HOUSE BILL No. 5157

 

September 13, 2005, Introduced by Rep. Condino and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

     A bill to amend 1957 PA 261, entitled

 

"Michigan legislative retirement system act,"

 

by amending sections 75 and 79 (MCL 38.1075 and 38.1079), as

 

amended by 1998 PA 501.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 75. (1) A qualified participant is immediately 100%

 

vested in his or her contributions made to Tier 2. A qualified

 

participant shall vest in the employer contributions made on his or

 

her behalf to Tier 2 according to the following schedule:

 

     (a) Upon completion of 2 years of service, 50%.

 

     (b) Upon completion of 3 years of service, 75%.

 

     (c) Upon completion of 4 years of service, 100%.

 

     (2) A qualified participant is vested in the health insurance

 


coverage provided in section 79 if the qualified participant meets

 

1 of the following requirements:

 

     (a) The qualified participant has completed 6 years of service

 

as a qualified participant and was not a member, deferred vested

 

member, or former nonvested member of Tier 1.

 

     (b) The qualified participant was a member, deferred vested

 

member, or former nonvested member of Tier 1 who made an election

 

to participate in Tier 2 pursuant to section 61, and who has met

 

the service requirements he or she would have been required to meet

 

in order to vest in health benefits under section 50b.

 

     (c) The qualified participant meets all of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (i) Was not a member, deferred vested member, or former

 

nonvested member of Tier 1.

 

     (ii) Was first elected to fill a vacancy in the house of

 

representatives for a period less than the full term but more than

 

1/2 of the term of office.

 

     (iii) Has completed 5 years of service as a qualified

 

participant.

 

     (3) A qualified participant who becomes a qualified

 

participant on or after January 1, 2001 is vested in the health

 

insurance coverage provided in section 79 if the former qualified

 

participant has completed 10 years of service as a qualified

 

participant and was not a member, deferred member, or former

 

nonvested member of Tier 1.

 

     Sec. 79. (1) A former qualified participant may elect health

 

insurance benefits in the manner prescribed in this section if he

 


or she meets both of the following requirements:

 

     (a) The former qualified participant is vested in health

 

benefits under section 75(2) or (3).

 

     (b) The former qualified participant meets 1 of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (i) He or she meets or exceeds the benefit commencement age

 

employed in the actuarial present value calculation under section

 

62 and the service requirements that would have applied to that

 

former participant under Tier 1 for receiving health insurance

 

coverage under section 50b, if that former participant was a member

 

of Tier 1.

 

     (ii) He or she is 55 years of age or older.

 

     (2) A former qualified participant who is eligible to elect

 

health insurance coverage under subsection (1) may elect health

 

insurance coverage in a health benefit plan or plans as authorized

 

by section 50b, or in another plan as provided in subsection (6). A

 

former qualified participant who is eligible to elect health

 

insurance coverage under subsection (1) may also elect health

 

insurance coverage for his or her health benefit dependents, if

 

any. A surviving health benefit dependent of a deceased former

 

qualified participant who is eligible to elect health insurance

 

coverage under subsection (1) may elect health insurance coverage

 

in the manner prescribed in this section.

 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (6), an

 

individual who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall become a member of a health insurance coverage group

 

authorized pursuant to section 50b.

 


     (4) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(a) or (c), and for his

 

or her health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of

 

the health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on

 

a cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The portion of the health insurance coverage premium

 

paid by this state under this subsection shall be 90% of the

 

payments for health insurance coverage under section 50b. If the

 

individual elects the health insurance coverage provided under

 

section 50b, this state shall transfer its portion of the amount

 

calculated under this subsection to the health insurance fund

 

created by section 22c.

 

     (5) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and who is

 

vested in those benefits under section 75(2)(b), and for his or her

 

health benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of the

 

health insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on a

 

cash disbursement method. An individual described in this

 

subsection who elects health insurance coverage under this section

 

shall pay to the retirement system the remaining portion of the

 

health insurance coverage premium not paid by this state under this

 

subsection. The portion of the health insurance coverage premium

 

paid by this state under this subsection shall be equal to the

 


premium amounts paid on behalf of retirants of Tier 1 for health

 

insurance coverage under section 50b. If the individual elects the

 

health insurance coverage provided under section 50b, the state

 

shall transfer its portion of the amount calculated under this

 

subsection to the health insurance fund created by section 22c.

 

     (6) For a former qualified participant who is eligible to

 

elect health insurance coverage under subsection (1) and is vested

 

in those benefits under section 75(3) and for his or her health

 

benefit dependents, this state shall pay a portion of the health

 

insurance premium as calculated under this subsection on a cash

 

disbursement method. An individual described in this subsection who

 

elects health insurance coverage under this section shall pay to

 

the retirement system the remaining portion of the health insurance

 

coverage premium not paid by this state under this subsection. The

 

portion of the health insurance coverage premium paid by this state

 

under this subsection shall be equal to the product of 3% and the

 

former qualified participant's years of service, up to 30 years,

 

and shall not exceed 90% of the payments for health insurance

 

coverage under section 50b.

 

     (7)  (6)  A former qualified participant or health benefit

 

dependent who is eligible to elect health insurance coverage under

 

this section and who elects health insurance coverage under a

 

different plan than the plan authorized under section 50b may elect

 

to have an amount up to the amount of the retirement system's share

 

of the monthly health insurance premium subsidy provided in this

 

section paid by the retirement system directly to the other health

 

insurance plan or to a medical savings account established pursuant

 


to section 220 of the internal revenue code, to the extent allowed

 

by law or under the provisions and procedures of Tier 2.

 

     (8)  (7)  If the department of management and budget receives

 

notification from the United States internal revenue service that

 

this section or any portion of this section will cause the

 

retirement system to be disqualified for tax purposes under the

 

internal revenue code, then the portion that will cause the

 

disqualification does not apply.