HOUSE BILL No. 4912

June 13, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Wenke, Caswell, Knollenberg, Palmer, Ball, Acciavatti, Rick Jones, Hildenbrand, Stahl, Horn, Huizenga, Hune and Agema 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 sections 6, 7, 22, and 41a (MCL 38.1306, 38.1307,

 

38.1322, and 38.1341a), sections 6 and 7 as amended by 1995 PA 272,

 

section 22 as amended by 1997 PA 143, and section 41a as amended by

 

1996 PA 488.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 6. (1) "Original member" means a member employed in

 

Michigan public schools before July 1, 1945.

 

     (2) "Out of system public education service" means service

 

performed in public education meeting 1 or more of the following

 

requirements:

 

     (a) Performed in other states in the United States or its

 

territorial possessions.


 

     (b) Performed at the university of Michigan, Michigan state

 

university, Wayne state university, Grand Valley state university,

 

Oakland university, or Saginaw Valley university.

 

     (c) Service purchased before January 31, 1991 and performed in

 

a juvenile training school operated by a county in this state.

 

     (d) Service purchased before January 31, 1991 and performed in

 

a community mental health service program operated under former Act

 

No. 54 of the Public Acts of 1963 1963 PA 54 for the severely

 

mentally retarded in day care programs, day training programs, or

 

day care training programs that were transferred to an intermediate

 

school district by direction of the department of education.

 

     (e) Service purchased before January 31, 1991 and performed as

 

an elementary or secondary teacher at a United States armed forces

 

military base in the United States or a foreign country.

 

     (f) Service purchased before January 31, 1991 and performed as

 

a teacher or administrator of American nationals in overseas public

 

elementary or secondary schools operated by the United States

 

department of defense.

 

     (g) Performed by a person who first becomes employed by an

 

institution of higher education described in section 4, 5, or 6 of

 

article VIII of the state constitution of 1963 on or after January

 

1, 1996.

 

     (h) Performed by a person who first becomes employed by a tax

 

supported community or junior college on or after January 1, 2008.

 

     (3) "Prior service" means service performed before July 1,

 

1945.

 

     (4) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, "public


 

school academy" means a public school academy established under

 

part 6a or 6b of the revised school code, of 1976, Act No. 451 of

 

the Public Acts of 1976, being sections 380.501 to 380.507 and

 

380.511 to 380.518 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1976 PA 451, MCL

 

380.501 to 380.507. Public school academy does not include any of

 

the following:

 

     (a) A public school academy operated by a state public

 

university that is not subject to the optional retirement act of

 

1967, Act No. 156 of the Public Acts of 1967, being sections 38.381

 

to 38.388 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1967 PA 156, MCL 38.381 to

 

38.388.

 

     (b) A public school academy corporation formed by a state

 

public university that is not subject to Act No. 156 of the Public

 

Acts of 1967 the optional retirement act of 1967, 1967 PA 156, MCL

 

38.381 to 38.388.

 

     (5) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, "public

 

school employee" means an employee of a public local school

 

district, intermediate school district, public school academy, tax

 

supported community or junior college, eastern Michigan university,

 

central Michigan university, northern Michigan university, western

 

Michigan university, Ferris state university, Michigan

 

technological university, Lake Superior state university, or

 

district library as defined in section 69g if the conditions in

 

section 69g(1) are met for that employee. Service at Michigan

 

technological university shall be creditable only if the amount of

 

the accumulated contributions in the state employees' retirement

 

system created by the state employees' retirement act, Act No. 240


 

of the Public Acts of 1943, being sections 38.1 to 38.48 of the

 

Michigan Compiled Laws 1943 PA 240, MCL 38.1 to 38.69, for service

 

is paid to the retirement system. Service at Ferris state

 

university shall be creditable as prior service or membership

 

service only if the employee was employed at Ferris state

 

university on a full-time basis for 2 or more years after May 17,

 

1949. Until January 1, 1988, public school employee also includes a

 

person holding a Michigan teacher certificate and serving as an

 

employee of the Michigan high school athletic association, other

 

than a person whose effective date of employment with the Michigan

 

high school athletic association is on or after December 31, 1986.

 

Public school employee includes a public school employee on an

 

approved leave of absence. Public school employee does not include

 

a person who first becomes employed by a university described in

 

this subsection on or after January 1, 1996. Public school employee

 

does not include a person who first becomes employed by a tax

 

supported community or junior college on or after January 1, 2008.

 

     Sec. 7. (1) "Refund beneficiary" means 1 or more persons whom

 

the member or former member nominates in writing and files with the

 

retirement system for the purpose of being paid accumulated

 

contributions in the event of the death of the member or former

 

member. If a valid nomination is not on file, the retirement board

 

shall pay the accumulated contributions to the legal representative

 

of the deceased member or deceased former member, if any, or to the

 

estate of the deceased member or deceased former member.

 

     (2) "Regular interest" means interest at 1 or more rates per

 

annum determined by the retirement board and compounded annually.


 

     (3) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection,

 

"reporting unit" means a public school district, intermediate

 

school district, public school academy, tax supported community or

 

junior college, or university, or an agency having employees on its

 

payroll who are members of this retirement system. The reporting

 

unit shall be the employer for purposes of this act. On and after

 

January 1, 1996, reporting unit does not include a university,

 

except to the extent that university has employees on its payroll

 

who are members of this retirement system. On and after January 1,

 

2008, reporting unit does not include a tax supported community or

 

junior college except to the extent that the community or junior

 

college has employees on its payroll who are members of this

 

retirement system.

 

     (4) "Retirant" means a member who retires with a retirement

 

allowance payable from reserves of the retirement system.

 

     (5) "Retirement allowance" means a payment for life or a

 

temporary period provided for in this act to which a retirant,

 

retirement allowance beneficiary, or refund beneficiary is

 

entitled.

 

     (6) "Retirement allowance beneficiary" means a person who is

 

being paid or has entitlement to the payment of a retirement

 

allowance in the event of the death of a member, deferred member,

 

or retirant.

 

     (7) "Retirement board" means the board provided to administer

 

this retirement system.

 

     (8) "Retirement system" means the Michigan public school

 

employees' retirement system provided for in this act.


 

     Sec. 22. (1) The Michigan public school employees' retirement

 

board is created in the department and shall consist of the

 

superintendent of public instruction and 11 members appointed by

 

the governor with the advice and consent of the senate as follows:

 

     (a) Two members who are working as classroom teachers or as

 

other certified school personnel.

 

     (b) One nonteacher member who is working in a noncertified

 

educational support position or a retirant who retired from a

 

noncertified educational support position.

 

     (c) One member who is a school system superintendent.

 

     (d) One member who is working in a school system in a finance

 

or operations management position, but who is not a school system

 

superintendent.

 

     (e) One retirant who retired from a classroom teacher

 

position.

 

     (f) One retirant who retired from a finance or operations

 

management position.

 

     (g) One administrator or trustee of a community college, which

 

community college is a reporting unit.

 

     (g) (h) Two Three from the general public, 1 of which shall

 

have experience in health insurance or actuarial science and 1 of

 

which shall have experience in institutional investments. An

 

individual appointed under this subdivision shall not be a member,

 

deferred member, retirant, or retirement allowance beneficiary

 

under this act.

 

     (h) (i) One elected member of a reporting unit's board of

 

control.


 

     (2) One of the retirement board members under subsection (1)

 

shall be a member who is an employee of a school district of the

 

first class or a retirant who retired from a position as an

 

employee of a school district of the first class. One of the

 

retirant members of the retirement board shall be selected from the

 

membership of the largest organization of retirants.

 

     (3) The term of office of the retirement board members shall

 

be 4 years. A vacancy of a member on the retirement board shall be

 

filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the

 

remainder of the unexpired term. A retirement board member shall

 

continue to hold office until a successor is appointed and has

 

qualified, but not to exceed an additional 4 years.

 

     (4) The 7 members appointed and serving on the retirement

 

board on July 1, 1997 shall have their respective terms extended by

 

2 years and shall serve for the remainder of their extended terms.

 

As each board member's term expires under this subsection, the new

 

appointment shall be made in accordance with subsection (1). On

 

January 1, 1997, 2 new individuals shall be appointed as members of

 

the retirement board in accordance with subsection (1). The initial

 

terms of office of these 2 new members shall expire on March 30,

 

2001. On October 31, 1997, 2 new individuals shall be appointed as

 

members of the retirement board in accordance with subsection (1).

 

The initial terms of office of these 2 new members shall expire on

 

March 30, 2000.

 

     Sec. 41a. (1) For fiscal years that begin on or after March

 

28, 1996, the retirement system shall determine a separate

 

contribution rate for a reporting unit that is a university listed


 

in section 6(5). The retirement system shall determine the separate

 

contribution rate in the manner prescribed in section 41, except

 

that the unfunded actuarial accrued liability shall be amortized

 

over 40 years beginning October 1, 1996 and ending on September 30,

 

2036, with the payment schedule for universities being based on and

 

applied to the combined payrolls of the universities' employees who

 

are members and who were hired before January 1, 1996 and the

 

universities' employees who would have been members on or after

 

January 1, 1996, but for the enactment of Act No. 272 of the Public

 

Acts of 1995 1995 PA 272. The amount of the unfunded accrued

 

liability on which the separate contribution rate is determined

 

shall be that amount which a reporting unit that is a university

 

listed in section 6(5) is legally responsible for and is calculated

 

by actuarial analysis. Any reduction in the unfunded liability of

 

the system pursuant to governmental action affecting the entire

 

system will be allocated to all reporting units including

 

universities as determined by the system's actuary.

 

     (2) For fiscal years that begin on or after March 28, 2008,

 

the retirement system shall determine a separate contribution rate

 

for a reporting unit that is a tax supported community or junior

 

college. The retirement system shall determine the separate

 

contribution rate in the manner prescribed in section 41, except

 

that the unfunded actuarial accrued liability shall be amortized

 

over 40 years beginning October 1, 2008 and ending on September 30,

 

2048, with the payment schedule for tax supported community or

 

junior college employees being based on and applied to the combined

 

payrolls of the tax supported community or junior college employees


 

who are members and who were hired before January 1, 2008 and the

 

tax supported community or junior college employees who would have

 

been members on or after January 1, 2008, except for the enactment

 

of the amendatory act that added this subsection. The amount of the

 

unfunded accrued liability on which the separate contribution rate

 

is determined shall be that amount which a reporting unit that is a

 

tax supported community or junior college is legally responsible

 

for and is calculated by actuarial analysis. Any reduction in the

 

unfunded liability of the system pursuant to governmental action

 

affecting the entire system will be allocated to all reporting

 

units including tax supported community or junior colleges as

 

determined by the system's actuary.