System based only on the amount of the increases in salary received by the judge on or after December 10, 1999 (the effective date of Public Act 91-653). Service credits earned in any other "participating system" as defined in Article 20 of this Code shall be considered for purposes of determining a judge's eligibility to discontinue contributions under this subdivision (a)(2).

(3) A participant who (i) has attained age 60, (ii) continues to serve as a judge after becoming eligible to receive the maximum rate of annuity, and (iii) has not elected to discontinue contributing to the System under subdivision (a)(2) of this Section (or has revoked any such election) may elect, through a written direction filed with the Board, to make contributions to the System based only on the amount of the increases in salary received by the judge on or after the date of the election, rather than the total salary received. If a judge who is making contributions to the System on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly makes an election to limit contributions under this subdivision (a)(3) within 90 days after that effective date, the election shall be deemed to become effective on that effective date and the judge shall be entitled to receive a refund of any excess contributions paid to the System during that 90-day period; any other election under this subdivision (a)(3) becomes effective on the first of the month following the date of the election. An election to limit contributions under this subdivision (a)(3) is irrevocable. Service credits earned in any other participating system as defined in Article 20 of this Code shall be considered for purposes of determining a judge's eligibility to make an election under this subdivision (a)(3).

(b) Beginning July 1, 1969, each participant is required to contribute 1% of each payment of salary towards the automatic increase in annuity provided in Section 18-125.1. However, such contributions need not be made by any participant who has elected prior to September 15, 1969, not to be subject to the automatic increase in annuity provisions.

(c) Effective July 13, 1953, each married participant subject to the survivor's annuity provisions is required to contribute 2 1/2% of each payment of salary, whether or not he or she is required to make any other contributions under this Section. Such contributions shall be made concurrently with the contributions made for annuity purposes.

(Source: P.A. 91-653, eff. 12-10-99.)

(40 ILCS 5/18-169)

Sec. 18-169. Application and expiration of new benefit increases.

(a) As used in this Section, "new benefit increase" means an increase in the amount of any benefit provided under this Article, or an expansion of the conditions of eligibility for any benefit under this Article, that results from an amendment to this Code that takes effect after June 1, 2005 (the effective date of Public Act 94-4) this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly. "New benefit increase", however, does not include any benefit increase resulting from the changes made by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code or any subsequent amendment to this Code, every new benefit increase is subject to this Section and shall be deemed to be granted only in conformance with and contingent upon compliance with the provisions of this Section.

(c) The Public Act enacting a new benefit increase must identify and provide for payment to the System of additional funding at least sufficient to fund the resulting annual increase in cost to the System as it accrues.

Every new benefit increase is contingent upon the General Assembly providing the additional funding required under this subsection. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shall analyze whether adequate additional funding has been provided for the new benefit increase and shall report its analysis to the Public Pension Division of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. A new benefit increase created by a Public Act that does not include the additional funding required under this subsection is null and void. If the Public Pension Division determines that the additional funding provided for a new benefit increase under this subsection is or has become inadequate, it may so certify to the Governor and the State Comptroller and, in the absence of corrective action by the General Assembly, the new benefit increase shall expire at the end of the fiscal year in which the certification is made.

(d) Every new benefit increase shall expire 5 years after its effective date or on such earlier date as may be specified in the language enacting the new benefit increase or provided under subsection (c). This does not prevent the General Assembly from extending or re-creating a new benefit increase by law.

(e) Except as otherwise provided in the language creating the new benefit increase, a new benefit increase that expires under this Section continues to apply to persons who applied and qualified for the affected benefit while the new benefit increase was in effect and to the affected beneficiaries and alternate payees of such persons, but does not apply to any other person, including without limitation a person who continues in service after the expiration date and did not apply and qualify for the affected benefit while the new benefit increase was in effect.

(Source: P.A. 94-4, eff. 6-1-05.)

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