PRINTER'S NO. 358

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 349 Session of 1981


        INTRODUCED BY LEVI, FRYER, A. C. FOSTER, JR., GAMBLE AND MERRY,
           FEBRUARY 2, 1981

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 2, 1981

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of February 1, 1974 (P.L.34, No.15), entitled
     2     "An act creating a Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System
     3     for the payment of retirement allowances to officers,
     4     employes, firemen and police of political subdivisions and
     5     municipal authorities and of institutions supported and
     6     maintained by political subdivisions and municipal government
     7     associations and providing for the administration of the same
     8     by a board composed of the State Treasurer and others
     9     appointed by the Governor; imposing certain duties on the
    10     Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Board and the actuary
    11     thereof; providing the procedure whereby political
    12     subdivisions and municipal authorities may join such system,
    13     and imposing certain liabilities and obligations on such
    14     political subdivisions and municipal authorities in
    15     connection therewith, and as to certain existing retirement
    16     and pension systems, and upon officers, employes, firemen and
    17     police of such political subdivisions, institutions supported
    18     and maintained by political subdivisions, and upon municipal
    19     authorities; providing for the continuation of certain
    20     municipal retirement systems now administered by the
    21     Commonwealth; providing certain exemptions from taxation,
    22     execution, attachment, levy and sale and providing for the
    23     repeal of certain related acts," providing for the custody of
    24     and payments from the fund; for the payment of administration
    25     funds from excess interest earnings; authorizing increased
    26     earnings on a temporary or seasonal basis and eliminating
    27     certain offset payments.

    28     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    29  hereby enacts as follows:
    30     Section 1.  Section 109, act of February 1, 1974 (P.L.34,

     1  No.15), known as the "Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Law," is
     2  amended to read:
     3     Section 109.  Custody of and Payments from Fund.--All moneys
     4  and securities in the fund shall be placed in the custody [of
     5  the State Treasurer for safekeeping] of the money manager, and
     6  all payments on account of retirement allowances shall be made
     7  on requisition signed by the [chairman and] secretary of the
     8  board to the financial institution or money manager approved and
     9  appointed by the board for complete management and custody of
    10  securities for the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System.
    11     Section 2.  Section 112, subsection (c) of section 207,
    12  clause (3) of subsection (b) of section 212, subsection (c) of
    13  section 308, clause (3) of subsection (b) of section 313 and
    14  subsection (c) of section 406 of the act, amended May 17, 1980
    15  (No.50), are amended to read:
    16     Section 112.  Annual Estimates to Municipalities;
    17  Administrative Expenses.--The board shall prepare and submit to
    18  each municipality, on or before the first day of the third month
    19  preceding the commencing of each municipality's fiscal year, an
    20  itemized estimate of the amounts necessary to be appropriated by
    21  the municipality to complete the payments of the obligations of
    22  the municipality to the fund during its next fiscal year.
    23     The board shall annually prepare and approve a budget
    24  covering the administrative expenses of this act. Such expenses
    25  as approved by the board shall be paid from receipts from
    26  assessments made against each municipality for administrative
    27  expenses. This assessment shall be based on the number of
    28  members in each municipality and shall not exceed the sum of
    29  twenty dollars ($20) per member per year. If, in the calendar
    30  years [1980 and 1981] 1982, 1983 and 1984 the amount received
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     1  from such assessments, when imposed at the maximum rate, is not
     2  sufficient to cover the administrative expenses, then the
     3  balance of such expenses shall be paid from interest earnings on
     4  the fund in excess of the regular interest credited to the
     5  municipal and member's accounts and shall not, in any year,
     6  exceed three-quarters of one per cent of the total asset value
     7  of the fund as of the beginning of the calendar year. The
     8  administration of the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System
     9  shall be audited annually and a report of this audit shall be
    10  made annually to the General Assembly.
    11     Section 207.  Withdrawal; Return to Service; Death in
    12  Service.--* * *
    13     (c)  Should a person who has been retired on a retirement
    14  allowance under this act, return to employment on a regular
    15  full-time basis in the same municipality, his retirement
    16  allowance shall cease, and in the case of an annuity, other than
    17  a disability annuity, the present value of such annuity shall be
    18  frozen as of the date such annuity ceases. Upon subsequent
    19  discontinuance of service, such member, other than a former
    20  disability annuitant, shall be entitled to an annuity which is
    21  actuarially equivalent to the sum of the present value of the
    22  annuity previously being paid and the present value of the
    23  annuity earned by further service and further deductions added
    24  upon reemployment. For the purposes of this section if a person
    25  is reemployed on a temporary or seasonal basis and his gross
    26  post-retirement earnings from such reemployment during the
    27  calendar year are less than [two thousand five hundred twenty
    28  dollars ($2,520)] five thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other
    29  maximum as the board may establish, he shall not be deemed
    30  reemployed, but if and when his gross post-retirement earnings
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     1  exceed [two thousand five hundred twenty dollars ($2,520)] five
     2  thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other maximum as the board may
     3  establish in any calendar year he shall not be entitled to
     4  receive his retirement allowance for that month or any
     5  subsequent month in the calendar year in which he continues in
     6  service. The municipality is required to notify the board
     7  immediately of the reemployment status of any retired former
     8  employe and file separate monthly reports of his gross earnings
     9  as prescribed by the board.
    10     * * *
    11     Section 212.  Disability Retirement.--* * *
    12     (b)  On retirement for disability a member shall receive a
    13  retirement allowance which shall consist of:
    14     * * *
    15     (3)  A disability annuity payable from the total disability
    16  reserve account which, together with the member's annuity and
    17  the municipal annuity, shall be sufficient to produce a
    18  retirement allowance of thirty per cent of the final salary.
    19  Where the disability of the member is determined to be service-
    20  connected, as defined in this act, the retirement allowance
    21  shall equal fifty per cent of his final salary. [The disability
    22  annuity shall be reduced by the amount of any payments for which
    23  the member shall be eligible under the act of June 2, 1915
    24  (P.L.736, No.338), known as "The Pennsylvania Workmen's
    25  Compensation Act," or the act of June 21, 1939 (P.L.566,
    26  No.284), known as "The Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act."]
    27     * * *
    28     Section 308.  Withdrawal; Return to Service; Death in
    29  Service.--* * *
    30     (c)  Should a person who has been retired on a retirement
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     1  allowance under this act, return to employment on a regular
     2  full-time basis in the same municipality, his retirement
     3  allowance shall cease, and in the case of an annuity, other than
     4  a disability annuity, the present value of such annuity shall be
     5  frozen as of the date such annuity ceases. Upon subsequent
     6  discontinuance of service, such member, other than a former
     7  disability annuitant, shall be entitled to an annuity which is
     8  actuarially equivalent to the sum of the present value of the
     9  annuity previously being paid and the present value of the
    10  annuity earned by further service and further deductions added
    11  upon reemployment. For the purposes of this section if a person
    12  is reemployed on a temporary or seasonal basis and his gross
    13  post-retirement earnings from such reemployment during the
    14  calendar year are less than [two thousand five hundred twenty
    15  dollars ($2,520)] five thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other
    16  maximum as the board may establish, he shall not be deemed
    17  reemployed, but if and when his gross post-retirement earnings
    18  exceed [two thousand five hundred twenty dollars ($2,520)] five
    19  thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other maximum as the board may
    20  establish in any calendar year he shall not be entitled to
    21  receive his retirement allowance for that month or any
    22  subsequent month in the calendar year in which he continues in
    23  service. The municipality is required to notify the board
    24  immediately of the reemployment status of any retired former
    25  employe and file separate monthly reports of his gross earnings
    26  as prescribed by the board.
    27     * * *
    28     Section 313.  Disability Retirement.--* * *
    29     (b)  On retirement for disability, a member shall receive a
    30  retirement allowance which shall consist of:
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     1     (3)  A disability annuity payable from the total disability
     2  reserve account which, together with the member's annuity and
     3  the municipal annuity, shall be sufficient to produce a
     4  retirement allowance of thirty per cent of the contributor's
     5  final salary. Where the disability of the member is determined
     6  to be service-connected, as defined in this act, the retirement
     7  allowance shall equal fifty per cent of his final salary. [The
     8  disability annuity shall be reduced by the amount of any
     9  payments for which the member shall be eligible under the act of
    10  June 2, 1915 (P.L.736, No.338), known as "The Pennsylvania
    11  Workmen's Compensation Act," or the act of June 21, 1939
    12  (P.L.566, No.284), known as "The Pennsylvania Occupational
    13  Disease Act."]
    14     * * *
    15     Section 406.  Withdrawal; Return to Service; Death in
    16  Service.--* * *
    17     (c)  Should a person who has been retired on a retirement
    18  allowance under this act, return to employment on a regular
    19  full-time basis in the same municipality, his retirement
    20  allowance shall cease, and in the case of an annuity, other than
    21  a disability annuity, the present value of such annuity shall be
    22  frozen as of the date such annuity ceases. Upon subsequent
    23  discontinuance of service, such member, other than a former
    24  disability annuitant, shall be entitled to an annuity which is
    25  actuarially equivalent to the sum of the present value of the
    26  annuity previously being paid and the present value of the
    27  annuity earned by further service and further deductions added
    28  upon reemployment. For the purposes of this section if a person
    29  is reemployed on a temporary or seasonal basis and his gross
    30  post-retirement earnings from such reemployment during the
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     1  calendar year are less than [two thousand five hundred twenty
     2  dollars ($2,520)] five thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other
     3  maximum as the board may establish, he shall not be deemed
     4  reemployed, but if and when his gross post-retirement earnings
     5  exceed [two thousand five hundred twenty dollars ($2,520)] five
     6  thousand dollars ($5,000) or such other maximum as the board may
     7  establish in any calendar year he shall not be entitled to
     8  receive his retirement allowance for that month or any
     9  subsequent month in the calendar year in which he continues in
    10  service. The municipality is required to notify the board
    11  immediately of the reemployment status of any retired former
    12  employe and file separate monthly reports of his gross earnings
    13  as prescribed by the board.
    14     * * *
    15     Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.










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