1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to retirement; public employees retirement 
  1.3             association; providing special survivor benefit 
  1.4             eligibility for certain surviving spouse.  
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION; 
  1.7   SPECIAL SURVIVING SPOUSE BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY.] 
  1.8      (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 
  1.9   the surviving spouse of a deceased qualified public employee is 
  1.10  entitled to receive the second portion of a 100-percent joint 
  1.11  and survivor optional annuity under Minnesota Statutes, section 
  1.12  353.31, subdivision 1b, calculated as if the deceased qualified 
  1.13  public employee had qualified for the "rule of 90" early normal 
  1.14  retirement annuity on the date of death. 
  1.15     (b) A deceased qualified public employee is a person who: 
  1.16     (1) was born on August 18, 1941; 
  1.17     (2) became a member of the public employees retirement 
  1.18  association on July 7, 1964; 
  1.19     (3) was a member of the basic program of the public 
  1.20  employees retirement association; 
  1.21     (4) was employed as a building inspector by the city of St. 
  1.22  Paul; 
  1.23     (5) died during the course of his employment duties on 
  1.24  December 24, 1997; and 
  1.25     (6) would have been eligible to retire under the "rule of 
  2.1   90" early normal retirement provision on February 1, 1998. 
  2.2      (c) The benefit under paragraph (a) is payable in lieu of 
  2.3   any other survivor benefit from the public employee retirement 
  2.4   association.  The benefit under paragraph (a) accrues on January 
  2.5   1, 1998, and the initial payment of the benefit must include any 
  2.6   applicable retroactive payment amounts.  The benefit under 
  2.7   paragraph (a) must be elected by the surviving spouse on a form 
  2.8   prescribed by the executive director of the public employee 
  2.9   retirement association. 
  2.10     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.11     Section 1 is effective on the day following final enactment.