HB2998 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 14617 RPS 19970 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB2998

Introduced 2/19/2021, by Rep. Dave Severin

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

40 ILCS 5/16-128.5 new
40 ILCS 5/16-203

Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that a teacher who served as a teacher during the public health emergency declared by the Governor related to the COVID-19 pandemic shall receive one additional day of service credit for each day of service credit earned during that period, notwithstanding any limitation on the amount of service credit that may be earned in a single year. Provides that the service credit shall be granted without any additional employee or employer contribution. Provides that any benefit increase that results from the amendatory Act is excluded from the definition of "new benefit increase". 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 adding Section 16-128.5 and by amending Section 16-203 as follows:

(40 ILCS 5/16-128.5 new)

Sec. 16-128.5. Additional service credit for service during the COVID-19 public health emergency. A teacher who served as a teacher during the public health emergency declared by the Governor related to the COVID-19 pandemic shall receive one additional day of service credit for each day of service credit earned during that period, notwithstanding any limitation on the amount of service credit that may be earned in a single year. Service credit under this Section shall be granted without any additional employee or employer contribution.

(40 ILCS 5/16-203)

Sec. 16-203. 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). "New benefit increase", however, does not include any benefit increase resulting from the changes made to Article 1 or this Article by Public Act 95-910, Public Act 100-23, Public Act 100-587, Public Act 100-743, or Public Act 100-769, Public Act 101-10, Public Act 101-49, or this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly or this amendatory Act of the 101st 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 Insurance. 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. 100-23, eff. 7-6-17; 100-587, eff. 6-4-18; 100-743, eff. 8-10-18; 100-769, eff. 8-10-18; 101-10, eff. 6-5-19; 101-49, eff. 7-12-19; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; revised 8-13-19.)

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