State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_HB2755

      40 ILCS 5/7-109.3         from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109.3
      40 ILCS 5/7-116           from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-116
      40 ILCS 5/7-142.2 new
      40 ILCS 5/7-173.1         from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-173.1
      30 ILCS 805/8.22 new
          Amends the  Illinois  Municipal  Retirement  Fund  (IMRF)
      Article  of  the  Pension  Code.   Makes  full-time municipal
      police officers who participate in the Fund eligible for  the
      sheriff's law enforcement employee (SLEP) formula.  Bases new
      annuities calculated under the SLEP formula on the employee's
      rate  of  earnings  on  the last day of employment as a SLEP.
      Creates a second program of optional additional contributions
      and benefits, this  one  applicable  only  to  SLEP  service.
      Specifies  that  a SLEP may establish retroactive SLEP credit
      for all types of service that have been  added  to  the  SLEP
      definition  as of the date of application.   Amends the State
      Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement.
      Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9010344EGfg
                                               LRB9010344EGfg
 1        AN ACT to amend the Illinois  Pension  Code  by  changing
 2    Sections  7-109.3,  7-116,  and  7-173.1  and  adding Section
 3    7-142.2 and to amend the State Mandates Act.
 4        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 5    represented in the General Assembly:
 6        Section  5.   The  Illinois  Pension  Code  is amended by
 7    changing Sections 7-109.3,  7-116,  and  7-173.1  and  adding
 8    Section 7-142.2 as follows:
 9        (40 ILCS 5/7-109.3) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-109.3)
10        Sec. 7-109.3.  "Sheriff's Law Enforcement Employees".
11        (a)  "Sheriff's law enforcement employee" means:
12             (1)  A  county  sheriff and all deputies, other than
13        special deputies, employed on a full time  basis  in  the
14        office of the sheriff.
15             (2)  A person who has elected to participate in this
16        Fund  under  Section  3-109.1  of  this  Code, and who is
17        employed  by  a  participating  municipality  to  perform
18        police duties.
19             (3)  A law enforcement officer employed  on  a  full
20        time  basis  by a Forest Preserve District, provided that
21        such officer shall be deemed a "sheriff's law enforcement
22        employee" for the purposes of this Article,  and  service
23        in  that  capacity  shall  be  deemed  to be service as a
24        sheriff's law enforcement employee, only if the board  of
25        commissioners of the District have so elected by adoption
26        of  an affirmative resolution.  Such election, once made,
27        may not be rescinded.
28             (4)  A person not eligible to participate in a  fund
29        established  under Article 3 of this Code who is employed
30        on a full-time basis by a participating  municipality  or
31        participating instrumentality to perform police duties at
                            -2-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1        an  airport,  but  only if the governing authority of the
 2        employer has approved sheriff's law enforcement  employee
 3        status for its airport police employees by adoption of an
 4        affirmative  resolution.   Such approval, once given, may
 5        not be rescinded.
 6             (5)  A person not eligible to participate in a  fund
 7        established  under Article 3 of this Code who is employed
 8        on a full-time basis by a participating  municipality  to
 9        perform police duties.
10        (b)  An  employee  who  is  a  sheriff's  law enforcement
11    employee and is granted military leave or authorized leave of
12    absence  shall  receive  service  credit  in  that  capacity.
13    Sheriff's law enforcement employees shall not be entitled  to
14    out of State service credit under Section 7-139.
15    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff. 8-16-97.)
16        (40 ILCS 5/7-116) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-116)
17        Sec. 7-116. "Final rate of earnings":
18        (a)  For  retirement  and survivor annuities, the monthly
19    earnings obtained by dividing the total earnings received  by
20    the   employee  during  the  period  of  either  (1)  the  48
21    consecutive months of service within the last 120  months  of
22    service  in  which his total earnings were the highest or (2)
23    the employee's total period of  service,  by  the  number  of
24    months of service in such period.
25        (b)  For   death   benefits,   the  higher  of  the  rate
26    determined under paragraph  (a)  of  this  Section  or  total
27    earnings received in the last 12 months of service divided by
28    twelve.   If the deceased employee has less than 12 months of
29    service, the monthly final rate shall be the monthly rate  of
30    pay the employee was receiving when he began service.
31        (c)  For  disability  benefits,  the  total earnings of a
32    participating employee in the  last  12  calendar  months  of
33    service prior to the date he becomes disabled divided by 12.
                            -3-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1        (d)  In  computing  the  final  rate of earnings: (1) the
 2    earnings rate for all  periods  of  prior  service  shall  be
 3    considered  equal to the average earnings rate for the last 3
 4    calendar years of prior service for which creditable  service
 5    is  received  under Section 7-139 or, if there is less than 3
 6    years of creditable prior service, the average for the  total
 7    prior service period for which creditable service is received
 8    under  Section  7-139;  (2)  for  out  of  state  service and
 9    authorized leave, the earnings rate shall be  the  rate  upon
10    which  service  credits  are granted; (3) periods of military
11    leave shall not be considered; (4) the earnings rate for  all
12    periods  of  disability shall be considered equal to the rate
13    of earnings upon which the employee's disability benefits are
14    computed for such periods; (5) the earnings to be  considered
15    for  each  of  the  final  three months of the final earnings
16    period shall not exceed 125% of the highest earnings  of  any
17    other  month in the final earnings period; and (6) the annual
18    amount of final rate of earnings shall be the monthly  amount
19    multiplied  by  the  number  of  months  of  service normally
20    required by the position in a year.
21        (e)  For a person who withdraws from service on or  after
22    the  effective  date  of  this amendatory Act of 1998 with at
23    least 20 years of service  as  a  sheriff's  law  enforcement
24    employee,  the  final  rate  of earnings shall be the rate of
25    earnings in effect for  the  employee  on  the  last  day  of
26    service  as a sheriff's law enforcement employee if that rate
27    is greater than the final rate of earnings  determined  under
28    the other provisions of this Section.
29    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff. 8-16-97.)
30        (40 ILCS 5/7-142.2 new)
31        Sec.  7-142.2.   Optional plan of additional benefits and
32    contributions for sheriff's law enforcement employees.
33        (a)  While this  plan  is  in  effect,  a  sheriff's  law
                            -4-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1    enforcement employee may establish additional optional credit
 2    for  additional  optional  benefits by electing in writing at
 3    any time to make  additional  optional  contributions.    The
 4    employee  may  discontinue  making  the  additional  optional
 5    contributions at any time by notifying the Fund in writing.
 6        (b)  Additional optional contributions for the additional
 7    optional benefits shall be as follows:
 8             (1)  For  service  after  the  option is elected, an
 9        additional  contribution  of  3%  of  salary   shall   be
10        contributed  to  the Fund on the same basis and under the
11        same conditions as contributions required under  Sections
12        7-173 and 7-173.1.
13             (2)  For  service  as  a  sheriff's  law enforcement
14        employee before the  option  is  elected,  an  additional
15        contribution  of  3%  of  the  salary  for the applicable
16        period of service, plus interest at  the  effective  rate
17        from  the  date  of  service to the date of payment.  All
18        payments for past service must be  paid  in  full  before
19        credit  is  given.   No additional optional contributions
20        may be made for any period of service  for  which  credit
21        has  been previously forfeited by acceptance of a refund,
22        unless the refund is repaid in full with interest at  the
23        effective  rate  from  the  date of refund to the date of
24        repayment.
25        (c)  Additional optional benefits shall  accrue  for  all
26    periods    of   eligible   service   for   which   additional
27    contributions are paid in full.  The additional benefit shall
28    consist of an additional 1% of the final rate of earnings for
29    each year of service for which  optional  contributions  have
30    been  paid,  to  be  added to the employee retirement annuity
31    benefits as otherwise computed under  Section  7-142.1.   The
32    calculation  of these additional benefits shall be subject to
33    the same terms and conditions as are used in the  calculation
34    of  retirement annuity under Section 7-142.1.  The additional
                            -5-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1    benefit shall be included in the calculation of the automatic
 2    annual increase in annuity and in the calculation of survivor
 3    benefits, where applicable.  However, no additional  benefits
 4    shall  be  granted  that produce a total annuity greater than
 5    the applicable maximum established for that type  of  annuity
 6    in this  Article.
 7        (d)  Refunds  of  additional optional contributions shall
 8    be made on the same basis and under the same conditions as is
 9    provided under  this  Article  for  other  optional  employee
10    contributions.
11        (e)  Optional  contributions  shall be accounted for in a
12    separate Optional Contribution Reserve.
13        (f)  Actuarial liabilities arising from optional employee
14    contributions made under  this  Section  may  be  taken  into
15    account  when  computing  municipality contribution rates for
16    sheriff's law enforcement employees under subsection  (c)  of
17    Section 7-172.
18        (g)  A sheriff's law enforcement employee may participate
19    in  both  the program of optional contributions created under
20    this Section and  the  program  of  additional  contributions
21    provided  for  under  subdivision (a)2 of Section 7-173.  The
22    optional contributions made under this Section shall  not  be
23    included  in  the  calculation  of  retirement  annuity under
24    subdivision (a)2 of Section 7-142.
25        Optional contributions may be  made  under  this  Section
26    only  with  respect to service as a sheriff's law enforcement
27    employee.  No optional  service  credit  may  be  established
28    under  this  Section  for  any  military  service  or for any
29    service originally earned under any  other  Article  of  this
30    Code.   Optional  service  credit  may be established for any
31    period of disability paid from this Fund, if the employee was
32    a  sheriff's  law  enforcement  employee  at  the  time   the
33    disability   was   incurred  and  makes  additional  optional
34    contributions for the period of disability.
                            -6-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1        (h)  This plan of  optional  benefits  and  contributions
 2    shall  not  apply to any former employee receiving an annuity
 3    from the Fund who re-enters service, unless he or she renders
 4    at least 3 years of additional service  as  a  sheriff's  law
 5    enforcement employee after the date of re-entry.
 6        (i)  The   effective   date   of  the  optional  plan  of
 7    additional benefits  and  contributions  created  under  this
 8    Section  shall  be  January  1,  1999  or the date upon which
 9    approval is received from the U.S. Internal Revenue  Service,
10    whichever is later.
11        (40 ILCS 5/7-173.1) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-173.1)
12        Sec.  7-173.1.   Additional contribution by sheriff's law
13    enforcement employees.
14        (a)  Each sheriff's law enforcement employee  shall  make
15    an  additional contribution of 1% of earnings, which shall be
16    considered as normal contributions.  For earnings on or after
17    July 1, 1988, the additional  contribution  shall  be  2%  of
18    earnings.
19        This   additional   contribution  shall  be  payable  for
20    retroactive service periods that which the employee elects to
21    establish and to periods of authorized leave of  absence.   A
22    sheriff's    law   enforcement   employee   may   make   such
23    contributions for any prior period of  service  in  the  Fund
24    that   would   be  considered  service  as  a  sheriff's  law
25    enforcement employee under Section 7-109.3  as  that  Section
26    exists   at   the   time   of   application   to  make  those
27    contributions.
28        (b)  If the employee  is  awarded  a  retirement  annuity
29    under  Section  7-142 and not under Section 7-142.1, then the
30    additional contribution required under this Section shall  be
31    refunded   with  interest.  If  the  employee  returns  to  a
32    participating status as a sheriff's law enforcement employee,
33    the employee may repay the amount refunded with interest  and
                            -7-                LRB9010344EGfg
 1    upon  subsequent retirement be entitled to a recomputation of
 2    the retirement annuity under Section  7-142.1  if  the  total
 3    service  as  a  sheriff's  law enforcement employee meets the
 4    requirements of that Section.
 5    (Source: P.A. 85-941.)
 6        Section 90.  The State Mandates Act is amended by  adding
 7    Section 8.22 as follows:
 8        (30 ILCS 805/8.22 new)
 9        Sec.  8.22.  Exempt  mandate.  Notwithstanding Sections 6
10    and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is  required
11    for  the  implementation  of  any  mandate  created  by  this
12    amendatory Act of 1998.
13        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
14    becoming law.

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