Legislative Session number- 82

Bill Name: SF1321

E Relating to retirement ARTICLE 1 VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONSClarifying
entitlement to contribution refunds for former members of the legislature under
the legislators retirement plan of the Minnesota state retirement system;
requiring and providing for calculation of the total fair market value of the
postretirement investment fund according to generally accepted accounting
principles; classifying certain data on beneficiaries and survivors under the
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth teachers retirement fund associations and
limiting disclosure of certain data on members, survivors and beneficiaries;
clarifying the eligibility of certain employees of the Minnesota state colleges
and universities system for retirement benefits and eliminating the exclusion of
elective state officers and modifying the exclusion of certain teachers from the
definition of state employee under MSRS; providing for chiropractic and
psychological examinations as evidence to support applications for total and
permanent disability benefits under MSRS and the state troopers retirement plan;
increasing the dollar limit on certain refunds; expanding eligibility for
disability benefits for department of public safety state fire marshal division
employees; increasing the age for receipt of disability benefits and modifying
the provision providing for resumption of employment after disability under the
MSRS correctional employees retirement plan; excluding lump sum annual leave and
overtime payments made at the time of separation from state service from the
definition of average monthly salary under the state troopers plan; modifying
certain provisions providing for the payment of disability benefits to
reemployed state troopers; clarifying the inclusion of certain MnSCU employees
under the teachers retirement association; increasing the time limit for
remitting of amounts due to TRA by employers; modifying the definition of salary
under the first class city teachers retirement fund associations and authorizing
the transfer of certain funds to pay for eligible service credit, for repayment
of prior refunds or for payment for eligible leaves of absence; authorizing and
providing for members of the Duluth teachers retirement fund association
receiving temporary workers compensation payments and a reduced salary or no
salary to purchase allowable service credit for the period; expanding first
class city TRA employing unit member data reporting requirements and requiring
the units to remit amounts due to the associations with itemized statements
indicating the total amount due and transmitted; specifying certain
postretirement income reporting requirements of employing units for teaching
service performed after retirement; increasing the limit on refunds after death
without probate proceedings; clarifying certain teachers pension fund investment
disclosure document filing requirements; modifying the definition of allowable
service under the judges retirement plan; delaying the effective date for the
increase in employee contributions to the local government correctional service
retirement plan under the public employees retirement association (PERA);
repealing the actuarial valuation amortization target date exception for the
Duluth teachers retirement fund association ARTICLE 2 STATE PATROL RETIREMENT
PLAN MEMBERSHIP EXPANSIONExpanding coverage under the state patrol retirement
fund to law enforcement officers employed as fugitive apprehension unit peace
officers by the office of special investigations in the department of
corrections, requiring the transfer of certain employee and employer
contributions from the general state employees retirement plan of the Minnesota
state retirement system (MSRS) to the state patrol retirement fund and requiring
certain additional contributions plus interest ARTICLE 3 REMEDIAL MEASURES FOR
THE PERA GENERAL FUNDING DEFICIENCYModifying the disposition of mortality gains
and losses under the Minnesota postretirement investment fund, establishing a
mortality stabilization reserve within the fund and requiring and providing for
certain credits to and deductions from the reserve; modifying the definitions of
public employee, included employees and excluded employees and modifying or
clarifying certain additional definitions under the public employees retirement
association, specifying certain membership requirements and providing for
optional membership by certain employees; eliminating school districts from the
definition of governmental subdivision and defining seasonal position;
clarifying the definition of allowable service relating to leave without pay and
modifying the definition relating to temporary layoffs; modifying the period for
payment of employee contributions after return from military leave for allowable
service crediting purposes; providing for the determination of allowable service
for compensated hours, defining compensated hours, providing for determination
of length of service required for vesting, limiting annual accrual of allowable
service credit and requiring employer reporting of the number of compensated
hours during the payroll period; increasing employee and employer contribution
rates; providing an annual appropriation to the commissioner of finance as state
aid for the PERA general employees retirement fund; limiting participation in
the public employees police and fire plan by volunteer ambulance service
personnel; expanding the definition of teacher under the teachers retirement
association to certain employees of common, independent or special school
districts and excluding certain former members of the Minneapolis employees
retirement fund (MERF) and certain trades personnel employed by independent
school district 625, St. Paul from the definition; providing for the transfer of
membership, liabilities, assets and records of certain common, independent or
special school district employees from PERA to TRA; establishing the full
funding date for PERA amortization contributions determination purposes;
requiring the executive directors of the Minnesota state retirement system
(MSRS), PERA and TRA to jointly prepare a report detailing the implementation
steps to consolidate the administration of the systems into a single
administrative structure under certain conditions, specifying certain report
content requirements and requiring a report to the legislature by a certain
date; requiring the TRAs to jointly prepare a report to the legislature by a
certain date detailing the implementation steps to aggregate the benefit plans,
retirement funds and governance structures of the four TRA plans into a single
Minnesota public education employees retirement plan and system under certain
conditions, requiring establishment of and consultation with a task force of
representatives of affected employing units and collective bargaining
organizations ARTICLE 4 CLOSED CHARTER SCHOOL RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS Providing
for state payment of unpaid employee and employer contributions to the
applicable teachers retirement association (TRA) or the public employees
retirement association (PERA) for teaching or other service in certain
designated closed charter schools; appropriating money to the commissioner of
finance for the contributions, requiring the commissioner to undertake efforts
to recover the amounts from the sponsors or operators of the closed schools
ARTICLE 5 MINNEAPOLIS FIREFIGHTERS RELIEF ASSOCIATION BENEFIT PLAN CODIFICATION
AND REVISIONCodifying, reorganizing and clarifying laws applicable to the
Minneapolis firefighters relief association relating to creation of the
association, the governing board, association funds and accounts, defined
benefits including service, disability and surviving spouse and dependent
pensions and optional annuities, investment related postretirement adjustments,
actuarial valuations, member contribution refunds upon death and payments exempt
from process; regulating the calculation of service pensions or other retirement
benefits; specifying the effect of the legislation on workers compensation;
granting the relief association the right to adjust pensions and benefits paid
from the special fund; requiring the Minneapolis finance director to annually
file with the county auditor and the commissioner of revenue a certificate
stating the existence of the association for state aid receipt purposes;
requiring the state auditor to annually examine the books and accounts of the
relief association for unauthorized expenditures determination and reporting
purposes; repealing certain local laws governing the association ARTICLE 6
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER RELIEF ASSOCIATION PROVISIONSPlacing certain conditions on
volunteer firefighters relief associations hiring or contracting with
consultants relating to certificates of insurance; entitling a certain former
active member of the White Bear Lake volunteer firefighters relief association
to a service pension despite subsequent full time employment as a fire chief or
inspector by the city (mk, ja)