SENATE BILL No. 795

 

 

January 30, 2018, Introduced by Senators KNOLLENBERG, PAVLOV, PROOS, HANSEN, SHIRKEY, EMMONS, HUNE, JONES, MARLEAU, HILDENBRAND, BOOHER, ROBERTSON and SCHUITMAKER and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

 

     A bill to amend 1980 PA 300, entitled

 

"The public school employees retirement act of 1979,"

 

by amending section 71 (MCL 38.1371), as amended by 1996 PA 268.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 71. (1) The retirement board shall grant service credit

 

for the time a member is on a sabbatical leave authorized by a

 

reporting unit, if the member returns to regular employment with

 

the same reporting unit and acquires 1 year or more of subsequent

 

service credit with that same reporting unit and if the member

 

acquired 5 or more years of credited service with the reporting

 

unit immediately before the sabbatical leave.

 

     (2) If the sabbatical leave described in subsection (1) is

 

granted before July 1, 1981, the reporting unit, if the reporting

 

unit had a noncontributory plan at the time the sabbatical leave is

 

granted, or the member, if the reporting unit has a contributory


plan at the time the sabbatical leave is granted, shall pay to the

 

system for each year of sabbatical leave credit an amount equal to

 

5% of the member's compensation earned in the school fiscal year

 

immediately before the school fiscal year in which the sabbatical

 

leave is granted, together with regular interest from the end of

 

the school fiscal year in which the sabbatical leave was or is

 

granted to the earlier of the following dates following the date of

 

payment, the first day of the school fiscal year beginning after

 

the date of payment or the first day of the seventh month of the

 

school fiscal year in which the payment is made. If the reporting

 

unit makes the payment required by this subsection, the reporting

 

unit also shall pay the required interest. If the member makes the

 

payment required by this subsection, the member also shall pay the

 

required interest.

 

     (3) If the sabbatical leave described in subsection (1) is

 

granted after June 30, 1981, the member shall pay an amount equal

 

to 5% of the member's full-time or equated full-time compensation

 

earned in the school fiscal year immediately before the school

 

fiscal year in which payment is made for each year of service

 

credit the member elects to purchase. In computing payment under

 

this subsection, the compensation amount used, except as otherwise

 

provided in this subsection, shall must not be less than the

 

highest school fiscal year compensation the member earned from the

 

reporting unit that granted the sabbatical leave. If the

 

compensation amount used for computing payment under this

 

subsection exceeds the member's final average compensation

 

determined at the time of retirement, the payment required under


this subsection shall must be recomputed using the member's final

 

average compensation and a refund shall must be made based upon on

 

the recomputation.

 

     (4) If, before October 31, 1980, either the reporting unit or

 

the member has contributed 5% of the member's compensation for the

 

school fiscal year in which the sabbatical leave was granted in

 

order to purchase service credit for that the sabbatical leave, a

 

further payment for the purchase of service credit for that

 

sabbatical leave shall is not be required. If a member has paid the

 

amount required under subsection (2) for the purchase of service

 

credit for sabbatical leave, but later receives a refund of that

 

amount, the member, not the reporting unit, shall repay the amount

 

with regular interest as required by subsection (2) if the member

 

elects to purchase service credit for the sabbatical leave.

 

     (5) Effective October 1, 1981, except as otherwise provided in

 

subsection (7), the retirement board shall grant service credit for

 

the time a member is on either an employee organization

 

professional services leave or employee organization professional

 

services released time authorized by a reporting unit if all of the

 

following conditions are satisfied, as applicable:

 

     (a) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time that first began

 

before October 1, 1996, which leave or released time is renewed

 

annually by the reporting unit, the member is included on the

 

reporting unit's reports required by section 42(6) and

 

compensation, service, contribution, and other requirements are

 

reported on the same basis as for those members of the reporting


unit who were not granted an employee organization professional

 

services leave or employee organization professional services

 

released time.

 

     (b) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time, which leave or

 

released time does not meet the requirements conditions of

 

subdivision (a), the member is included on the reporting unit's

 

reports in the manner required by subdivision (a), except that

 

compensation is reported at the rate of compensation paid to the

 

member by the reporting unit immediately preceding the date the

 

member commenced the professional services leave or professional

 

services released time along with the normal and customary

 

compensation increases that would have been paid to the member by

 

the reporting unit had the member remained in the same position

 

held at the reporting unit immediately preceding the date the

 

member commenced the leave or released time. However, if the member

 

was not working a full 12-month period for the reporting unit

 

immediately preceding the date the member commenced the

 

professional services leave or professional services released time

 

and is working a full 12-month period for the public school

 

employee organization, the rate of compensation paid to the member

 

by the reporting unit immediately preceding the date the member

 

commenced the leave or released time may be increased

 

proportionately to reflect the additional time worked for the

 

public school employee organization. That adjusted compensation,

 

along with the normal and customary compensation increases

 

otherwise allowed in this subdivision, shall must then be reported


as required in this subdivision.

 

     (c) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time that first began

 

before October 1, 1996, which leave or released time is renewed

 

annually by the reporting unit, the reporting unit remits the

 

amount required by section 42 and the percentage of aggregate

 

annual compensation provided from the state school aid fund for

 

current service, if any, the percentage determined for unfunded

 

accrued service as required by section 41, and the employer's share

 

of social security contributions if the reporting unit is

 

responsible for remitting the employee's share of social security

 

contributions.

 

     (d) For a member who is on either a professional services

 

leave or professional services released time, which professional

 

services leave or professional services released time does not meet

 

the requirements conditions of subdivision (c), the reporting unit

 

remits the amounts required by subdivision (c) based upon on the

 

rate of compensation paid to the member by the reporting unit

 

immediately preceding the date the member commenced the

 

professional services leave or professional services released time

 

along with the normal and customary compensation increases that

 

would have been paid to the member by the reporting unit had the

 

member remained in the same position held at the reporting unit

 

immediately preceding the date the member commenced the leave or

 

released time. However, if the member was not working a full 12-

 

month period for the reporting unit immediately preceding the date

 

the member commenced the professional services leave or


professional services released time and is working a full 12-month

 

period for the public school employee organization, the rate of

 

compensation paid to the member by the reporting unit immediately

 

preceding the date the member commenced the leave or released time

 

may be increased proportionately to reflect the additional time

 

worked for the public school employee organization. That adjusted

 

compensation, along with the normal and customary compensation

 

increases otherwise allowed in this subdivision, shall must then be

 

reported as required in this subdivision.

 

     (6) The reporting unit shall be reimbursed those sums paid to

 

the retirement board pursuant to subsection (5) by the member or

 

the public school employee organization shall, on a current basis,

 

reimburse the reporting unit the amounts paid to the retirement

 

board under subsection (5). A member who has credited service as an

 

employee of a school district of the first class, as described in

 

part 6 of the revised school code, Act No. 451 of the Public Acts

 

of 1976, being sections 380.401 to 380.485 of the Michigan Compiled

 

Laws, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.401 to 380.483a, for a leave of absence

 

effective before October 1, 1981, shall continue continues to

 

receive credit based upon the provisions of the law on the laws of

 

this state in effect at the time the leave of absence was initially

 

effective.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding section 4(10) and (11), the retirement

 

board shall not grant service credit under subsection (5) for any

 

time, after the effective date of the amendatory act that added

 

this subsection, that a member is on either an employee

 

organization professional services leave, professional services


leave, employee organization professional services released time,

 

or professional services released time.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.