1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to retirement; general employees retirement plan of the Public 
1.3 	Employees Retirement Association; permitting the purchase of service credit 
1.4 	for Hennepin County elected service.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. PERA-GENERAL; HENNEPIN COUNTY ELECTED SERVICE 
1.7 	CREDIT PURCHASE.
 1.8 	(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, an eligible person 
1.9 	described in paragraph (b) is entitled to purchase allowable service credit from the general 
1.10 	employees retirement plan of the Public Employees Retirement Association for the period 
1.11 	of service as elected county commissioner for Hennepin County that is not otherwise 
1.12 	covered under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 353, if the eligible person makes the payment 
1.13 	required under paragraph (d).
1.14 	(b) An eligible person is a person who:
1.15 	(1) was born on November 18, 1946;
1.16 	(2) was elected as a Hennepin County commissioner in November 1978 and was 
1.17 	sworn in as a commissioner on January 2, 1979.
1.18 	(c) The eligible person described in paragraph (b) may apply to the executive 
1.19 	director of the Public Employees Retirement Association to make the service credit 
1.20 	purchase under this section. The application must be in writing and must be accompanied 
1.21 	with necessary documentation of the applicability of this section and of any other relevant 
1.22 	information that the executive director may require.
1.23 	(d) Allowable service credit under Minnesota Statutes, section 353.01, subdivision 
1.24 	16, must be granted by the general employees retirement plan of the Public Employees 
2.1 	Retirement Association to the person upon the receipt of the prior service credit purchase 
2.2 	payment amount required under Minnesota Statutes, section 356.551. The payment 
2.3 	obligation must be offset first by a transfer of the account balance to the credit of the 
2.4 	eligible person from the defined contribution plan of the Public Employees Retirement 
2.5 	Association. If that transfer is insufficient, the balance of the service credit purchase 
2.6 	payment may be made from amounts to the credit of the eligible person under Minnesota 
2.7 	Statutes, section 352.96 or 383B.46.
2.8 	(e) Authority for an eligible person to make the prior service credit purchase 
2.9 	under this section expires on December 31, 2009, or upon the termination of service as 
2.10 	a Hennepin County commissioner, whichever is earlier.

2.11 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.