SB2712 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 18378 LRD 44085 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
SB2712

Introduced 2/4/2004, by James F. Clayborne Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/7-172	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-172
40 ILCS 5/7-173.2	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-173.2
40 ILCS 5/7-199.4 new
40 ILCS 5/7-204	from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-204
30 ILCS 805/8.28 new

Amends the IMRF Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that each county with current or former elected county officers participating in the alternative annuity program shall have a separate employer contribution rate computed for those elected officers, and provides that those officers shall be treated as a separate unit within the Fund. Provides that a municipality may transfer funds among its reserves, from one that is over 100% funded to one that is less, under certain circumstances. In the provisions relating to employer pick-up of employee contributions, requires pick-up of employee contributions under the alternative program for elected county officers. 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 7-172, 7-173.2, and 7-204 and by adding 7-199.4 as follows:

(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.

(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) Each county with current or former elected county officers, as defined in Section 7-145.1, participating in the alternative annuity program established under that Section shall have a separate municipality contribution rate computed for those elected county officers.

(Source: P.A. 92-424, eff. 8-17-01.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-173.2) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-173.2)

Sec. 7-173.2. Pickup of employee contributions.

(a) Until July 1, 1984, each participating municipality and each participating instrumentality may elect, for all of its employees, to pick up the employee contributions required by subparagraphs 1 and 3 of subsection (a) of Section 7-173 and, in the case of sheriff's law enforcement employees, required by Section 7-173.1. The pick up may be for employee contributions on earnings received by employees after December 31, 1981 and shall be applicable to the contributions on total earnings paid in any month. The decision to pick up contributions shall be made by the governing body.

Beginning July 1, 1984, the pick up of employee contributions shall cease to be optional. Each participating municipality and participating instrumentality shall pick up the employee contributions required by subparagraphs 1 and 3 of subsection (a) of Section 7-173 and, in the case of sheriff's law enforcement employees, contributions required by Section 7-173.1, for all compensation earned after such date. Each participating municipality shall also pick up any employee contributions made by its employees under the alternative program for elected county officers under Section 7-145.1.

(b) Contributions that are picked up shall be treated as employer contributions in determining tax treatment under the United States Internal Revenue Code. The employee contribution shall be paid from the same source of funds as is used in payment of earnings to the employee and may not be paid from funds raised by the tax levy authorized by Section 7-171. The contributions shall be picked up by a reduction in earnings payment to employees. Employee contributions that are picked up shall be considered as earnings under Section 7-114. If a participating municipality or participating instrumentality fails to report participating employee earnings which should have been reported to the fund and pays the employee the full amount of earnings including employee contributions which should have been picked up and forwarded to the fund, then the employee shall make payment of the employee contributions to the fund on behalf of employer and such contributions shall be considered as picked up contributions if paid in the year the earnings were received, or by January 31st of the following year, and are reflected as picked up on reports to the Internal Revenue Service. If they cannot be so reflected, or if received after that date, they shall not be treated as picked up contributions. Picked up employee contributions shall be considered as employee contributions in computing benefits paid under this Article 7.

(c) Subject to the requirements of federal law, an employee may elect to have the employer pick up optional contributions that the employee has elected to pay to the Fund, and the contributions so picked up shall be treated as employer contributions for the purposes of determining federal tax treatment. The employer shall pick up the contributions by a reduction in the cash salary of the employee and shall pay the contributions from the same source of funds that is used to pay earnings to the employee. The employee's election to have the optional contributions picked up is irrevocable and the optional contributions may not thereafter be prepaid, by direct payment or otherwise.

(Source: P.A. 90-766, eff. 8-14-98.)

(40 ILCS 5/7-199.4 new)

Sec. 7-199.4. To Transfer Reserves. Whenever any one of the municipality reserves established under Section 7-204(a) for a participating municipality exceeds 100% of the actuarially determined liability, the excess may be transferred to any of that municipality's other reserves with a balance of less than 100% of the actuarially determined liability. Upon request of the municipality, the Board shall prepare an impact note to determine how the transfer will affect the reserves and employer contribution rates for that municipality. Only after receipt of the impact note may the governing body of the municipality, by resolution, request the transfer. No such transfer may lower any reserve balance to less than 100% or increase any reserve balance to more than 100% of the actuarially determined liability.

(40 ILCS 5/7-204) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-204)

Sec. 7-204. Municipality reserves.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this Section, each participating municipality and its instrumentalities, and each participating instrumentality, shall be treated as an independent unit within the fund, except that if it has any sheriff's law enforcement employees or any elected county officers (as defined in Section 7-154.1) participating in the alternative annuity program, it shall be treated as multiple 2 independent units, one for its sheriff's law enforcement employees, one for its elected county officers participating in the alternative retirement program, and one the second for its other employees. Separate municipality reserves shall be maintained in such form and detail as is necessary to show the net accumulated balances of each municipality, created or arising under this Article.

(b) In the event of termination and dissolution of any participating municipality or participating instrumentality, if and its obligations are not assumed or transferred by law to another municipality, any net debit or credit balance remaining in the reserve account of such municipality, or participating instrumentality, shall be transferred to a Terminated Municipality Reserve Account which shall be used to fund any future benefits of its employees arising out of service with the terminated municipality or participating instrumentality.

Any deficiency arising in the Terminated Municipality Reserve Account shall be eliminated by a contribution by all remaining municipalities and participating instrumentalities at a uniform percent of payroll, to be determined, collected with other contributions required under Section 7-172.

(c) The municipality reserve for each municipality or participating instrumentality that has any sheriff's law enforcement employees shall be divided into 2 reserves. A reserve for the sheriff's law enforcement employees shall be allocated an amount in the same proportion to the total amount in reserve as the total number of sheriff's law enforcement employees is to the total participating employees of the municipality or participating instrumentality at that date. The remainder shall be allocated to the reserve for other employees.

(d) The Fund shall determine what amounts shall be transferred or credited to the reserve for elected county officers participating in the alternative retirement program.

(Source: P.A. 87-740.)

Section 90. The State Mandates Act is amended by adding Section 8.28 as follows:

(30 ILCS 805/8.28 new)

Sec. 8.28. 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 93rd General Assembly.

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