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90_SB1300 40 ILCS 5/1-119 new Amends the General Provisions Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that if an annuitant fails to comply with provisions of a domestic relations order requiring the annuitant to pay a portion of his or her retirement annuity to another party, the court may issue an order directing the retirement system to deduct a specific dollar amount from each retirement annuity payment and to issue a separate payment of the amount deducted to that other party. Provides that tax liability relating to the money paid to the alternate payee is the responsibility of the alternate payee. Also provides that as part of a domestic relations order directing a person to pay a portion of a retirement annuity to another party, the court may order the retirement system to delay payment of a refund of retirement contributions arising from termination of service until payment of the refund has been approved by the court. Effective January 1, 1999. LRB9008273EGfg LRB9008273EGfg 1 AN ACT to amend the Illinois Pension Code by adding 2 Section 1-119. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by adding 6 Section 1-119 as follows: 7 (40 ILCS 5/1-119 new) 8 Sec. 1-119. Enforcement of domestic relations orders. 9 (a) For the purposes of this Section: 10 "Retirement system" means a pension fund or retirement 11 system that is administered under any of Articles 2 through 12 18 of this Code. 13 "Retirement annuity" means the periodic benefit payable 14 to a retired member of a retirement system based on age or 15 service or the amounts accumulated to the credit of the 16 member for retirement purposes, including any increases in 17 the benefit that may accrue from time to time, whether or not 18 the benefit is referred to as a "retirement annuity" under 19 the applicable Article of this Code. The term does not 20 include a death or disability benefit, a benefit payable to a 21 survivor, or a refund of contributions. 22 "Annuitant" means a person receiving a retirement annuity 23 from a retirement system. 24 "Alternate payee" means a person to whom an annuitant is 25 required to pay a portion of the annuitant's retirement 26 annuity under the terms of a domestic relations order. 27 "Domestic relations order" means an order made pursuant 28 to an Illinois domestic relations law other than an order 29 relating to child support issued pursuant to Section 706.1 of 30 the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. 31 (b) If an annuitant fails to comply with provisions of a -2- LRB9008273EGfg 1 domestic relations order requiring the annuitant to pay a 2 portion of his or her retirement annuity to another party, a 3 court of competent jurisdiction in this State may issue an 4 order directing the retirement system to deduct a specific 5 dollar amount from each retirement annuity payment and to 6 issue a separate payment of the amount deducted to that other 7 party. The amount to be deducted shall not exceed 75% of the 8 gross retirement annuity while there is an arrearage due and 9 shall not exceed 50% of the gross retirement annuity when 10 there is no arrearage. The order shall apply beginning with 11 the next annuity payment payable at least 30 days after the 12 retirement system's receipt of the order and ending upon 13 termination of the retirement annuity or sooner if so ordered 14 by the court. If the order provides for a deduction in 15 excess of the amount permitted by this Section, the 16 retirement system shall deduct only the amount permitted by 17 this Section. 18 The alternate payee shall be responsible for any taxes 19 that may be due and payable as a result of the payments made 20 to the alternate payee under the order. 21 A separate order is required for each affected retirement 22 system. 23 The order to the retirement system shall be in 24 substantially the following form: 25 ORDER FOR WITHHOLDING FROM A RETIREMENT ANNUITY 26 UNDER THE ILLINOIS PENSION CODE 27 THIS CAUSE coming before the Court for the purpose of 28 issuance of an order to enforce the terms of a domestic 29 relations order issued on (date) requiring payment of a 30 portion of a retirement annuity to a named party; the Court 31 having jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter 32 hereof; the Court finding one of the parties to be in default 33 of the domestic relations order by having failed to make 34 payment to the other party (the alternate payee) as required -3- LRB9008273EGfg 1 under the domestic relations order; and the Court being fully 2 advised; this order is entered to direct the retirement 3 system to make deductions from the retirement annuity and pay 4 the deducted amounts directly to the alternate payee: 5 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AS FOLLOWS: 6 (1) The provisions of Section 1-119 of the Illinois 7 Pension Code are adopted by reference and made a part of this 8 order. This order is subject to the requirements of that 9 Section, including the limitations on amounts to be deducted. 10 (2) Identification of the retirement system and parties: 11 Retirement System: (name and address) 12 Annuitant: (name, mailing address, and social 13 security number) 14 Alternate payee: (name, mailing address, and social 15 security number) 16 (3) Of the annuitant's monthly retirement benefit, the 17 retirement system shall pay to the alternate payee $.... per 18 month for current obligations (and $.... per month on an 19 arrearage of $.... until the arrearage has been paid in 20 full), commencing with the next annuity payment payable at 21 least 30 days after the retirement system's receipt of this 22 order and ending upon termination of the retirement annuity 23 or upon further order of the Court. 24 (4) The alternate payee shall be responsible for any 25 taxes that may be due and payable as a result of the payments 26 made to the alternate payee under this order. 27 (5) The Court retains jurisdiction to modify this order. 28 DATE .................... 29 SIGNED .................. 30 (c) As part of a domestic relations order directing a 31 person to pay a portion of a retirement annuity to another 32 party, a court of competent jurisdiction in this State may 33 order the retirement system to delay payment of any refund of 34 retirement contributions relating to that person that results -4- LRB9008273EGfg 1 from termination of employment until payment of the refund 2 has been approved by the court. 3 (d) If a retirement system finds that it is unable to 4 comply with an order issued under this Section because it 5 cannot identify or locate one of the parties, because of an 6 error in the order, or for any other reason, it shall notify 7 the parties of the reasons for its inability to comply. The 8 retirement system shall not make any payment to the alternate 9 payee until a corrected order is received by the retirement 10 system. 11 (e) The provisions in other Articles of this Code 12 exempting annuities and other benefits from legal or judicial 13 process do not apply to orders issued under this Section. 14 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect takes 15 effect January 1, 1999.