See other bills
under the
same topic
                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 869

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 728 Session of 2005


        INTRODUCED BY ROBBINS, COSTA, M. WHITE, D. WHITE, KASUNIC,
           GREENLEAF, LEMMOND, LOGAN, ERICKSON, PILEGGI, O'PAKE, ORIE,
           PUNT, WOZNIAK, PIPPY, SCARNATI, BOSCOLA, RAFFERTY AND
           GORDNER, JUNE 3, 2005

        REFERRED TO FINANCE, JUNE 3, 2005

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending Title 24 (Education) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
     2     Statutes, further providing for definitions, for management
     3     of funds and accounts and for actuarial cost method.

     4     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     5  hereby enacts as follows:
     6     Section 1.  The definition of "valuation interest" in section
     7  8102 of Title 24 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is
     8  amended and the section is amended by adding definitions to
     9  read:
    10  § 8102.  Definitions.
    11     The following words and phrases when used in this part shall
    12  have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
    13  meanings given to them in this section:
    14     * * *
    15     "Actual interest."  Amounts credited annually to the annuity
    16  reserve account calculated by multiplying the difference of the
    17  fund's time-weighted rate of return for the preceding year minus


     1  the Public School Employees' Retirement Board's actuarial
     2  interest rate assumption for the preceding year, times the mean
     3  amount of the annuity reserve account for the preceding year.
     4     * * *
     5     "Time-weighted rate of return."  The fund's total investment
     6  return, including both realized and unrealized gains and losses,
     7  based on the actuarial value of assets used for determining
     8  annual contribution rates.
     9     "Valuation interest."  Interest at 5 1/2% per annum,
    10  compounded annually and applied to all accounts other than the
    11  members' savings account and the annuity reserve account.
    12     * * *
    13     Section 2.  Section 8328(d) of Title 24 is amended and the
    14  section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
    15  § 8328.  Actuarial cost method.
    16     * * *
    17     (d)  Supplemental annuity contribution rate.--Contributions
    18  from the Commonwealth and other employers required to provide
    19  for the payment of the supplemental annuities provided for in
    20  sections 8348, 8348.1, 8348.2, 8348.4 and 8348.5 shall be paid
    21  over a period of ten years from July 1, 2002. The funding for
    22  the supplemental annuities commencing 2002 provided for in
    23  section 8348.6 shall be as provided in section 8348.6(f). The
    24  funding for the supplemental annuities commencing 2003 provided
    25  for in section 8348.7 shall be as provided in section 8348.7(f).
    26  The amount of each annual supplemental annuities contribution
    27  shall be equal to the amount of such contribution for the fiscal
    28  year beginning July 1, 2002. In the event that supplemental
    29  annuities are increased by legislation enacted subsequent to
    30  June 30, 2002, the additional liability for the increased
    20050S0728B0869                  - 2 -     

     1  benefits to be amortized shall be funded in equal dollar annual
     2  installments over a period of ten years. Beginning with the
     3  fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and continuing annually
     4  thereafter, the supplemental annuity contribution rate shall be
     5  calculated by the actuary as the contributions from the
     6  Commonwealth and other employers required to provide for the
     7  payment of the supplemental annuities, less the supplemental
     8  annuity adjustment factor calculated in subsection (g), but in
     9  no case shall it be less than zero. The sums calculated by the
    10  actuary shall be funded in equal dollar annual installments over
    11  periods of 20 years.
    12     * * *
    13     (g)  Supplemental annuity adjustment factor.--Beginning with
    14  the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and continuing annually
    15  thereafter, any increase or decrease in the accrued liability
    16  for annuitant member benefits due to the crediting of actual
    17  interest shall be amortized in equal dollar annual installments
    18  over a period of ten years beginning with July 1 next succeeding
    19  the actuarial valuation.
    20     Section 3.  Sections 8521(b) and 8525(a) of Title 24 are
    21  amended to read:
    22  § 8521.  Management of fund and accounts.
    23     * * *
    24     (b)  Crediting of interest.--The board annually shall allow
    25  statutory interest to the credit of the members' savings account
    26  on the mean amount of the accumulated deductions of all members
    27  for whom interest is payable for the preceding year [and
    28  valuation]. Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005,
    29  the board annually shall allow actual interest on the mean
    30  amount of the annuity reserve account for the preceding year to
    20050S0728B0869                  - 3 -     

     1  the credit of that account. The board annually shall allow
     2  valuation interest calculated on the mean amount for the
     3  preceding year of the balance in the State accumulation account
     4  excluding any earnings of the fund credited to the account
     5  during that year. In the event the total earnings for the year
     6  do not exceed 5 1/2% of the mean amount for the preceding year
     7  of the total assets of the fund less earnings credited to the
     8  fund during that year plus the administrative expenses of the
     9  board, the difference required to be appropriated from the
    10  General Fund shall be credited to the State accumulation
    11  account.
    12     * * *
    13  § 8525.  Annuity reserve account.
    14     (a)  Credits and charges to account.--The annuity reserve
    15  account shall be the ledger account to which shall be credited
    16  the reserves held for the payment of annuities and death
    17  benefits on account of all annuitants and the contributions from
    18  the Commonwealth and other employers as determined in accordance
    19  with section 8328 (relating to actuarial cost method) for the
    20  payment of the supplemental annuities provided in sections 8348
    21  (relating to supplemental annuities), 8348.1 (relating to
    22  additional supplemental annuities), 8348.2 (relating to further
    23  additional supplemental annuities), 8348.3 (relating to
    24  supplemental annuities commencing 1994), 8348.4 (relating to
    25  special supplemental postretirement adjustment), 8348.5
    26  (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 1998), 8348.6
    27  (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 2002) and 8348.7
    28  (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 2003). The
    29  annuity reserve account shall be credited with [valuation]
    30  actual interest. After the transfers provided in sections 8523
    20050S0728B0869                  - 4 -     

     1  (relating to members' savings account) and 8524 (relating to
     2  State accumulation account), all annuity and death benefit
     3  payments shall be charged to the annuity reserve account and
     4  paid from the fund.
     5     * * *
     6     Section 4.  This act shall take effect immediately.
















    C30L24MRD/20050S0728B0869        - 5 -