Minnesota Session Laws - 1986, Regular Session

  

                         Laws of Minnesota 1986 

                        CHAPTER 321-S.F.No. 1349 
           An act relating to insurance; providing that insurers 
          or health maintenance organizations must not require a 
          public employer to contribute toward the payment of 
          insurance premiums or charges for insurance for 
          retired officers or employees; amending Minnesota 
          Statutes 1984, section 471.61, subdivision 2a. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1984, section 471.61, 
subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
    Subd. 2a.  [RETIRED OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES.] Any county, 
municipal corporation, town, school district, county extension 
committee, other political subdivision or other body corporate 
and politic of this state, including the state or any department 
thereof, through its governing body, and any two or more 
subdivisions acting jointly through their governing bodies, may 
insure or protect its or their retired officers and retired 
employees entitled to benefits under any public employees 
retirement act and their dependents, or any class or classes 
thereof, under a policy or policies, or contract or contracts of 
group insurance or benefits covering life, health, and accident, 
medical and surgical benefits, or hospitalization insurance or 
benefits, for retired officers and retired employees and their 
dependents, or any one or more of such forms of insurance or 
protection.  Any such governmental unit, including county 
extension committees, may pay all or any part of the premiums or 
charges on such insurance or protection or may require the 
retired officer or employee to pay all or part of the premiums 
or charges.  Any one or more of such governmental units may 
determine that a person is a retired officer or a retired 
employee if such officer or employee, when employed, received a 
portion of his income from such governmental subdivisions 
without regard to the manner of his election or appointment.  
The appropriate officer of such governmental unit, or those 
disbursing county extension funds, shall collect from each such 
retired officer and retired employee who elects to become 
insured or so protected, on such officer's or employee's written 
order, all or part of the retired officer's or retired 
employee's share of such premiums or charges and remit the same 
to the insurer or company issuing such policy or contract.  An 
insurer, health maintenance organization, or company issuing the 
policy or contract may not require a public employer to 
contribute any portion of the retired officer's or employee's 
share as a condition of eligibility for the insurance or 
protection.  An insurer, health maintenance organization, or 
company issuing the policy or contract may require a retired 
officer or a retired employee to pay all or any part of the 
premiums or charges. 
    Any governmental unit, other than a school district, which 
pays all or any part of such premiums or charges is authorized 
to levy and collect a tax, if necessary, in the next annual tax 
levy for the purpose of providing the necessary funds for the 
payment of such premiums or charges, and such sums so levied and 
appropriated shall not, in the event such sum exceeds the 
maximum sum allowed by any law or the charter of a municipal 
corporation, be considered part of the cost of government of 
such governmental unit as defined in any tax levy or per capita 
expenditure limitation; provided at least 50 percent of the cost 
of benefits on dependents shall be contributed by the retired 
officer or retired employee or be paid by levies within existing 
per capita tax limitations. 
    The word "dependents" as used herein shall mean spouse and 
minor unmarried children under the age of 18 years actually 
dependent upon the retired officer or retired employee. 
    Approved March 14, 1986