PRINTER'S NO. 1213

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 1070 Session of 1991


        INTRODUCED BY PISTELLA, O'BRIEN, BELFANTI, KOSINSKI, DALEY,
           PRESTON, TIGUE, GIGLIOTTI, BILLOW, KRUSZEWSKI, JAMES, WOGAN,
           VEON, RAYMOND, E. Z. TAYLOR, ITKIN, MELIO, BELARDI AND
           J. TAYLOR, APRIL 9, 1991

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 9, 1991

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of December 14, 1988 (P.L.1192, No.147),
     2     entitled "An act requiring municipal retirement systems to
     3     pay special ad hoc postretirement adjustments to certain
     4     retired police officers and firefighters; providing for the
     5     financing of these adjustments; providing for the
     6     administration of the Commonwealth's reimbursements for these
     7     adjustments; and making repeals," extending the provisions of
     8     the act to include survivors of police officers and
     9     firefighters.

    10     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    11  hereby enacts as follows:
    12     Section 1.  Section 102 of the act of December 14, 1988
    13  (P.L.1192, No.147), known as the Special Ad Hoc Municipal Police
    14  and Firefighter Postretirement Adjustment Act, is amended by
    15  adding a definition to read:
    16  Section 102.  Definitions.
    17     The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
    18  have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
    19  context clearly indicates otherwise:
    20     * * *


     1     "Survivor."  A person who, on the effective date of this act,
     2  is a survivor of a police officer or firefighter and who is
     3  receiving survivor benefits from a public employee retirement
     4  system.
     5     Section 2.  Sections 301, 302 and 702 of the act are amended
     6  to read:
     7  Section 301.  Entitlement to special ad hoc adjustment.
     8     A municipal retirement system shall pay a retired police
     9  officer or firefighter or the survivor of a retired police
    10  officer or firefighter a special ad hoc municipal police and
    11  firefighter postretirement adjustment under this chapter if all
    12  of the following apply:
    13         (1)  The retiree has terminated active employment with
    14     the municipality as a police officer or firefighter.
    15         (2)  The retiree is receiving a retirement annuity,
    16     retirement benefit, service pension or disability pension
    17     benefit from a municipal retirement system on the basis of
    18     active employment with a municipality as a police officer or
    19     firefighter.
    20         (3)  The retiree began receiving the retirement annuity,
    21     retirement benefit, service pension or disability pension
    22     benefit before January 1, 1985.
    23  Section 302.  Amount of special ad hoc adjustment.
    24     (a)  General rule.--Except as provided in subsections (b) and
    25  (c), a municipal retirement system shall pay a retired police
    26  officer or firefighter a special ad hoc municipal police and
    27  firefighter postretirement adjustment under section 301, as
    28  follows:
    29         (1)  The sum of $25 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
    30     retiree has been retired at least five years but less than
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     1     ten years.
     2         (2)  The sum of $50 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     3     retiree is totally disabled and has been retired less than
     4     ten years.
     5         (3)  The sum of $75 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     6     retiree has been retired at least ten years but less than 20
     7     years.
     8         (4)  The sum of $150 a month, if on January 1, 1989, the
     9     retiree has been retired at least 20 years.
    10     (b)  Retirement date.--In the case of a special ad hoc
    11  postretirement adjustment payable to a survivor, the benefit
    12  amounts shall be based on the retirement date of the retiree.
    13     [(b)] (c)  Limitation.--If, under section 301, a retiree is
    14  entitled to be paid a special ad hoc municipal police and
    15  firefighter postretirement adjustment by more than one municipal
    16  retirement system, the amount of the special ad hoc adjustment
    17  under subsection (a) shall be reduced so that the total of all
    18  these adjustments paid to the retiree does not exceed the amount
    19  specified in subsection (a).
    20     [(c)] (d)  Modification in amount of postretirement
    21  adjustment.--If a retiree entitled to receive a special ad hoc
    22  municipal police and firefighters postretirement adjustment will
    23  receive a postretirement adjustment from the applicable
    24  municipal police or paid firefighters pension plan after the
    25  effective date of this act, the amount of the special ad hoc
    26  postretirement adjustment under subsection (a) shall be reduced
    27  by the total amount of any municipal postretirement adjustment.
    28     [(d)] (e)  Construction.--Subsections [(b) and (c)] (c) and
    29  (d) shall not be construed to reduce the amount of any
    30  retirement annuity, retirement benefit, service pension or
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     1  disability pension benefit payable to a retiree immediately
     2  prior to the effective date of this act.
     3  Section 702.  Deposits into special account.
     4     Notwithstanding any applicable provision of the act of May
     5  12, 1943 (P.L.259, No.120), referred to as the Foreign Casualty
     6  Insurance Premium Tax Allocation Law, or any applicable
     7  provisions of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as
     8  the Tax Reform Code of 1971, or the provisions of sections
     9  402(b) and 803(c) of the act of December 18, 1984 (P.L.1005,
    10  No.205), known as the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard
    11  and Recovery Act, beginning on January 1, 1990, prior to the
    12  deposit of the proceeds of the insurance premium tax on foreign
    13  casualty insurance premiums into the General Municipal Pension
    14  System State Aid Program revenue account, an amount sufficient
    15  to provide for the Commonwealth's reimbursement payments to
    16  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments [under this act]
    17  provided to retirees under section 302(a) shall be deposited in
    18  the separate account created under section 701.
    19     Section 3.  The act is amended by adding a section to read:
    20  Section 703.  Supplement from General Fund.
    21     (a)  Reimbursement amount.--An amount sufficient to reimburse
    22  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments provided to
    23  survivors under section 302(b) in the first year shall be paid
    24  from the General Fund.
    25     (b)  Supplemental amounts.--Should the amount required to
    26  reimburse municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments to
    27  retirees under section 302(a) decrease after the first year, an
    28  amount equal to the decrease shall be deposited in the separate
    29  account created under section 701 and shall be used to reimburse
    30  municipalities for special ad hoc adjustments provided to
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     1  survivors under section 302(b). If the amount of this deposit is
     2  not sufficient to reimburse municipalities for provision of
     3  adjustments to survivors under section 302(b), the difference
     4  between the amount of this deposit and the amount required shall
     5  be paid from the General Fund.
     6     Section 4.  Sections 901(a) and 902(a) of the act are amended
     7  to read:
     8  Section 901.  Municipal retirement system certification of
     9                 adjustments paid.
    10     (a)  Certification.--Beginning January 1, 1989, the chief
    11  administrative officer of a municipal retirement system that
    12  pays a special ad hoc adjustment in that year shall certify the
    13  total of all adjustments paid during that year to the Auditor
    14  General not later than April 1 of the following year. The
    15  adjustments paid to retirees under section 302(a) and to
    16  survivors under section 302(b) shall be certified separately.
    17     * * *
    18  Section 902.  Commonwealth disbursement of reimbursement
    19                 payment.
    20     (a)  Payment to account.--Not later than June 1 of the year
    21  in which the form is due, the Auditor General shall certify to
    22  the State Treasurer the amount to be deposited into the special
    23  account created in section 701 and the amount to be paid from
    24  the General Fund and shall draw a warrant, payable to the
    25  treasurer of the municipality, on the State Treasurer from the
    26  special account created in section 701 for the amount certified
    27  under section 901(a).
    28     * * *
    29     Section 5.  This act shall be retroactive to February 12,
    30  1989.
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     1     Section 6.  This act shall take effect immediately.




















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