HF 2619

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to retirement; authorizing certain 
  1.3             contributions to supplemental plans for postretirement 
  1.4             health care; providing for a postretirement health 
  1.5             care task force; amending Minnesota Statutes 1999 
  1.6             Supplement, section 356.24, subdivision 1. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.9   356.24, subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [RESTRICTION; EXCEPTIONS.] It is unlawful 
  1.11  for a school district or other governmental subdivision or state 
  1.12  agency to levy taxes for, or contribute public funds to a 
  1.13  supplemental pension or deferred compensation plan that is 
  1.14  established, maintained, and operated in addition to a primary 
  1.15  pension program for the benefit of the governmental subdivision 
  1.16  employees other than: 
  1.17     (1) to a supplemental pension plan that was established, 
  1.18  maintained, and operated before May 6, 1971; 
  1.19     (2) to a plan that provides solely for group health, 
  1.20  hospital, disability, or death benefits; 
  1.21     (3) to the individual retirement account plan established 
  1.22  by chapter 354B; 
  1.23     (4) to a plan that provides solely for severance pay under 
  1.24  section 465.72 to a retiring or terminating employee; 
  1.25     (5) for employees other than personnel employed by the 
  1.26  state university board or the community college board and 
  2.1   covered by the board of trustees of the Minnesota state colleges 
  2.2   and universities supplemental retirement plan under chapter 
  2.3   354C, if provided for in a personnel policy of the public 
  2.4   employer or in the collective bargaining agreement between the 
  2.5   public employer and the exclusive representative of public 
  2.6   employees in an appropriate unit, in an amount matching employee 
  2.7   contributions on a dollar for dollar basis, but not to exceed an 
  2.8   employer contribution of $2,000 a year per employee; 
  2.9      (i) to the state of Minnesota deferred compensation plan 
  2.10  under section 352.96; or 
  2.11     (ii) in payment of the applicable portion of the premium on 
  2.12  a tax-sheltered annuity contract qualified under section 403(b) 
  2.13  of the Internal Revenue Code, if purchased from a qualified 
  2.14  insurance company, or to a qualified investment entity, as 
  2.15  defined in subdivision 1a, and, in either case, if the employing 
  2.16  unit has complied with any applicable pension plan provisions of 
  2.17  the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the tax-sheltered 
  2.18  annuity program during the preceding calendar year; or 
  2.19     (6) for personnel employed by the state university board or 
  2.20  the community college board and not covered by clause (5), to 
  2.21  the supplemental retirement plan under chapter 354C, if provided 
  2.22  for in a personnel policy or in the collective bargaining 
  2.23  agreement of the public employer with the exclusive 
  2.24  representative of the covered employees in an appropriate unit, 
  2.25  in an amount matching employee contributions on a dollar for 
  2.26  dollar basis, but not to exceed an employer contribution of 
  2.27  $2,000 a year for each employee.; or 
  2.28     (7) to a supplemental plan to save for postretirement 
  2.29  health care qualified under section 501(c)(9) of the Internal 
  2.30  Revenue Code, if provided for in a personnel policy or in the 
  2.31  collective bargaining agreement of the public employer with the 
  2.32  exclusive representative of the covered employees in an 
  2.33  appropriate unit. 
  2.34     Sec. 2.  [POSTRETIREMENT HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE.] 
  2.35     The director of the legislative commission on pensions and 
  2.36  retirement shall convene a task force on postretirement health 
  3.1   care.  The task force shall identify strategies for providing 
  3.2   postretirement health care coverage for public employees and 
  3.3   make recommendations regarding the most appropriate and 
  3.4   efficient manner for providing postretirement health care. 
  3.5      The task force shall include, but not be limited to, the 
  3.6   following: 
  3.7      (1) a representative of the department of employee 
  3.8   relations; 
  3.9      (2) a representative of the Minnesota state retirement 
  3.10  system; 
  3.11     (3) a representative of the teachers retirement 
  3.12  association; 
  3.13     (4) a representative of the public employees retirement 
  3.14  association; 
  3.15     (5) a representative of the legislative coordinating 
  3.16  commission subcommittee on employee relations; 
  3.17     (6) representatives of public employees exclusive 
  3.18  representatives; and 
  3.19     (7) representatives of major public employers. 
  3.20     The task force shall report its findings and 
  3.21  recommendations to the legislative commission on pensions and 
  3.22  retirement by November 15, 2000.  The report shall address: 
  3.23     (i) alternative methods of providing and paying for 
  3.24  postretirement health care; 
  3.25     (ii) the estimated cost of providing postretirement health 
  3.26  care under various alternatives; and 
  3.27     (iii) the most efficient administrative structure for 
  3.28  providing for postretirement health care.